Outside the US, most of October 2026's Visa and Mastercard changes moved interchange down while network fees (also known as scheme fees) went up or were restructured. In the US, the changes were mostly about decline handling, data requirements and new program fees rather than interchange rates. Regulators were active too: Australia's lower interchange caps and new scheme fee transparency rules took effect, Morocco cut its domestic interchange cap, New Zealand finalized commercial card caps, and a US appeals court ruled against the Federal Reserve's debit interchange cap.
This tracker lists the changes we found and verified in public sources for the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America, with a link to each source. Europe-specific changes are out of scope.
About this tracker: it compiles publicly available information from card networks, regulators, processors, acquirers and trade press. Processor notices sometimes differ from each other and from the networks' own bulletins, and where a source is wrong or out of date, this summary may be too. We flag the conflicts we found. Check amounts and dates against the network bulletins or processor notices that apply to you before acting on them.
Jump to: United States · Canada · Australia · New Zealand · Asia Pacific · Middle East and Africa · Latin America · What to check · FAQ
How we sourced this
Visa and Mastercard publish few of these changes on their public websites. Most items below come from acquirer and processor notices (Fiserv, J.P. Morgan, Moneris, TD, Payfacto, TabaPay, Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com, Marqeta, PayPal Braintree, SoFi Galileo, Till Payments and Qashier), the networks' published interchange schedules, regulators and trade press. Marqeta's summary of Q4 2026 network articles (dated August 6, 2026) lists article titles and effective dates, not rates. Where only one source reports an item, we say so.
A few things to keep in mind when reading the tables:
- Network dates and processor dates differ. A processor's "effective" date is sometimes the date it starts billing a fee, not the date the network introduced it.
- Several Canadian processor notices include a 13% tax gross-up. Since a June 2023 Excise Tax Act change, network fees carry GST/HST that processors can't recover, and processors including Fiserv, J.P. Morgan, Moneris and TD gross network fees (not interchange) up by 13%. Canadian network fee amounts below are pre-tax USD list prices unless noted. Where a processor's figure includes the gross-up, divide it by 1.13 to compare; some processors, such as TD, also convert to CAD.
- "Who it hits" shows who pays the fee or bears the rate change at the network level. Acquirer fees are usually passed through to merchants.
Key takeaways
- Canada saw interchange cut and network fees restructured in the same week. Visa lowered small merchant and premium consumer credit interchange on October 24. Mastercard replaced its Acquirer Clearing Fee on October 19 with an authorization-based fee that charges small tickets about 3.9 times the old fee and also bills reversals.
- Australia's interchange reset took effect October 1, with consumer credit capped at 0.30%. The same reform requires the networks to publish quarterly scheme fee data and sets new expectations on how they price and bill those fees.
- In the US, more fees now attach to behavior and data. Visa moved Response Code 57 to its never-approve category, Mastercard's Transaction Link Identifier (TLID) requirement took effect (with compliance and assessment dates running into 2027), and fleet and data programs tightened.
- Visa's Digital Commerce Authentication Program (DCAP) expanded to more regions in October, with different economics by region. In Canada it generally pairs a 10 bps interchange reduction with a 5 bps fee. Per Stripe, there is currently no financial incentive in Asia Pacific or Latin America, and in the UAE a new fee applies to card-number transactions sent without the data (network tokens avoid it, per Checkout.com).
- Several items in this cycle's notices take effect later, including a Visa embedded payment charge in Canada (November 30, 2026), Mastercard's crypto-funded transaction fee in Canada (January 18, 2027; it started October 19 in the US) and a Visa Digital Commerce Services Fee increase in Canada (April 2027).
United States
In the US, October 2026's Visa and Mastercard changes were mostly about declines, data and new program fees rather than interchange rates. Visa moved Response Code 57 to its never-approve category on October 25, so retrying those declines now draws a reattempt fee. Mastercard's Transaction Link Identifier (TLID) requirement took effect October 23, with compliance and assessment dates that vary by processor and run into 2027, and its 0.05% crypto-funded transaction fee started October 19. On the regulatory side, the Eighth Circuit affirmed vacating the Fed's debit interchange cap on October 26, and the MDL 1720 settlement's final approval hearing is scheduled for November 16.
