The short answer
Interchange is the part of each card fee that goes to the bank that issued the customer’s card. Visa sets the rates. In the US, most are a percentage of the sale plus a few cents.
Visa publishes its US rates in one PDF: “Visa USA Interchange Reimbursement Fees”. The edition on this page lists rates effective April 18, 2026. Every number below comes from that sheet.
Visa’s own page says merchants “do not pay interchange reimbursement fees” directly. They pay a “merchant discount” to their financial institution, “typically calculated as a percentage per transaction”. Interchange is one part of what goes into it.
Your business pays one card fee on each sale to its processor, also called the acquirer. The processor keeps its own markup. It passes interchange on to the customer's bank, called the issuer, and network fees on to the card network, such as Visa or Mastercard.
What changes the rate
Visa’s US sheet sets a different rate depending on:
- The card. A Visa Infinite card has higher rates than a Traditional Rewards card. Visa’s sheet has columns for Visa Infinite, Visa Signature Preferred, Visa Signature, Traditional Rewards and “All Other Products”.
- How the card is taken. In person (card present) or online, by phone or by mail (card not present).
- The type of business. Supermarkets, restaurants, charities and others have their own programs.
- Credit or debit. Debit has its own tables, split into “Regulated” and “Exempt”.
- The business’s size. There is a Small Merchant set of rates.
In-person credit card sales
For consumer credit cards taken in person, Visa’s sheet lists a program called Product 2:
| Visa card | Product 2 (card present) |
|---|---|
| Visa Infinite (spend qualified) | 2.30% + $0.10 |
| Visa Infinite (spend not qualified) | 1.90% + $0.10 |
| Visa Signature Preferred | 2.10% + $0.10 |
| Visa Signature | 1.65% + $0.10 |
| Traditional Rewards | 1.65% + $0.10 |
| All Other Products | 1.51% + $0.10 |
Some industries have their own in-person programs. Examples for a Traditional Rewards card: “Charity 2” is 1.35% + $0.05, “Government 2” is 1.55% + $0.10, and “Restaurant 2” is 2.10% (minimum $0.04).
Online, phone and mail-order sales
For consumer credit cards taken without the card present, the main program is Product 1:
| Visa card | Product 1 (card not present) |
|---|---|
| Visa Infinite (spend qualified) | 2.60% + $0.10 |
| Visa Infinite (spend not qualified) | 2.20% + $0.10 |
| Visa Signature Preferred | 2.50% + $0.10 |
| Visa Signature | 2.05% + $0.10 |
| Traditional Rewards | 2.04% + $0.10 |
| All Other Products | 1.89% + $0.10 |
Card Not Present incentives. Visa’s sheet lists small reductions off these rates: -0.05% (Type 1), -0.10% (Type 2) and -0.15% (Type 3). It says EMV Token transactions qualify for Type 1, transactions under its Digital Commerce Authentication Program (DCAP) for Type 2, and both together for Type 3, with some exceptions. It also says these incentives “require CPS qualification and are subject to change.”
Recurring payments, such as subscriptions, have their own lines. For a Traditional Rewards card, Visa lists Recurring Tier 1 at 1.33% + $0.05 and “Recurring” at 1.53% + $0.05. See Card on File and Recurring Payments.
Small-ticket sales
Visa’s sheet lists a Small Ticket program for in-person credit sales:
| Visa card | Small Ticket |
|---|---|
| Visa Infinite, Visa Signature Preferred, Visa Signature | 2.20% (minimum $0.04) |
| Traditional Rewards, All Other Products | 1.90% (minimum $0.04) |
For exempt debit cards, “CPS/Small Ticket, Debit” is 1.55% + $0.04. Visa’s sheet does not state on these pages what sale size counts as small ticket. It points to its “U.S. Interchange Reimbursement Fee Rate Qualification Guide” for complete details.
On a small sale, the fixed cents are a large share of the fee. See Per-Transaction Fees: Why Small Sales Cost More.
Debit cards
Visa’s sheet splits debit cards into two columns, “Exempt” and “Regulated”.
| Visa US debit program | Exempt | Regulated |
|---|---|---|
| CPS/Retail, Debit (in person) | 0.80% + $0.15 | 0.05% + $0.21 |
| CPS/Supermarket, Debit | $0.30 | 0.05% + $0.21 |
| CPS/Restaurant, Debit | 1.19% + $0.10 | 0.05% + $0.21 |
| CPS/Card Not Present, Debit | 1.65% + $0.15 | 0.05% + $0.21 |
| CPS/Retail Key Entry, Debit | 1.65% + $0.15 | 0.05% + $0.21 |
Visa notes that issuers that certify they meet its fraud-prevention standards “will receive an additional US $0.01” on regulated cards. Visa’s sheet does not explain which cards are regulated. The federal rule behind the split is covered in US Debit Fees: Regulation II (Durbin).
The Small Merchant rates
Visa’s US sheet has a Small Merchant set of programs. It lists a volume maximum of $280,000 in gross Visa consumer credit sales, “based on 12 months of Visa system activity ending September 30, 2024.”
| Visa card | Small Merchant Product 2 | Small Merchant Product 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Visa Infinite (spend qualified) | 1.88% + $0.10 | 2.18% + $0.10 |
| Traditional Rewards | 1.43% + $0.10 | 1.73% + $0.10 |
| All Other Products | 1.29% + $0.10 | 1.58% + $0.10 |
Large-business programs
Some Visa US rates are only for very large merchants. Visa’s sheet lists “Retail Credit-Performance Threshold” programs. Threshold III needs at least 19.2 million transactions and $1.08 billion in volume, based on 12 months of activity ending September 30, 2025. For a Traditional Rewards card in person, Threshold I is 1.43% + $0.10.
The highest rates on the sheet
When a sale does not meet a program’s terms, it can fall to a higher line. Visa’s sheet lists “Non-Qualified Consumer Credit” at 3.15% + $0.10 for every consumer card type. Business cards have their own higher lines; see Why Business and Corporate Cards Cost More to Accept.
How this shows up on a statement
On interchange plus pricing, each of these programs can appear as its own line, with the program name. On a flat rate, they are inside one rate. See Reading a US Merchant Statement and Flat Rate vs Interchange Plus vs Tiered.
Where to go from here
Visa is one network. American Express in the US works differently; see Accepting American Express in the US (OptBlue). For all the US rules on this site, see card processing in the United States, and the glossary for the terms. Want a partner to review your statement? We will put you in touch. Start the free statement review.