Understanding Interchange Data Requirements

With credit card transactions, different levels of data submission are critical for businesses engaged in different types of transactions. Referrers and Merchants can receive up to 40-100 basis points of reduced fees on their qualifying business and commercial card transactions.

There are three levels of interchange data submission available:

Level I

Basic transaction data like card number, expiration date, CVV, and transaction amount that is required for standard business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions and provide standard interchange rates.

Level II

More detailed transaction data, like a sales tax and order number, is required for B2B transactions and can provide lower interchange rates.

Level III

Comprehensive transaction data like line item details and shipping for B2B transactions can qualify for the lowest interchange rates.

Major card brands Visa & MasterCard each have specific requirements that merchants must adhere to to offer them the best interchange rates. American Express and Discover do not accept direct Level II or Level III data submissions for lower interchange rates at this time.

Tip: While not a requirement, it is recommended to submit the previous level of interchange data when submitting the following level.

Example: When submitting Level III data, all Level I and Level II data requirements are already met to ensure the most visibility for Level III interchange rates.

Below is a breakdown of the key data required for Level II and Level III data submission for each card brand.

Level I Interchange Data Requirements

All transactions, regardless of card brand, must meet these data requirements to qualify for basic interchange or Level I:

Merchant & Transaction Information - Basic data provided about the Merchant and Transaction, including:

Merchant Name	The name of the Merchant business selling products or services.
Transaction Date	The date that the transaction took place.
Transaction Amount	The total amount of the transaction charged to the customer.

Customer / Cardholder Information - Essential customer and card data used to pay, including:

Customer Zip Code	The billing zip code on file with the customer’s credit card company.
Customer Billing Address	The full billing address on file with the customer’s credit card company.
Credit Card Number	The 15 (AMEX) or 16-digit credit card number shown on the customer’s card.
Card Expiration Date	The 4-digit, MMYY-format expiration date shown on the customer’s card.
Card CVV	The 3 or 4-digit security code shown on the customer’s card.

Level II and III Interchange Data Requirements

Each card brand will feature its list of requirements necessary to receive interchange rates by using Level II or Level III data to qualify on its card network. Each major card brand - Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover - has been listed below with individual details to clearly explain their requirements.

Once you are familiar with these requirements, visit Submit Interchange Data with Transactions below to learn the different methods available to submit this data.

Tip: For developers and Portal users, we recommend using Visa’s Level II and Level III requirements as your data submission foundation for Level II and Level II submission for any card brand.

Visa’s stringent standards cover all necessary elements for detailed transaction reporting.

Warning: For all ‘tax’ amount values, ensure the amount always corresponds to your local state or province regulations to ensure tax compliance.

Note: If you choose to optionally submit Level II data with Level III data, the tax rate must be set between 0.1% & 22% of the transaction amount when the tax amount is greater than $0.00.

Visa

Read more information about Visa requirements below:

Visa - Qualifying Card Types for Interchange Data Submission

The following card types can be used for Level II data submission:

Corporate Purchasing
Business Credit
Enhanced Business Credit
Signature Business Credit

In addition to the above, the following card types can be used for Level III data submission:

Corporate Credit
Purchasing Credit

Commercial Prepaid card type is not eligible.

Visa - Level II Data Requirements

Level II data must include all Level I data requirements in addition to the requirements listed below.

Sales Tax and Order Information - Sales tax information for each transaction including:

Sales Tax Amount	The total amount of sales tax applied to the transaction. Warning: The tax amount must be between 0.1% - 22% of the payment total to qualify. This is submitted using either a Sale or a Capture transaction type.
Order Number	A unique identifier used by the merchant to locate the specific transaction information. Note: “Order Number”, “Invoice Number”, and “Customer Code” are interchangeable terms for Level II and Level III data submissions. Warning: This field cannot be blank, null, or all zeros and must contain a relevant value.

Visa - Level III Data Requirements

Level III data must include all Level II data requirements in addition to the requirements listed below.

