Interchange categories reference: Visa & Mastercard rates for 2026
A working reference to the interchange categories U.S. merchants actually see on statements. Rates shown are approximate published levels for April 2026 — always confirm against the current card-brand rate schedule before using them in pricing decisions.
What interchange is, in one paragraph
Interchange is the fee the merchant's acquirer pays the cardholder's issuer for each card transaction. It is set by the card networks in rate schedules published roughly twice a year (April and October are the typical update windows). Every merchant pays the same interchange for the same transaction type; what varies between processors is the markup layered on top. For a walkthrough of how interchange fits into the broader pricing picture, see our payments primer.
Visa interchange categories
Visa publishes dozens of categories. The ones U.S. merchants encounter most:
| Category | Who it applies to | Approx rate (Apr 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| CPS / Retail, Credit | Standard card-present retail, consumer credit | 1.51% + $0.10 |
| CPS / Retail 2, Credit | Retail with average ticket below $15 | 1.65% + $0.04 |
| CPS / Supermarket, Credit | Supermarket MCC (5411), consumer credit | 1.22% + $0.05 |
| CPS / Restaurant, Credit | Restaurant MCC (5812), consumer credit | 1.54% + $0.10 |
| CPS / Small Ticket, Credit | Transactions under $15 | 1.65% + $0.04 |
| CPS / E-Commerce Basic, Credit | Card-not-present without 3DS | 1.80% + $0.10 |
| CPS / E-Commerce Preferred, Credit | Card-not-present with 3DS or enhanced data | 1.80% + $0.10 |
| CPS / Hotel & Car Rental, Credit | Hotel/car rental MCCs, consumer credit | 1.58% + $0.10 |
| Retail Rewards 1 | Consumer rewards-tier credit cards | 1.65% + $0.10 |
| Retail Rewards 2 | Premium rewards credit cards | 1.95% + $0.10 |
| Visa Signature Preferred | Signature Preferred credit cards | 2.10% + $0.10 |
| Business Card Retail | Visa business/corporate credit | 2.40% + $0.10 |
| CPS / Retail, Debit (Non-Regulated) | Debit from small banks (<$10B assets) | 0.80% + $0.15 |
Mastercard interchange categories
| Category | Who it applies to | Approx rate (Apr 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Merit I (Card-Not-Present) | E-commerce and keyed-in consumer credit | 1.89% + $0.10 |
| Merit III (Retail, Credit) | Standard card-present retail | 1.58% + $0.10 |
| Merit III Supermarket | Supermarket MCC, consumer credit | 1.27% + $0.05 |
| Merit III Restaurant | Restaurant MCC, consumer credit | 1.58% + $0.10 |
| Enhanced Merit III | Enhanced-data card-present | 1.48% + $0.10 |
| World — Merit III | World-tier card-present | 1.73% + $0.10 |
| World Elite — Merit III | World Elite card-present | 2.20% + $0.10 |
| Commercial Card — Data Rate I | Business, corporate, government cards | 2.65% + $0.10 |
| Regulated Debit (Durbin) | Debit from banks >$10B | 0.05% + $0.22 (capped) |
Discover and American Express
Discover uses its own interchange schedule published separately. Rates are broadly comparable to Visa and Mastercard — around 1.55–2.10% for consumer credit, card-present. American Express, because it is both a network and an issuer for many of its cards, uses "discount rate" rather than interchange; OptBlue-enrolled merchants typically see rates of 2.30–2.95% depending on MCC and ticket.
Regulated debit — the Durbin amendment
The Federal Reserve's Regulation II (implementing the Durbin amendment to the Dodd-Frank Act) caps interchange on debit from banks with more than $10 billion in assets at 21¢ + 0.05% per transaction + 1¢ fraud prevention allowance. Debit from banks under that threshold — "non-regulated" debit — is not capped and follows the regular Visa / Mastercard schedule.
How often rates change
The card networks adjust interchange schedules roughly twice a year, with April and October being the typical release windows. Adjustments usually include rate changes, category additions/removals, and qualifying criteria updates. Merchants should expect their effective rate to shift slightly each April and October — budgets should plan for this variance.
Primary sources
For authoritative rate data — always check current published schedules rather than relying on a secondary source:
- Visa U.S. interchange schedules (Visa USA, published schedule)
- Mastercard U.S. interchange (Mastercard merchant rules)
- Federal Reserve Regulation II (Durbin debit cap)
- PCI Security Standards Council (PCI DSS requirements for merchants)
Want to estimate your own interchange?
Our payments guide includes a rough effective-rate calculator. It's not a replacement for real statement analysis but it gets you close enough for initial comparison.
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