Short answer
Fees charged by Visa, Mastercard and the other card networks for using their networks, separate from interchange.
Network (or scheme) fees are much smaller than interchange, usually around 0.13% to 0.15% of volume plus a few cents per transaction, but there are many of them: assessment fees on volume, per-authorization fees, cross-border fees and fixed monthly fees such as Visa’s FANF.
On interchange-plus pricing they should be passed through at cost. On flat-rate pricing they are inside the price you see. Our guide to interchange-plus pricing shows where they fit.
Part of our guide to interchange-plus pricing explained.
Related terms
- Visa FANF: Visa's Fixed Acquirer Network Fee: a monthly network fee based on a merchant's category and size rather than on each transaction.
- Mastercard NABU fee: Mastercard's Network Access and Brand Usage fee: a small per-transaction network fee charged on Mastercard authorizations.
- Interchange: The fee the cardholder's bank (the issuer) charges on every card payment, set by Visa and Mastercard and paid through your processor.