Item Details - Must provide detailed information for each item listed in a transaction including:

Item	Name or title of the item.
Description	A detailed description of the product or service sold.
Commodity Code	We recommend using the standardized numerical 7-digit NIGP commodity code used to classify products for customs. Attached is a partial list of available 7-digit codes. Warning: This field cannot be blank, null, or all zeros or spaces and must contain a relevant value.
Product Code	A unique identifier used by the Merchant business to identify the specific product. Warning: This field cannot be blank, null, or all zeros or spaces and must contain a relevant value.
Item Price	The price per item unit.
Item Discount	Monetary reductions applied to the product or service price for the line item. Note: This value can be '0' if there is no applicable item discount.
Quantity	The number of units sold.
Unit of Measure	A standardized unit used to quantify the quantity of the product or service. Examples: each, kilogram, pound, month.
Item Total	Total transaction line item cost, calculated with quantity, unit price, discounts, tax, and shipping.

Discount, Shipping & Duty - Must provide shipping, duty, and tax information (if applicable) including:

Shipping Amount	The cost associated with transporting products from Merchant to customer. Note: This value can be '0' if there is no applicable shipping amount.
Duty Amount	The monetary value of customs duties or taxes related to product import and export. Note: This value can be '0' if there is no applicable duty amount.
Order Discount	Monetary reductions applied to the transaction total. Note: This value can be '0' if there is no applicable order discount.
Tax	Note: The tax amount can be zero (or the tax field can be omitted entirely). If the Merchant sends a tax amount greater than $0.00, it needs to be between 0.1% & 22% of the transaction amount.

Visa - Additional Qualification Requirements

In addition to the interchange data requirements above, the Visa card network has specific additional requirements to qualify:

The transaction must be compliant with the Visa Custom Payment Service (CPS).
A ‘capture’ request must follow the ‘authorization’ request:
- Within 1 business day (no more than 24 hours between auth and capture) or;
- Within 7 days (for eligible large ticket transactions using corporate/purchasing cards).
Transaction must be authorized online and cannot be a cardholder-activated terminal (CAT) location.
Business Card type transactions must always include an Address Verification System (AVS) reference.

Visa - Large Ticket Requirements

Large Ticket transactions refer to transactions with a larger total dollar amount.

Your interchange rate may change based on the transaction amount to offer better pricing from Visa’s large ticket program for high-dollar-value transactions.

In addition to the data requirements above, the Visa card network has specific additional requirements to qualify for Large Ticket interchange pricing:

Clearing must follow authorization within 2 business days (no more than 1 day between auth and capture)
The transaction amount must meet ticket thresholds: $6,980+

Visa - Prohibited Merchant Business Types (MCCs)

Warning: Any of the following Merchant Commercial Code (MCC) types are disqualified from Level II or Level III data submission for interchange rate improvements.

Non-Compliant MCCs	Description of Merchant Business Type
3000–3299	Airlines
3501-3999	Car Rental Companies/Hotels
4112	Passenger Railways
4411	Steamship and Cruise Lines
4511	Airlines and Air Carriers
4722	Travel Agencies and Tour Operators
5812	Eating Places and Restaurants
5814	Fast Food Restaurants
5962	Direct Marketing – Travel Related Arrangements Services (High Risk)
5966	Direct Marketing – Outbound Telemarketing Merchant (High Risk)
5967	Direct Marketing – Inbound Teleservices Merchant (High Risk)
7011	Lodging – Hotels, Motels, and Resorts
7512	Automobile Rental Agency
7513	Truck & Utility Trailer Rentals
7519	Motor Home and Recreational Vehicle Rentals

MasterCard

Read more information about MasterCard requirements below:

MasterCard - Qualifying Card Types for Interchange Data Submission

The following card types can be used for Level II data submission:

Corporate Purchasing
Business Credit
Enhanced Business Credit
Signature Business Credit

In addition to the above, the following card types can be used for Level III data submission:

Corporate Credit
Purchasing Credit

Commercial Prepaid card type is not eligible.

