What are acquirer fees in Camping.care Payments?

These are fees that our payment provider charges processing fees and intercharge costs. The main portion of this are intercharge fees. We choose to charge these fees directly to the customer, so we can always guarantee the best price.

Adyen’s Interchange++ Pricing Model

When you process a transaction with Adyen, your total cost is broken down into three parts. The “Interchange++” name comes from these components:

Interchange Fee (The “Interchange”): This is the largest part of the fee. It is set by the card network (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) and paid to the bank that issued your customer’s card.

Scheme Fee (The first “+”): This is a separate, smaller fee charged by the card network itself (Visa, Mastercard) for using their network.

Adyen’s Markup (The second “+”): This is Adyen’s own fee for processing the transaction. This is the only part of the fee that Adyen keeps. This is typically a fixed fee plus a small percentage.

This model is different from a “Blended” or “Flat-Rate” model, where a provider charges a single percentage (e.g., 2.9% + $0.30) for all transactions and keeps the difference between that rate and the actual interchange cost. Adyen’s method is more transparent, as you see the exact costs you’re paying.

What Determines the Interchange Fee?

The interchange fee is not a single, fixed rate. It varies significantly based on a complex set of factors, which is why a transparent model like Interchange++ can be beneficial.

Key factors include:

Card Type: A premium rewards credit card has a much higher interchange fee than a basic debit card.

Transaction Region:

Domestic: A transaction where the customer’s card and your business are in the same country is cheapest.

Cross-border (Intra-regional): A transaction within the same region (e.g., both in Europe) is more expensive.

Cross-border (Inter-regional): A transaction from a different region (e.g., a US-based card used at a European business) is the most expensive.

Transaction Method:

Card-Present: A customer physically tapping or inserting their card has a lower fee due to lower fraud risk.

Card-Not-Present (CNP): Online e-commerce transactions have higher fees.

Merchant Category Code (MCC): Your type of business (e.g., supermarket, airline, charity) can influence the rate.

Security: Using security features like 3D Secure can sometimes result in a lower interchange rate.

In some regions, these fees are capped by law. For example, in the European Economic Area (EEA), interchange fees for consumer cards are capped at 0.2% for debit cards and 0.3% for credit cards.