Card Brand Fees

Learn about the requirements and what you can do with Card Brand Fees.


Card Brand Fees are buyer charges, regulated by card brands, that are available to sellers that can't use Common Fees. Card Brand Fees include:

Name Description
Card Surcharge Fees A fee to charge buyers to offset the cost of processing that the seller would normally incur.
Card Convenience Fees A fee to charge buyers for providing a more convenient payment channel.

Convenience fees can only get charged to buyers when the seller is providing a method of payment (usually internet or over the phone) different from its standard payment channel (historically mail or in-person).
Card Service Fees A fee to charge buyers that only certain MCCs are eligible to charge (specifically in the education or government industry).
Visa Rent Fees A fee to charge renters for making payments to qualified landlords under the Visa Rent Program.

These Card Brand Fees get used for various reasons depending on the transaction:

  • Any fee that gets charged must fit into one of the categories above.
  • Sellers can only pass one Buyer Charge per transaction (e.g., sellers can’t pass a Convenience Fee and a Rental Fee in a single transaction).

Sellers collect the funds from Buyer Charges as a part of their payout.