Warning: The following card types are ineligible for Level III data submission with MasterCard:

MBS - Mastercard B2B Product 1
MEF - Mastercard Electronic Payment Account

MasterCard - Level II Data Requirements

Level II data must include all Level I data requirements in addition to the requirements listed below.

Sales Tax Information - Sales tax information for each transaction including:

Sales Tax Amount	The total amount of sales tax applied to the transaction. Warning: The tax amount must be between 0.1% - 30% of the payment total to qualify. This is submitted using either a Sale or a Capture transaction type.
Order Number	A unique identifier used by the merchant to locate the specific transaction information. Note: “Order Number”, “Invoice Number”, and “Customer Code” are interchangeable terms for Level II and Level III data submissions. Warning: This field cannot be blank, null, or all zeros and must contain a relevant value.

MasterCard - Level III Data Requirements

Level III data must include all Level II data requirements in addition to the requirements listed below.

Item Details - Must provide detailed information for each item listed in a transaction including:

Item	Name or title of the item.
Description	A detailed description of the product or service sold. Warning: This field cannot be blank, null, or all zeros or spaces and must contain a relevant value.
Line Item Total	Total transaction line item cost, calculated with quantity, unit price, discounts, tax, and shipping.
Product Code	A unique identifier used by the Merchant business to identify the specific product. Warning: This field cannot be blank, null, or all zeros or spaces and must contain a relevant value.
Quantity	The number of units sold.
Unit of Measure	A standardized unit used to quantify the quantity of the product or service.

Note: When submitting a Level III transaction, the tax amount must be a percent between 0.1% & 30% of the transaction; it cannot be zero unless tax-exempt status is enabled by the Facilitator.

Warning: The following card types are ineligible for Level III interchange with MasterCard:

MBS - Mastercard B2B Product 1
MEF - Mastercard Electronic Payment Account

MasterCard - Additional Qualification Requirements

In addition to the interchange data requirements above, the MasterCard card network has specific additional requirements to qualify:

Clearing must follow an authorization request within 3 business days (no more than 2 days between Authorization and Capture).

MasterCard - Large Ticket Requirements

Large Ticket transactions refer to transactions with a larger total dollar amount. Your interchange rate may change based on the transaction amount to offer better pricing from MasterCard’s large ticket program for high-dollar-value transactions.

In addition to the data requirements above, the MasterCard network has specific additional requirements to qualify for Large Ticket interchange pricing:

Clearing must follow authorization within 2 business days (no more than 1 day between auth and capture).
The transaction amount must meet ticket thresholds: $7,255+

Warning: The following card types are ineligible for MasterCard’s large ticket program:

MAP - Mastercard Commercial Payments Account
MAQ - Mastercard Prepaid Commercial Payments Account
MEF - Mastercard Electronic Payment Account

MasterCard - Prohibited Merchant Business Types (MCCs)

Warning: Any of the following Merchant Commercial Code (MCC) types are disqualified from Level II or Level III data submission for interchange rate improvements.

MasterCard Non-Compliant MCCs List:

Non-Compliant MCCs	Description of Merchant Business Type
3000–3299	Airlines
3501-3999	Car Rental Companies/Hotels
4112	Passenger Railways
4411	Steamship and Cruise Lines
4511	Airlines and Air Carriers
4722	Travel Agencies and Tour Operators
5812	Eating Places and Restaurants
5814	Fast Food Restaurants
5962	Direct Marketing – Travel Related Arrangements Services (High Risk)
5966	Direct Marketing – Outbound Telemarketing Merchant (High Risk)
5967	Direct Marketing – Inbound Teleservices Merchant (High Risk)
7011	Lodging – Hotels, Motels, and Resorts
7512	Automobile Rental Agency
7513	Truck & Utility Trailer Rentals
7519	Motor Home and Recreational Vehicle Rentals

American Express & Discover

There is no additional work or line item data submission required by American Express or Discover.

Both card brands provide lower interchange rates on their respective networks, calculated and adjusted based exclusively on the cardholder’s card type (e.g. business card, corporate card, etc.).