Visa
Response Code 57 reclassified
Effective: Oct 25, 2026 · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
Code 57 (transaction not permitted to cardholder) moves to Category 1, "Issuer Will Never Approve." Reattempting a code 57 decline triggers Visa's reattempt System Integrity Fee. The response code notices don't state the amount; TabaPay's fee schedule lists a $0.10 Visa Decline Transaction Resubmission fee on US-issued cards from the second Category 1 decline within 30 days. For non-US cards, J.P. Morgan and TabaPay say Visa raised the international reattempt fee from $0.15 to $0.25 on April 25, 2026 (TabaPay's general fee schedule still shows $0.15).
Sources: J.P. Morgan, TabaPay, TabaPay fee schedule, TabaPay SIF update, J.P. Morgan US merchant notices, Checkout.com
Response code processing changes
Effective: Oct 23, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers, acquirers
Visa returns code 05 in place of certain issuer response codes on some transaction types, and code 83 replaces 59 when Visa declines for fraud on the issuer's behalf. Galileo notes reclassified codes count toward Visa's generic response code thresholds, which can carry system integrity fees for issuers.
Sources: J.P. Morgan, TabaPay, SoFi Galileo, Marqeta
Embedded Payments Acquirer Fee (new)
Effective: October 2026 · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
0.10% on eligible Visa Commercial Solutions virtual card transactions used in embedded payment flows. Fiserv gives no specific day.
Sources: Fiserv (single source)
Vehicle rental program fees
Effective: Network: Aug 16, 2026 (US), Oct 1, 2026 (Puerto Rico and USVI), per J.P. Morgan. Fiserv: October 2026 · Who it hits: Vehicle rental merchants
Flexible Extension Program Fee of 0.25% on the portion of the cleared amount that exceeds the approved estimated and incremental authorization by more than 15%, and Asset Protection Program Fee of 0.50% on authorization amounts that are neither cleared nor reversed. Fiserv applies it to the portion of the authorization above the clearing amount plus 15% when that portion is $200.01 or more; J.P. Morgan describes 0.50% on the excess above $200 for transactions clearing at $200 or more. Neither fee applies to the full transaction amount, and J.P. Morgan says the unused portion of an authorization must be reversed. Vehicle rental merchants only.
Sources: J.P. Morgan US merchant notices, Fiserv
DCAP expansion
Effective: Oct 1 and Oct 23, 2026 · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants, issuers
DCAP eligibility extends to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (Oct 1). US cross-border card-not-present transactions with issuers in all regions become eligible, and AFT support is added, though AFTs don't receive DCAP rates (Oct 23). In Visa's US schedule, most DCAP card-not-present consumer credit transactions get a 10 bps interchange incentive (15 bps with an EMV token, 5 bps for most Small Merchant categories), and Stripe describes a 5 bps fee on qualifying transactions.
Sources: J.P. Morgan, TabaPay, Visa USA Interchange Reimbursement Fees, Stripe
Visa Credential Enrichment Service (VCES) on by default
Effective: Oct 30, 2026 · Who it hits: Token requestors, merchants
Enabled for all card-on-file token requestors. No separate product fee because it is covered by the Digital Commerce Service Fee. Token requestors could opt out through their acquirer by Sept 30, 2026. Also applies in Canada, Asia Pacific and CEMEA.
Sources: Visa Merchant Business News Digest (May 2026 edition)
Installment Credential interchange
Effective: Oct 23 to 24, 2026 · Who it hits: Acquirers pay, issuers receive
Visa's US interchange schedule dated October 24, 2026 includes Installment Credential rate tables, for example 1.10% (min $0.04) for transactions of $50 or less or in restricted installment/BNPL segments, 2.50% + $0.10 for card-not-present Product 1 and 3.15% + $0.10 non-qualified. Marqeta lists changes to US domestic fee structures for these products effective Oct 23.
