Card brands do not price interchange the same way. Visa and Mastercard typically have lower interchange rates across most standard consumer cards. American Express and Discover often run higher, depending on the card program and rewards structure. Each card brand sets its own pricing rules, categories, and risk models. Because of that, the same transaction amount can cost a business different fees based only on the card used. This is why two similar transactions can show up with very different c

Assessment fees are set by the card brands like Visa and Mastercard. They take a small percentage of every transaction for the use of their payment networks. These fees apply to every merchant and every transaction, no matter the processor or pricing model. Assessment fees are not negotiable and cannot be removed. Because they are small and consistent, many businesses overlook them. Over time, they add up and make up a real portion of total processing costs. That is why some fees stay the same n