Interchange-Plus Pricing Explained

What Is Interchange-Plus Pricing?

Interchange-plus pricing is a transparent payment processing model that separates the interchange fee set by card networks like Visa and Mastercard from the processor's markup. Unlike flat-rate or tiered pricing, interchange-plus shows merchants exactly what they pay for each transaction, making it the preferred pricing model for businesses that want full visibility into their processing costs. Every time a customer pays with a credit or debit card, two costs are involved: the interchange fee, which goes to the card-issuing bank, and the processor's markup, which is what your payment processor charges. With interchange-plus pricing, both costs are itemized clearly on your monthly statement, so you can see the exact interchange rate for each transaction plus a consistent, transparent markup from your processor.

Interchange-Plus vs. Flat-Rate Pricing

Flat-rate pricing charges the same percentage for every transaction regardless of card type. While simpler to understand at first glance, flat-rate pricing almost always costs more because the processor charges a premium to cover the risk of high-interchange cards like premium rewards cards or corporate cards. With interchange-plus, you pay the actual cost of each card type plus a small, transparent markup. For many businesses — especially those processing more than $10,000 per month — this can result in lower overall costs than a flat rate. The benefit grows as your volume increases, because the processor's markup stays consistent while the interchange rate is passed through at cost.

Key Benefits

• Full Transparency

  See exactly what you pay in interchange fees versus processor markup on every single transaction.

• Lower Overall Costs

  Pay the true cost of processing plus a small markup, rather than an inflated flat rate designed to maximize processor revenue.

• Scales With Volume

  The more you process, the more you save compared to flat-rate pricing, since the markup is a thin margin on top of cost.

• No Hidden Fees

  Every cost is itemized and visible on your processing statement with no surprise charges or bundled rate adjustments.

Why ONKORE Uses Interchange-Plus Pricing

At ONKORE, we believe merchants deserve to know exactly what they are paying for. Interchange-plus pricing aligns with our commitment to radical transparency — no hidden fees, no bundled rates, no surprises. Our statements clearly show the interchange fee, our markup, and every other associated cost, so you always know your true processing expense. We also offer a free merchant statement review that compares your current rates to our interchange-plus pricing so you can see exactly how they stack up before you ever switch. There are no long-term contracts or early termination fees.