Sources: Visa USA Interchange Reimbursement Fees, Marqeta
Faster Refund OCT client-to-client fee program (new)
Effective: Oct 23, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers, acquirers
New fee program for Faster Refund original credit transactions in the US (and Canada). Rates are not public.
Sources: Marqeta (single source)
US interchange schedule
Effective: Oct 24, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers, acquirers
Visa republished its US schedule with rates effective October 24, 2026. The schedule doesn't mark which rates changed, and the processor notices we reviewed list no broad US consumer interchange changes this cycle.
Sources: Visa USA Interchange Reimbursement Fees
Mastercard
Transaction Link Identifier (TLID)
Effective: Oct 23, 2026 onward · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
Merchant-initiated and recurring transactions must carry the TLID from the original cardholder-initiated transaction. Processors publish different milestones, partly because some cover TLID handling across the transaction lifecycle and others cover linking later merchant-initiated payments: Stripe, Adyen and Checkout.com give Oct 23, 2026 as the start of the requirement (Adyen calls it the enforcement date); J.P. Morgan says transactions without a correct TLID are non-compliant from Dec 1, 2026; Braintree lists a Dec 1, 2026 comply-by date and assessments from Jan 31, 2027. Checkout.com's November 10 update gives an August 2027 comply-by date and non-compliance fees from September 2027. No assessment amount has been published.
Sources: Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com, Checkout.com blog, J.P. Morgan, Braintree
Decline Service Fees
Effective: October 2026 · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
The rate doubles from 0.03% to 0.06%, the maximum drops from $0.12 to $0.06, and the minimum is eliminated. The net effect depends on transaction size.
Sources: Fiserv (single source)
Specialty Merchant Registration Program fees
Effective: Registration: May 1, 2026. Transaction and volume fees: Jun 3 and Jul 24, 2026. Fiserv: Oct 2026 · Who it hits: Acquirers, high-risk merchants
Annual registration rises to USD 1,000 per merchant from USD 500, effective May 1, 2026 (J.P. Morgan). New USD 0.02 per-transaction fee and 10 bps volume fee for registered specialty merchants: J.P. Morgan dates these to June 3, 2026 for cryptocurrency (MCC 6051) and high-risk securities (MCC 6211) and July 24, 2026 for high-risk cyberlockers (MCC 4816), and says they don't apply to funding transactions. Per TabaPay, they apply only to qualifying purchase and quasi-cash transactions; push transactions, funding transactions, verifications and several wallet-funded use cases are excluded. Fiserv lists the transaction and volume fees as effective October 2026 on its schedule.
Sources: J.P. Morgan US merchant notices, TabaPay, Braintree, Fiserv
Progressive handling fees on chargebacks
Effective: October 2026 (Fiserv) · Who it hits: Merchants
A $25 fee on specified Mastercard chargebacks and $50 at a later stage. Fiserv describes the scope and conditions two ways. Its Mastercard notice applies the fees to chargebacks under reason codes 4807 (Warning Bulletin File) and 4808 (Authorization Related) on non-face-to-face transactions, refunds the $25 only after a successful representment with proof of valid authorization, and applies the $50 at arbitration. Its billing notice, effective October 23, applies them to reason codes 07, 08 and 12, reverses the $25 when the merchant responds, and applies the $50 when the issuer doesn't accept the response. Confirm the conditions with your processor. Till Payments' US partner notice listed Mastercard progressive handling fees on statements from December 1, 2023, so pass-through timing varies by processor.
Sources: Fiserv, Till Payments
Crypto Card Transaction Fee (new)
Effective: US: Oct 19, 2026 (J.P. Morgan); TabaPay bills from Dec 9, 2026. LAC: Oct 2026 (Fiserv). Canada: Jan 18, 2027 (Fiserv) · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
0.05% on settled purchases funded from a cryptocurrency balance. Per J.P. Morgan, it doesn't apply to fiat-funded cards that earn crypto rewards, and on dual-funded cards it applies only to the crypto-funded transactions.
