Compliance
Visa Networks
What is the Visa Secure Credential Framework (SCF) mandate?
FEE CHANGE | VISA | All European countries (except Turkey and France)
Visa Secure Credential Framework (SCF) is a package of measures to improve support for Visa EMV Payment Tokens in the card-not-present (CNP) environment and encourage adoption and usage of Visa EMV Payment Tokens by merchants for ecommerce transactions. All European countries (except Turkey and France) are included, not just PSD2 countries.
Effective 1 October 2023: Visa will introduce a new fee of 2.5bps (0.025%) per transaction for domestic and interregional ecommerce primary account number (PAN)-approved authorizations processed without Visa EMV Payment Tokens (network tokenization) or Visa Secure (3D Secure). Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) exemptions like the Transaction Risk Analysis (TRA) exemption or Low Value (LV) exemption are in scope for the fee if the transaction is processed without a Visa EMV Payment Token or Visa Secure (3DS).
To avoid fees associated with this rule, merchants will either need to pass transactions with tokens or use 3DS.
Visa has introduced the Secure Credential Framework to help bring the digital ecosystem for card-not-present (CNP) transactions in line with face-to-face chip transactions to help reduce fraud and improve approval rates. Merchants and processing partners are encouraged to tokenize stored credentials or use 3DS for cardholder-initiated transactions (CIT) where applicable. All relating merchant-initiated transactions (MIT) that are in scope for tokens or 3DS will avoid the behavioral fee.
What is the Digital Commerce Services Fee mandate?
FEE CHANGE | VISA | US
Effective 1 October 2023: Visa will introduce a Digital Commerce Fee in the US on Card Not Present (CNP) settled transactions. The Digital Commerce Fee aims to support digital services and solutions offered by Visa to help increase the performance and security of the payments ecosystem. Fee is 0.75bps on all settled transactions with a min of $0.0075 per transaction. If a transaction is less than or equal to $100, the min of $0.0075 will be charged for that transaction.
Following this update, Visa will no longer bill for the following:
• Address Verification Service (AVS), which helps merchants mitigate the risk of fraud by requesting verification that the billing address matches the address of the cardholder held by issuer
• Card Verification Value 2 (CVV2), which is designed to help mitigate fraud by enabling merchants to use the 3-digit code printed on signature panel of a Visa card to verify it
• Merchant-Initiated Transaction (MIT) Service, a network processing solution to help Visa acquirers and merchants manage the Original Transaction Identifier (OTID) requirement for processing MITs
What is the Visa Account Updater Suite Pricing mandate?
FEE CHANGE | VISA | US, CA, EU, APAC, LATAM
Merchants using Braintree’s network tokenization solution are automatically enrolled to receive credential updates through Visa Digital Credential Updater (VDCU). Visa began assessing fees for these credential updates on 1 August 2023, except for APAC and LATAM, where fees will start being assessed from 1 October 2023.
Merchants can opt-out of VDCU credential updates; however, a token may not be usable once a PAN is updated as the update will not have been applied to the token. This could result in an increase of both transaction authorization decline rates and cart abandonment.
Visa Account Updater Suite is an optional suite of value-added products designed to help streamline the process for merchants to receive the latest cardholder credentials and credential status updates. These fee-based products include Visa Account Updater (VAU) and Real Time VAU for PANs, and Visa Digital Credential Updater (VDCU) for network tokens.
Visa Digital Credential Updater Pricing
Region | Participant | Fee Basis | Fee (USD) | Effective Date |
AP | Issuer | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
AP, excluding India | Acquirer | First authorization request following a successful credential update | USD 0.12 | 1 October 2023 |
What are the Modifications to Certain US Interchange Rates and Programs?
FEE CHANGE | VISA | US
Increased interchange rates when Visa Infinite Consumer Credit products are used. Select Visa Infinite Consumer Credit interchange rates will be modified.
Effective CPD 14 October 2023, Visa is modifying rates for select Visa Infinite interchange programs.
Visa will modify the interchange rates for Product 1, Product 1 Tokenized, Product 2, Travel and Retail Performance Threshold CPS-qualified transactions.
