For automotive, rental, retail, trade and distribution businesses, accepting cards is becoming more expensive as their B2B heavy payment mix attracts higher card fees.
If your business accepts card payments, there’s an important update from Visa that could affect how much you pay in processing fees.
The change focuses on the quality of the data sent with certain business card transactions. And for many US businesses, this could mean higher costs unless their payment systems are properly integrated.
Here’s what’s changing, what it means in practical terms, and how businesses can prepare.
US businesses can qualify for lower Visa interchange rates when accepting certain commercial and purchasing cards, provided they submit the required Level II or Level III data. These are often referred to as Level II and Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP) rates.
To receive these discounts, transactions are meant to include additional details such as:
Historically, when certain required details weren’t available, some systems within the payment flow have filled in generic or placeholder information so that ‘something’ was present. Under Visa’s updated rules, this type of incomplete or synthetic data will no longer qualify for discounted interchange.
Visa is tightening its requirements around transaction data accuracy, so going forward:
The goal is simple. Visa wants to ensure that the data being submitted reflects what was actually sold.
If a business no longer qualifies for Level II or CEDP discounts, processing fees can increase by up to 1% per transaction.
For companies handling high-value B2B payments, that difference can be significant. In some cases, businesses could see:
There’s also the possibility of penalties for repeated submission of invalid data, which makes accuracy even more important.
The businesses most affected are those that currently qualify for Level II or Level III interchange - typically midmarket and enterprise merchants processing B2B transactions through ERP connected or integrated payment systems. These flows rely on accurate item level data, so any gaps or mapping issues can cause loss of discounted interchange.
Integrated payment systems reduce the risk of invalid data by ensuring consistent, validated tax, freight, and line item detail is fed from the product to the payment service.
This allows:
For many businesses, this approach reduces risk, improves accuracy and supports more consistent processing costs.
These Visa changes don’t mean every business will see immediate cost increases. But they do make it a good time to review how your payments are currently handled.
Understanding what data your systems can pass, how your processor handles missing information, and whether your setup supports accurate item-level detail can help you avoid unexpected cost increases and stay prepared for Visa’s latest requirements. With Visa phasing out Level II in April 2026 and strengthening CEDP validation requirements, now is an ideal time to review how your systems handle enhanced data.
If you’re unsure how prepared your current payment process is, our team can help you assess your setup and understand your options.
We can:
Get in touch to check how ready your business is for the latest Visa changes.