Sources: J.P. Morgan US merchant notices, TabaPay, Fiserv, Fiserv Canada
Fleet 2.0 data requirements
Effective: Oct 23, 2026 · Who it hits: Fuel, EV charging and fleet maintenance merchants
Fleet transactions that don't meet the updated Fleet 2.0 data specifications don't qualify for fleet interchange rates and are assessed standard rates.
Sources: J.P. Morgan (single source)
Account Level Management Product Graduation Plus
Effective: Oct 28, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers, acquirers
World Elite Mastercard consumer accounts can graduate to World Elite Mastercard for Business, and some transactions may be processed as commercial and need commercial addendum data.
Sources: J.P. Morgan (single source)
Commercial interchange programs
Effective: Oct 23, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers, acquirers
Wholesale Travel Program interchange rates modified and introduced (global), and new commercial credit and commercial prepaid product codes for the US Variable Interchange Program. J.P. Morgan publishes the new US rates: Wholesale Travel from 0.50% (MTS) to 2.70% (MBT, MBU, MBV), and domestic Variable Interchange Program commercial prepaid rates from 0.25% (VWA) to 2.45% (VWK). US territory rates are higher for most Wholesale Travel codes.
Sources: J.P. Morgan US merchant notices, Marqeta
US interchange schedule
Effective: No October update posted · Who it hits: Issuers, acquirers
As of November 11, 2026, the US interchange schedule Mastercard posts online is still the one effective April 17, 2026.
Sources: Mastercard, Mastercard schedule (PDF)
US regulation and litigation
Regulation II (debit interchange)
Date: Oct 26, 2026 · Who it hits: Covered debit issuers
The Eighth Circuit, in Corner Post v. Board of Governors, affirmed the district court's judgment vacating the Fed's 21-cent debit interchange cap, holding that the Fed's cost basis went beyond what the Durbin Amendment allows. The ruling isn't effective until the court issues its mandate, and rehearing or a Supreme Court petition remains possible. The case returns to the Fed to rework the standard. The Fed's 2023 proposal (14.4 cents plus 0.04%, with a possible 1.3-cent fraud-prevention adjustment) has not been finalized. At publication (November 11, 2026), we had not seen the mandate issue.
Sources: Payments Dive, Consumer Finance Monitor
MDL 1720 merchant settlement
Date: Reply filed Oct 14, 2026 (per Payments Dive's Oct 16 report); hearing scheduled Nov 16, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers, acquirers, merchants
Visa and Mastercard filed a joint reply to objections. The court granted preliminary approval in June 2026, and the final approval hearing was scheduled for November 16, 2026 as of this update. Reported terms, which take effect only if the court grants final approval, include a 10 bps cut in the combined average effective credit interchange rate (an average, not a cut to every rate) and a cap on posted credit rates, both for five years, a 1.25% cap on posted rates for standard consumer cards for eight years, and new merchant rights to decline some premium and commercial cards and to surcharge or discount.
Sources: Payments Dive, Payments Dive on the terms
Canada
In Canada, October 2026 brought interchange cuts and a network fee overhaul in the same week. On October 24, Visa raised its small merchant threshold from CA$300,000 to CA$750,000, cut 22 consumer credit rates and raised Visa Business Credit Standard from 2.00% to 2.15%. On October 19, Mastercard replaced its Acquirer Clearing Fee with the per-authorization NABU fee, which costs a small ticket about 3.9 times the old fee and also bills reversals. Visa's DCAP also launched, generally pairing a 10 bps interchange reduction with a 5 bps fee.
Canada had the most concrete October changes of any market we track. Visa's own interchange schedule and notices from Moneris, Fiserv, J.P. Morgan, TD, Payfacto and Stripe agree on the core facts.
Visa interchange (domestic consumer and business credit)
Effective October 24, 2026 (Moneris notes that transactions submitted for clearing on October 23 also receive the new rates). Visa expanded its small merchant program threshold from CA$300,000 to CA$750,000 in annual Visa sales and lowered selected consumer credit rates. Payments Dive reports Visa is targeting an average interchange rate of 95 bps for eligible small merchants on domestic, in-person consumer credit. Per J.P. Morgan and Fiserv, merchants that surcharge don't qualify for the small merchant program. One rate went up: Visa Business Credit Standard.
