Summary of Card Brand Changes Effective April 2025
Twice a year – in April and October – Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and AmEx release updates to their programs and fee structures. For your convenience, below is a summary of the changes that will have the most impact on merchants. A complete list of the card brand changes can be accessed here.
As always, Wind River Payments believes in transparency of all card brand fees applicable to merchant processing costs and passes through these new fees to our customers with no mark-ups or changes.
Visa Updates
1. Updates to Visa CPS Programs to Support Unattended Terminal Transactions
Visa is updating Custom Payment Service (CPS) program qualification criteria to enable transactions from unattended cardholder-activated terminals to potentially qualify for lower interchange rates. Transactions from unattended terminals that will be eligible to qualify for the current CPS programs are:
- CPS/Retail
- CPS/Retail Incremental Authorizations
- CPS/Restaurant
- CPS/Supermarket
- CPS/Retail Service Station
- CPS/Hotel (card present)
- CPS/Car Rental (card present)
- CPS/Passenger Transport (card present)
- CPS/Retail Key Entry
2. Updates to Interchange Fee Programs Applicable to Visa Business, Corporate, and Purchasing Credit Transactions
Visa is changing interchange fee programs that apply to certain Visa Business, Corporate, and Purchasing credit transactions which will make up the Visa Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP). With this change, certain fee programs will be rebranded. Affected fee edit criteria and descriptors will be updated.
In addition, effective April 2025, Visa is introducing a new card brand fee for the CEDP. This fee applies to all transactions that qualify for any of the fee programs included in the CEDP. The new rate is 0.0500% + $0.0000.
3. Changes to Visa Gold Products Issued from France and French Territories
Visa will begin assessing Premium interchange fee programs for interregional transactions completed with Visa Gold products issued from France or certain French territories.
Visa Gold transactions will qualify for the following current Interregional Premium fee programs when used at merchants worldwide and issued from France, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint-Barthélemy, or the French part of Saint Martin:
- Interregional Premium Base
- Interregional Premium Alternative
- Interregional Premium Downgrade
- Interregional Credit Voucher Consumer
4. New Visa Infinite Privilege Credit and Debit Consumer Products for Brazil
Visa is introducing Visa Infinite Privilege products for Brazil. When the Visa Infinite Privilege product is issued from Brazil and used interregionally, it qualifies for these interchange fee programs:
- Interregional Super Premium Base
- Interregional Super Premium Alternative
- Interregional Super Premium Downgrade
- Interregional Credit Voucher Consumer
- Interregional Manual Cash
5. Introducing Visa Signature Prepaid Product in CEMEA Region
Visa is introducing the Visa Signature prepaid product in the Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) region. Interregional transactions that have Visa Signature Prepaid product identifications will qualify for the following Interregional Super Premium fee programs when issued from CEMEA:
- Interregional Super Premium Base
- Interregional Super Premium Alternative
- Interregional Super Premium Downgrade
- Interregional Credit Voucher Consumer
- Interregional Manual Cash
6. Introducing Visa Rewards Prepaid Product in CEMEA Region
Visa is introducing the Visa Rewards prepaid product issued in the CEMEA region which will qualify for these Interregional Premium fee programs:
- Interregional Premium Base
- Interregional Premium Alternative
- Interregional Premium Downgrade
- Interregional Credit Voucher Consumer
MasterCard Updates
1. Modification to an Interchange Rate for MasterCard Variable Interchange Program Transactions in the US Region
Mastercard is modifying the rate for the Commercial B2B VIP 9 interchange program in the US region from the current rate of 1.2000% + $60.0000 to the new rate of 2.9500% + $0.1000. This new rate goes into effect with this April 2025 release.
2. Introduction and Standardization by MasterCard of Transaction Data Elements
In April 2023, Mastercard mandated support of a merchant acceptor URL for all eCommerce transactions. The Merchant URL must be present and contain a valid website address. For Clearing and Settlement, the Merchant URL must be populated for eCommerce Transactions.
3. Modification to the MasterCard Processing Integrity Fee-Not Reversed or Cleared Undefined Authorization in the US Region
Effective July 1, 2025, Mastercard is revising the rates for the existing Undefined Authorization Not Reversed or Cleared Transaction Processing Excellence (TPE) program to align with the recently revised standards to discontinue the use of undefined authorizations in the US. The new rate will be 0.2500% + $0.0000.
4. Price Increase for Mastercard Acquirer Credential Continuity Program (CCP) in the US Region
Effective April 1, 2025, Mastercard will increase the rate for the Credential Continuity Program (CCP) for acquirers in the US region from USD $0.03 to USD $0.09 per recurring payment transaction that is processed with an outdated credential under the CCP.
5. MasterCard Enhancing the Clearing System to Standardize Processing of Nonapproved Authorization Requests
Mastercard is enhancing its clearing system to reject clearing transactions associated with any unapproved authorization requests submitted for settlement.
American Express Updates
1. American Express OptBlue Program Pricing and Threshold Range for the Insurance Interchange Program
As part of the April 2025 release, Amex has made the following changes to the Insurance Tier 1, 2, and 3 rates and threshold ranges.
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