Convenience and service fees

Accepting card payments can be costly, but fortunately, convenience and service fees can help merchants offset these costs.

Convenience fees

If you accept payments over the phone, through the mail, or online, you know there are additional costs to support that payment as compared to a traditional card-present transaction. Expanded payment options may be great for customers, but it may not always be great for your bottom line. Whether it is operational costs, or just the higher cost of card-not-present acceptance, alternative payment options can be costly. Offset those costs through a convenience fee where the customer helps to cover the cost of the payment option they want to use.

Our program supports a fixed rate model that will charge the same fee on every transaction. Regardless of the payment type, if a customer pays in a card-not-present environment, you can use a convenience fee to help offset your costs of supporting that payment platform. Offering convenience can be convenient for you too. Adding this to your account is simple, easy to do, and enables you to offset the cost of accepting non face-to-face payments.

Service fees

Costs are a big part of managing any budget, and when working through budgets defined by grants, government funding, or other non-profit bodies, controlling costs can make a difference. Service fees are a way for certain identified types of merchants to control costs associated with accepting card payments.

Service fees can be leveraged on all payments, not just credit cards. Plus, service fees can be implemented in card-present and card-not-present environments, not just one or the other. Service fees are charged as a separate transaction apart from the original charge. Service fees can be a flat fee or a percentage of the transaction — depending on the payment method. Unlike our other programs, there are also no set caps or rules around the service fee amount. The fee however must be reasonable as compared to the costs for processing the transaction. That gives you flexibility to leverage a fee that matches your organization’s cost model.

Fee details

Convenience fees

Only applicable to transactions that are completed in a card-not-present environment – although not limited exclusively to card-not-present environments – and are not allowed for card-present or face-to-face transactions
A convenience fee is valid on all forms of payment accepted through a non-face-to-face payment channel
Should be a flat amount, regardless of the value of payment due
The fee must be collected at time of payment – not at a later time or in a separate transaction
Merchant must clearly disclose to the cardholder that a convenience fee is being charged, before the completion of the transaction, the cardholder must be given the opportunity to cancel the transaction

Service fees

Visa® is the only card brand that requires a registration, which may take up to 45 days to complete
If a service fee is charged by a government taxing authority or a third party, the merchant must be authorized to process tax payment transactions
While no signage is required, the service fee must be clearly shown to the cardholder prior to payment and the cardholder must be provided the option to cancel the transaction

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