Core credit (Classic, Gold, Platinum)
- Small Merchant Electronic: 0.77% to 0.70%
- Small Merchant CNP: 1.30% to 1.20%
- Small Merchant CNP Tokenized: 1.25% to 1.15%
Visa Infinite
- Small Merchant Electronic: 0.99% to 0.89%
- Small Merchant CNP: 1.55% to 1.45%
- Small Merchant CNP Tokenized: 1.50% to 1.40%
- Everyday Needs: 1.20% to 1.10%
- Gas: 1.34% to 1.24%
- Grocery and Food Retail: 1.15% to 1.05%
Visa Infinite+
- Standard: 2.35% to 2.20%
- Small Merchant CNP: 2.20% to 2.05%
- Small Merchant CNP Tokenized: 2.15% to 2.00%
- Performance CNP: 2.25% to 2.10%
- Performance CNP Tokenized: 2.20% to 2.05%
- CNP: 2.30% to 2.15%
- CNP Tokenized: 2.25% to 2.10%
Visa Infinite Privilege
- Small Merchant Electronic: 1.80% to 1.70%
- Small Merchant CNP: 2.30% to 2.20%
- Small Merchant CNP Tokenized: 2.25% to 2.15%
- Everyday Needs: 1.95% to 1.85%
- Gas: 1.95% to 1.85%
- Grocery and Food Retail: 1.95% to 1.85%
Visa Business Credit
- Standard: 2.00% to 2.15% (increase)
Sources: Visa Canada interchange rates, Moneris, Payfacto, Fiserv Canada, J.P. Morgan Canada, TD Merchant Solutions, CFIB, Payments Dive
Notes: TD lists the interchange change as October 22 and says merchants on non-interchange-plus pricing may qualify for a reduced Visa credit rate from November 1, so pass-through timing varies by processor. Mastercard did not expand its small merchant program, and its threshold stays at CA$175,000 (CFIB, Payments Dive). We found no Mastercard Canada consumer interchange changes dated October 2026.
Network fees
Mastercard Acquirer Network Access and Brand Usage (NABU) fee (new)
Effective: Oct 19, 2026 · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
Replaces the Mastercard Acquirer Clearing Fee. The old fee was USD 0.005 per cleared transaction of USD 25 or less and USD 0.0195 above that. NABU is charged at authorization: USD 0.0195 per domestic authorization, USD 0.0295 per cross-border authorization, USD 0.0098 per domestic authorization reversal and USD 0.0148 per cross-border reversal (pre-tax). Account status inquiries and Mastercard B2B Wholesale Program transactions are excluded. A domestic transaction of USD 25 or less with a single authorization now pays about 3.9 times the old fee, and a reversed authorization is billed twice (authorization plus reversal). TabaPay says each authorization is charged whether it is approved or declined, and each retry is charged again; it bills from November 7, 2026.
Sources: Moneris, Fiserv Canada, J.P. Morgan Canada, TD, TabaPay, Payfacto
Visa DCAP interchange and DCAP fee (new in Canada)
Effective: Interchange Oct 23 to 24, 2026 (processors differ); fee Oct 24, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers give up 10 bps; acquirers pay 5 bps
Domestic consumer credit card-not-present transactions initiated by the cardholder that carry enhanced data (device ID, IP address, billing address, and email or phone), submitted through an approved method such as Visa Secure or Visa Token Service, qualify for DCAP interchange rates, generally 10 bps below the matching non-DCAP rate. One possible exception: Visa's schedule lists Visa Infinite Privilege standard CNP at 2.40% and its DCAP rate at 2.35%, only 5 bps lower, which the 5 bps fee would fully offset. J.P. Morgan's notice lists that DCAP rate as 2.30%, a normal 10 bps cut, so confirm with your processor. For example, core credit small merchant CNP is 1.20%, the DCAP rate is 1.10% and the DCAP plus token rate is 1.05%. A new 5 bps fee applies to each settled DCAP-qualifying transaction. Net saving is generally 5 bps whether or not the transaction is tokenized; the existing token discount still applies on top. Tokenization is not required to qualify.
