What are you missing?
Have I talked about this subject more than almost anything else? Probably. Why? Because I know helping you save your money matters.
Have you noticed your merchant statement getting fatter even though sales haven’t budged?
You’re not imagining it. Two big trends are driving costs up: customers increasingly use premium corporate or rewards cards (which carry ~50% higher interchange fees than a basic card), and online (card-not-present) sales now dominate (which can cost 10–18% more than in-person transactions). On top of that, recent network rule changes are reshuffling interchange, which makes up the bulk of your processing costs.
Visa’s new Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP) is a major factor. As of April 2026, Visa retired its old Level II pricing. Now only transactions with full, line-item Level III data qualify for reduced commercial rates.In practice, this means “good enough” data no longer cuts it. You need complete invoice details, SKU codes, and other required transaction data. There is also a new 0.05% participation fee on all enhanced-data transactions. In other words, merchants that once shaved fees with partial Level II data now face higher base rates. Some have seen interchange costs jump ~40% if their systems couldn’t supply full Level III data.
Mastercard isn’t standing still either. In 2026, Mastercard rolled out new per-transaction fees. For example, a 9¢ “force-post” fee when a sale clears without prior authorization, and a fallback fee when a chip card is swiped by mistake. These fees may seem small, but they can add up quickly at scale.
So, what can businesses do? Don’t assume your merchant statements are telling the whole story. An experienced review can uncover qualification issues, processing errors, and unnecessary costs that quietly impact your bottom line. At the same time, ensure your payment systems can send full Level III data on every eligible commercial card transaction. In practice, that means integrating your payment gateway and ERP so every line item, tax amount, shipping charge, and SKU is passed to the processor. Only then can eligible transactions qualify for lower Product 3 interchange rates.
Finally, consider working with a payments partner who understands these shifts. Small changes in interchange can mean thousands of dollars over a year. Better data and regular statement reviews are now your best defense against rising card fees . Let’s review your processing statements and identify where unnecessary costs may be hiding.