If your business accepts credit cards then you’ve seen Assessment Fees on your statement. But what are they?
At Bank of Merchant, we want to ensure you understand how every aspect of your customized system works. This includes knowing the what and why of processing fees.
Assessment Fees
As a merchant, in order to accept credit or debit cards from the major card networks, a fee is charged in the form of a flat percentage rate on transactions. This is the Assessment Fee. The payment processor passes the assessment through, and the network (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) collects the fee.
Set by the credit card networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover).
Assessment Fees are never set, or changed, by payment processors.
The fees are non-negotiable and don’t fluctuate from person to person or by using a different processor.
A closer look at Assessment Fees
Though Assessment Fees are locked in by the network, they are occasionally subject to change. It’s rare but the card networks do a general review of their pricing about once a year – this is when changes would occur. As your payment processor, Bank of Merchant always stays vigilant for any changes.
As mentioned, Assessment Fees cannot be negotiated, however, merchants can get a better deal through a bundled pricing model. This system is exactly as it sounds. Your payment processor combines the Interchange Fees paid to the issuing bank, and the Assessment Fees paid to the credit card associations, along with their own processing fees, to arrive at a single rate per transaction.
Current Assessment Fee Rates
The following list shows some of the current, basic Assessment Fees for the major card networks:
VISA
Debit Assessment – 0.13%
Credit Assessment – 0.14%
MASTERCARD
Acquirer Brand Volume assessment (transactions $1,000 or less) – 0.13%
Acquirer Brand Volume (credit transactions over $1,000) – 0.14%
Acquirer Brand Volume (debit transactions over $1,000) – 0.13%
DISCOVER
Assessment (gross card transaction) – 0.13%
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Assessment/Sponsorship Fee – 0.15%
Work with Bank of Merchant
Bank of Merchant sets the standard for quality payment processing. While we don’t establish or collect Assessment Fees, we will always keep an eye out as they can rise or fall based on the network’s prerogative. When you team with us, it’s our mission to ensure every aspect of your payment processing works to maximize efficiency and company growth. We’re here to help you get the success you always imagined for your business!
Contact us today for more information about fees, pricing, and more! Our team at Bank of Merchant is eager to work with you.
Bank of Merchant keeps an eye out for any fee hikes!