Sources: Visa Canada interchange rates, Stripe, J.P. Morgan Canada, TabaPay, Fiserv Canada
Visa Acquirer Embedded Payment charge (new, published by processors in October)
Effective: Nov 30, 2026 · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
0.10% on select domestic and cross-border B2B virtual card transactions made through Visa embedded payment integrations, such as enterprise resource planning, accounting, procurement or other B2B payment software.
Sources: Fiserv Canada, J.P. Morgan Canada
Mastercard Crypto Card Transaction Fee (new, published by processors in October)
Effective: Jan 18, 2027 · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
0.05% on transactions funded with cryptocurrency through Mastercard crypto cards.
Sources: Fiserv Canada, J.P. Morgan Canada
Visa Faster Refund OCT client-to-client fee program (new)
Effective: Oct 23, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers, acquirers
New fee program for Faster Refund original credit transactions in Canada. Rates are not public.
Sources: Marqeta (single source)
Commercial interchange
Mastercard Flex
Effective: Oct 24, 2026
New interchange rates by product code: WAZ 0.35%, WBA 0.40%, WBB 0.45%, and codes WBC through WBK from 1.65% to 2.00%.
Sources: Moneris, J.P. Morgan Canada
Mastercard Wholesale Travel
Effective: Oct 23 to 24, 2026
New rates by product code ranging from 0.50% to 3.00%. Published processor tables differ on some codes, so confirm against your own notice.
Sources: Moneris, J.P. Morgan Canada
Visa Commercial Choice Omni and Travel
Effective: Oct 24, 2026
New program IDs: Commercial Choice Omni from 0.40% to 0.75% (B9 0.40%, D9 0.45%, C1 0.50%, E1 0.55%, C2 0.60%, E2 0.65%, C3 0.70%, E3 0.75%) and Commercial Choice Travel A7 at 2.00%. Moneris says Commercial Choice virtual cards are no longer restricted by MCC and can be used at any merchant.
Sources: Moneris (single source)
Coming in 2027
Visa Digital Commerce Services Fee increase
Effective: Apr 1, 2027 · Status: Confirmed in processor notices
Rises from 1.5 bps domestic and 3.5 bps cross-border per card-not-present authorization (minimum USD 0.01) to 2.25 bps and 5.25 bps (minimum USD 0.0125). The fee doesn't apply to AFTs or OCTs (J.P. Morgan).
Sources: Fiserv Canada, J.P. Morgan Canada, Braintree
Visa per-transaction fee matching Mastercard
Effective: April 2027 (reported) · Status: Reported by CFIB, unconfirmed
CFIB reports Visa intends to charge the same 1.95 US cent fee on all domestic transactions that Mastercard now charges. Payments Dive reported 1.8 cents. We have not found this fee in Visa or processor notices yet.
Sources: CFIB, Payments Dive
Related 2026 changes still flowing through Canadian invoices
Mastercard acquirer cross-border assessment
Effective: Jul 20, 2026
Rises from 0.60% to 1.00% on Canadian-dollar, non-DCC cross-border volume. Processors passed it through on different dates (July 20 to September 1).
Sources: Mastercard Canada network assessment fees, Moneris, J.P. Morgan Canada, TD
Mastercard Force Post Transaction Fee
Effective: Jul 20, 2026
USD 0.09 per clearing record submitted without a matching approved authorization. Per J.P. Morgan, it doesn't apply to collections-only processing, rebates, airline transactions, reversals, bridged transactions, aggregated transit transactions, or merchant- and acquirer-funded installments.
Sources: Moneris, J.P. Morgan Canada
Visa Digital Commerce Services Fee (launch)
Effective: Jun 1, 2026
1.5 bps domestic and 3.5 bps cross-border per card-not-present authorization (minimum USD 0.01), replacing separately billed fees for services including AVS, CVV2, token verification and account updater. Per J.P. Morgan, it doesn't apply to account funding transactions (AFTs) or original credit transactions (OCTs); Braintree notes those transactions still have account updater and VCES billed separately.