Interchange Program | Product | Existing Interchange Rate | New Interchange Rate (Effective CPD 14 October 2023) |
Travel | Visa Infinite (Qualified) | 2.40% + $0.10 | 2.55% + $0.10 |
Product 1 | Visa Infinite (Non-Qualified) | 2.05% + $0.10 | 2.20% + $0.10 |
Visa Infinite (Qualified) | 2.50% + $0.10 | 2.60% + $0.10 | |
Product 1 Tokenized | Visa Infinite (Non-Qualified) | 1.95% + $0.10 | 2.10% + $0.10 |
Visa Infinite (Qualified) | 2.40% + $0.10 | 2.50% + $0.10 | |
Product 2 | Visa Infinite (Non-Qualified) | 1.65% + $0.10 | 1.90% + $0.10 |
Visa Infinite (Qualified) | 2.10% + $0.10 | 2.30% + $0.10 | |
Retail Tier 1 | Visa Infinite (Non-Qualified) | 1.65% + $0.10 | 1.90% + $0.10 |
Visa Infinite (Qualified) | 2.10% + $0.10 | 2.30% + $0.10 | |
Retail Tier 2 | Visa Infinite (Non-Qualified) | 1.65% + $0.10 | 1.90% + $0.10 |
Visa Infinite (Qualified) | 2.10% + $0.10 | 2.30% + $0.10 | |
Retail Tier 3 | Visa Infinite (Non-Qualified) | 1.65% + $0.10 | 1.90% + $0.10 |
Visa Infinite (Qualified) | 2.10% + $0.10 | 2.30% + $0.10 |
What are the Revisions to interregional interchange structure and rates?
FEE CHANGE | VISA | GLOBAL
Starting 14 October 2023, Visa will introduce a revised interregional interchange structure and rates and differentiate interchange rates between card-present (Base) and card-absent (Alternative) transactions. Both Base and Alternative transactions will require authorization and clearing within three days. Card-not-present airline transactions will have seven days to clear. Transactions failing one or both requirements will be downgraded to the Downgrade rate.
Current Fee Programs | Current Interchange Rates | New Fee Programs | New Interchange Rates |
Super Premium N/A (New) N/A (New) | 1.97% N/A N/A | Super Premium—Card-Present (Base) Super Premium—Card-Absent (Alternative) Super Premium—Downgrade | 1.98% 1.98% 2.03% |
Premium N/A (New) N/A (New) | 1.80% N/A N/A | Premium—Card-Present (Base) Premium—Card-Absent (Alternative) Premium—Downgrade | 1.85% 1.85% 1.90% |
Current Fee Programs **** | Current Interchange Rates | New Fee Programs **** | New Interchange Rates |
•Electronic | 1.10% 1.00% 1.20% 1.44% 1.44% N/A 1.60% | **
Non-premium—Card-Present (Base) To be eliminated
**
****** To be eliminated Non-premium—Card-Absent (Alternative) Non-premium—Downgrade | 1.10% N/A N/A N/A N/A 1.60% 1.65% |
Standard5 | 1.60% | Uncategorized Product(renamed) | 1.60% |
** Commercial Interregional Interchange Rate Table 4 **
Current Fee Programs | Current Interchange Rates | New Fee Programs | New Interchange Rates |
Business N/A (New) N/A (New) | 2.00% N/A N/A | Business—Card-Present (Base) Business—Card-Absent (Alternative) Business—Downgrade | 2.00% 2.00% 2.05% |
Corporate N/A (New) N/A (New) | 2.00% N/A N/A | Corporate—Card-Present (Base) Corporate—Downgrade | 2.00% 2.00% 2.05% |
Purchasing N/A (New) N/A (New) | 2.00% N/A N/A | Purchasing—Card-Present (Base) Purchasing—Card-Absent (Alternative) Purchasing—Downgrade | 2.00% 2.00% 2.05% |
N/A (New) | N/A | Commercial Credit Voucher | (1.80%) |
What is the Visa account verification fee structure revision in AP mandate?
