The short answer
Each card has an interchange rate: the part of the card fee that goes to the bank that issued the card. Visa sets a different rate for each kind of card.
Cards issued for business spending, which Visa calls commercial cards, have their own rates. On Visa’s Canadian and US rate sheets, most of those rates are higher than the rates for everyday consumer cards.
Visa Canada’s sheet says Visa uses interchange “to balance and grow the payment system”. Its sheets do not explain why one card’s rate differs from another’s.
The three kinds of commercial card
Visa’s rules (18 April 2026) describe them like this:
| Card | Who it is for, per Visa’s rules |
|---|---|
| Visa Business | “employees or sole proprietors of small businesses for the payment of employees’ business travel and general business expenses” |
| Visa Corporate | “mid-to-large size companies”, “primarily used to pay for employee business travel and entertainment expenses” |
| Visa Purchasing | “commercial entities (public and private)”, “used for commercial purchases” |
Visa’s rules list all three, and others such as fleet cards, as “Visa Commercial Cards”.
Canada: business credit cards
Visa Canada’s rate sheet has a single program for business credit cards, called Standard. The rates below are from Visa’s sheet as read on October 22, 2026; TD lists Visa Business at 2.15% from that date (see below).
| Card | Visa Canada interchange |
|---|---|
| Visa Business | 2.00% |
| Visa Infinite Business | 2.35% |
For comparison, the same sheet lists consumer cards at:
| Consumer card | Electronic (in person) | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Classic, Gold, Platinum | 1.25% | 1.45% |
| Visa Infinite | 1.57% | 1.70% |
| Visa Infinite Privilege | 2.08% | 2.45% |
Consumer cards also have lower rates under programs such as Small Merchant and the industry programs. Business credit cards do not. Per TD’s Fee Change Summary, this follows a Visa Canada change on April 10, 2025. TD’s wording: “Effective April 10, 2025, Visa is making changes to their Canadian Domestic interchange structure for Visa Business and Visa Infinite Business Credit Program types by discontinuing all non-standard rates.” TD’s Fee Change Summary also lists the Visa Canada Infinite Business Standard rate going from 2.25% to 2.35% at the same time.
The October 22, 2026 change. TD’s Fee Change Summary says the Visa Canada Business Standard rate (“CDN BUS STANDARD” on TD statements) went up from 2.00% to 2.15% on October 22, 2026, with January 10, 2027 as the date to cancel without penalty. TD’s list of interchange rates for October 2026 shows Visa Business Standard at 2.15%. Visa’s own rate sheet, as read on October 22, 2026, still listed 2.00%.
Canada: corporate and purchasing cards
Corporate and purchasing cards have more programs. Visa Canada lists the same rates for both:
| Visa Canada program | Corporate | Purchasing |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 2.00% | 2.00% |
| Electronic | 1.90% | 1.90% |
| Enhanced Data – Fuel | 1.80% | 1.80% |
| Enhanced Data – Level 2 | 1.60% | 1.60% |
| Enhanced Data – Level 3 | 1.40% | 1.40% |
| Large Ticket Tier 1 ($100,000 to $249,999) | 1.30% | 1.30% |
| Large Ticket Tier 2 ($250,000 and up) | 1.00% | 1.00% |
What “enhanced data” means. The Level 2 and Level 3 programs depend on extra details sent with the sale. Visa’s rules describe “Enhanced Transaction-Level Data” as data such as an accounting code, a “description of items purchased, cost per unit, number of units”, and vehicle fleet data. Visa’s rate sheet does not say which details each level needs; it says to contact your acquirer for “specific rate requirements”.
Commercial prepaid cards have their own line: 2.00% Standard on Visa Canada’s sheet. Business cards from outside Canada are listed under “All Commercial Products” in Visa Canada’s international table, at 2.00% card present.
Network fees on commercial cards
TD’s fee list has a separate network fee for these cards: the “Visa Commercial Fee” of 0.0113%, “assessed on all sales volumes from transactions made with Visa Business Solutions products”. It appears on TD statements as “VI- Commercial Solutions Fee”.
What it looks like on a price list
How this shows up depends on the pricing model.
Interchange plus. The higher interchange is passed through, so the rate for each card type is different. Helcim’s Canadian fee disclosure shows its Tier 1 rates with interchange, fees and its markup combined:
| Helcim Canada, Tier 1 | Card present | Card not present |
|---|---|---|
| Visa Consumer | 1.75% + 8¢ | 2.00% + 25¢ |
| Visa Corporate | 2.40% + 8¢ | 2.60% + 25¢ |
| Visa Corporate Infinite | 2.75% + 8¢ | 2.95% + 25¢ |
| Mastercard Consumer (Core) | 1.42% + 9¢ | 2.44% + 26¢ |
| Mastercard Corporate | 2.50% + 9¢ | 2.62% + 26¢ |
Flat rate. One rate covers every card type. Square Canada lists 2.5% for in-person credit cards, for “Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover”. Its pricing page lists no separate rate for business cards.
See Flat Rate vs Interchange Plus vs Tiered for how each model handles card types, and What Is Interchange? for the consumer side.
Can a business decline or surcharge business cards?
Accepting them. Visa’s rules say a merchant “must accept all Cards properly presented for payment”, with listed exceptions. One exception applies in Canada and the US: “Certain categories of Visa products for domestically issued Cards.” The rules we read do not list which categories that covers.
Surcharging them. Visa Canada’s surcharging FAQ says surcharges are permitted “on Visa consumer and corporate credit cards”, with a cap. See Surcharging Credit Cards in Canada.
United States
Visa’s US sheet (rates effective April 18, 2026) has its own tables for business, corporate and purchasing cards. Most US rates are a percentage plus a few cents.
Business credit cards are split into five “Business Credit Spend” tiers. Some rows:
| Visa US program | Tier I | Tier V |
|---|---|---|
| Business Product 2 | 1.90% + $0.10 | 2.25% + $0.10 |
| Business Product 3 | 2.40% + $0.10 | 2.75% + $0.10 |
| Business Product 1 | 2.65% + $0.10 | 3.00% + $0.10 |
| Business Non-Qualified | 3.15% + $0.20 | 3.15% + $0.20 |
The sheet does not explain on these pages how a card is placed in a tier.
Corporate and purchasing cards (Visa calls this table “Purchasing & Corporate T&E”):
| Visa US program | Rate |
|---|---|
| Commercial Product 3 | 1.75% + $0.10 |
| Commercial Level II – Fuel | 2.20% + $0.10 |
| Commercial Card Present | 2.50% + $0.10 |
| Commercial Card Not Present | 2.70% + $0.10 |
| Non-Qualified | 2.95% + $0.10 |
| Commercial Product Large Ticket | 1.30% + $35.00 |
For comparison, the same sheet lists a consumer Traditional Rewards card at 1.65% + $0.10 under “Product 2” in its card-present table.
Helcim’s US fee disclosure lists a “Level 2/3 Interchange Optimization” service for “corporate and commercial credit card data”. Helcim says it keeps a 30% fee on the amount the service takes off interchange.
For more on reading US lines, see Reading a US Merchant Statement.
Where to go from here
On an interchange plus statement, business and corporate cards appear as their own lines, such as “CDN BUS STANDARD” on TD’s statements. How to Read Your Merchant Statement shows where those lines sit. Card Processing for Trades and Contractors covers the Visa Business change for that industry. Want a partner to review your statement? We will put you in touch. Start the free statement review.