Sources: J.P. Morgan Canada, Moneris, Braintree
Processors including Fiserv, J.P. Morgan and TD have given merchants no-penalty cancellation windows tied to these changes. The Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada lets merchants cancel without penalty within 70 calendar days after a new or increased acquirer/processor fee, or applicable domestic network core fee, passed on to them takes effect, or after a domestic network core fee reduction that isn't passed on in full. Increases set by a predetermined schedule in the merchant's agreement are excluded, and the merchant still has to meet outstanding obligations, such as returning rental equipment, before the cancellation takes effect.
Australia
Australia's Reserve Bank (RBA) reforms took effect October 1, 2026. They are the most comprehensive card payment changes of the month: lower interchange caps, the end of surcharging on designated networks, and the first mandated public reporting of scheme fees. Consumer credit interchange is now capped at 0.30% (down from 0.80%) and debit at 8 cents or 0.16%, and Visa, Mastercard and eftpos must publish their scheme fee data every quarter.
Interchange and surcharging
Domestic debit and prepaid cap
Effective: Oct 1, 2026
- Before: 10 cents or 0.20%
- After: 8 cents or 0.16% (8 cent weighted-average benchmark kept)
Sources: RBA
Domestic consumer credit cap
Effective: Oct 1, 2026
- Before: 0.80% cap; single 0.50% credit benchmark shared with commercial credit
- After: 0.30% cap, benchmark abolished
Sources: RBA
Domestic commercial credit cap
Effective: Oct 1, 2026
- Before: 0.80% cap; single 0.50% credit benchmark shared with consumer credit
- After: 0.80% cap, benchmark abolished
Sources: RBA
Foreign-issued cards acquired in Australia
Effective: Apr 1, 2027
- Before: No cap
- After: 1.0% cap across debit, prepaid and credit
Sources: RBA
Surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa
Effective: Oct 1, 2026
- Before: Permitted
- After: The RBA lifted its prohibition on network no-surcharge rules, so network rules now bar surcharges on these cards; the government says surcharging ended October 1
Net compensation rules
Effective: Oct 1, 2026
- Before: Did not clearly capture all Australian issuers
- After: Apply to all Australian issuers regardless of where any sponsor is domiciled, and capture domestic-issued card transactions acquired overseas
Sources: RBA, RBA implementation
The RBA estimates issuer interchange revenue will fall by about A$660 million a year, and that consumers currently pay about A$1.6 billion of the A$1.8 billion in annual surcharges on designated networks (RBA).
Scheme fee transparency and principles
The RBA chose not to cap scheme fees, saying it doesn't have sufficient evidence to pursue caps "at this time," but it noted that scheme fees have grown faster than transaction values in recent years (RBA scheme fees chapter). Instead it set reporting requirements and principles:
Network reporting
Due: First publication by Oct 30, 2026 (July to September 2026 quarter), then within 30 days of each quarter end
Visa, Mastercard and eftpos publish quarterly aggregate interchange, scheme fees and rebates, split for acquirers and issuers by domestic or international, credit or debit/prepaid, and card-present or card-not-present (with tokenized transactions shown separately)
Sources: RBA Appendix C, RBA implementation
Large acquirer reporting
Due: First publication by Oct 30, 2026
Acquirers processing more than A$10 billion a year directly for merchants publish quarterly merchant service fee data
Sources: RBA Appendix C
Interchange pass-through
Due: First publication by Jan 30, 2027
Large acquirers publish a measure of how interchange reductions are passed through
Sources: RBA implementation
Scheme Fee Roadmaps
Due: Apr 1, 2027
Networks are expected to publish roadmaps showing how they will meet the scheme fee principles
Sources: RBA implementation
The scheme fee principles set expectations that networks should (RBA scheme fees chapter):
- give at least six months' notice of fee changes, with justification, and avoid changing the same fee again for at least six months;
- explain at no extra cost how participants can avoid optional fees, with simple opt-out processes;
- charge behavioral fees only to parties able to avoid them;
- notify and correct billing errors for all affected participants, not only those who spot them;
- provide machine-readable invoices and on-demand billing reports at no extra cost, and label each fee as mandatory, optional or behavioral.