FEE CHANGE | VISA |** APAC (excluding JP)
From 1 October 2023 in all APAC regions, excluding Japan, Visa will update the Account Verification Service fee structure to separate AV messages from authorization messages on client invoices.
The fee structure moves from a flat fee for all AP countries to a separate fee allocated by country. The AV Service apples to:
- Payment Account Verification
- Digital Account Verification
- Visa Payment Processing
The AVS fee will continue to not be charged for token provisioning and transit AV transactions.
Current Account Verification Service Fees: ** **
Region | Acquirer Fee (per transaction) | Issuer Fee (per transaction) |
APAC | Current Acquirer authorization rate + USD 0.005 | Current issuer authorization rate + USD 0.005 |
** Revised Account Verification Service Fees (Effective 1 October 2023): **
Markets | Domestic Fee (per transaction) | Cross-Border Fee (per transaction) | ||
Issuer | Acquirer | Issuer | Acquirer | |
Mainland China | USD 0.028 | USD 0.005 | USD 0.045 | USD 0.030 |
Hong Kong, Macau | USD 0.028 | USD 0.010 | ||
Taiwan | USD 0.035 | USD 0.010 | ||
South Korea, Mongolia | USD 0.028 | USD 0.005 | USD 0.028 | USD 0.030 |
Australia, New Zealand | USD 0.025 | USD 0.0075 | USD 0.045 | USD 0.030 |
Fiji (and South Pacific countries) | USD 0.028 | |||
India | USD 0.021 | USD 0.005 | USD 0.030 | USD 0.030 |
Bangladesh | USD 0.028 | |||
Sri Lanka, Maldives | USD 0.029 | USD 0.0062 | ||
Bhutan, Nepal | USD 0.017 | USD 0.0056 | ||
Singapore, Brunei | USD 0.028 | USD 0.010 | USD 0.045 | USD 0.030 |
Malaysia | ||||
Thailand | USD 0.011 | USD 0.006 | ||
Indonesia | IDR 400 | IDR 140 | USD 0.045 | USD 0.030 |
Vietnam | USD 0.011 | USD 0.0062 | ||
Philippines | USD 0.008 | USD 0.010 | ||
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Micronesia | USD 0.028 |
What are the New Visa Processing Integrity Fees?
FEE CHANGE | VISA | EU, CEMEA, CA, APAC
Effective Date(s): 1 July 2023 (EU), 1 October 2023 (CEMEA), 25 January 2024 (CA), 1 April 2024 (APAC)
The Visa Processing Integrity Program encourages best practices for all authorization and clearing processing across the ecosystem, delivering the best possible customer experience. If processing is not in line fees will be charged to motivate corrective action.
To minimize fees merchants are encouraged to:
- Only initiate authorizations for valid transactions
- Reverse and cancel transactions quickly
- Clear transactions with all the relevant authorization data in a timely manner
Fees will be assessed if:
- There is a mismatch between the authorization and clearing data during the transaction lifecycle. The Misuse of Authorization System fee will be assessed.
- The previously approved or partially approved transactions do not match the submitted settlement records. The Unmatched Clearing fee will be assessed.
The $0.05 per transaction fee will be applied if processing integrity issues exist.
What is the Visa Pricing for Sales and ATM Manual Cash Transactions will be Revised mandate?
FEE CHANGE | VISA |** Currently only applicable to AU, SG, HK/Macau, and Malaysia
Effective 1 October 2023, Visa will add an increase to an existing cross-border fee, applicable when transactions are received in a currency different than the merchant home country currency. Merchants based in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, and Malaysia receiving payments in currencies different than the local currency should expect an increase in the fees for those transactions.
Pricing below with current rate in left column, future rate in right.
All Transactions | VIP System Non-Financial | BASE II | VIP System Full Financial | |||
Current Rate | Future Rate | Current Rate | Future Rate | Current Rate | Future Rate | |
Less than $5 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.015 | $0.015 | $0.04 | $0.04 |
Between $5 - $50 | $0.045 | $0.045 | $0.035 | $0.105 | $0.08 | $0.15 |
Above $50 | $0.065 | $0.065 | $0.055 | $0.185 | $0.12 | $0.25 |