The RBA also published net scheme fee data for 2024/25 (RBA scheme fees chapter):
- Acquirers, domestic-issued cards: A$992.1 million (10.5 bps; 17.8% of merchant service fees)
- Issuers, domestic transactions: A$310.7 million (3.3 bps)
- Australian acquirers, cross-border: A$514.2 million (158.2 bps; 58.0% of merchant service fees)
- Australian issuers, cross-border: A$207.5 million (34.5 bps)
Visa's Australian interchange page now links to a quarterly reporting page (Visa Australia quarterly reporting); we could not load it to review the figures. We did not locate Mastercard's report.
Network schedules and acquirer pricing
- Mastercard published new Australian domestic schedules. Consumer credit is listed at 0.30% excluding GST, commercial credit at 0.80% excluding GST, and dual-network debit at a 0.16% base rate (Mastercard credit, Mastercard debit).
- Visa lists its new domestic credit, debit and prepaid schedules as effective October 1, 2026 (Visa Australia).
- Acquirers cut merchant pricing: CommBank's Single Rate went from 1.1% to 0.99% in store (GST inclusive), and Westpac's Flat Transaction Rate went from 1.20% to 0.79%, both from October 1 (CommBank, Westpac).
New Zealand
In New Zealand, the Commerce Commission finalized commercial credit interchange caps of 0.70% to 1.50% for Visa and Mastercard on October 22, 2026. They take effect April 22, 2027.
Commercial credit interchange caps (Visa and Mastercard)
Decided: Oct 22, 2026 · Effective: Apr 22, 2027
The Commerce Commission finalized caps of 0.70% for domestic in-person, 1.10% domestic online, 0.70% foreign in-person and 1.50% foreign online transactions. The current domestic weighted average is about 1.40%. Estimated saving to businesses is about NZ$40 million a year.
Sources: Commerce Commission, Buddle Findlay, interest.co.nz
Asia Pacific (including Japan)
In Asia Pacific, October 2026 brought mostly data and program changes rather than new fees. Visa now requires DCAP data support in certain countries, though Stripe says there is no DCAP incentive in the region yet. Malaysia added fields to identify debit transactions made through mobile wallets, and Singapore's preferential fast-food interchange for Visa and Mastercard ended September 1. We found no Japan-specific Visa or Mastercard fee or interchange change dated October 2026.
Visa DCAP data mandate
Effective: Oct 23, 2026
Visa requires support for the DCAP data field in certain Asia Pacific countries. Per Stripe, there is currently no financial incentive tied to DCAP in Asia Pacific.
Visa Asia Pacific intra-regional interchange for premium products
Effective: Oct 23, 2026 (Marqeta)
Visa's Australian site publishes Asia Pacific intra-regional rates for transactions at merchants in Australia on cards issued elsewhere in Asia Pacific. It shows a separate tier for Visa Infinite Privilege and Visa Infinite Private at 2.35% (2.40% acquirer downgrade), above Visa Infinite at 2.02% (2.07%). Rates in other Asia Pacific acquiring markets may differ. Marqeta lists changes to Asia Pacific and CEMEA regional fee programs for Infinite products effective October 23; Visa's page doesn't mark which rates changed on that date.
Mastercard commercial large-ticket interchange
Effective: Oct 22 to 23, 2026
Changes to intraregional commercial large-ticket interchange in Asia Pacific. Rates are not public in the sources we reviewed.
Sources: Marqeta (single source)
Visa Malaysia wallet transaction identification
Effective: Oct 23, 2026
New fields to identify domestic Malaysian debit transactions initiated through pass-through digital wallets. This follows Bank Negara Malaysia allowing an additional 0.10% interchange on debit transactions made through mobile wallets from July 1, 2026.
Sources: Marqeta, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Singapore fast food interchange
Effective: Sep 1, 2026
Visa and Mastercard ended preferential interchange for fast food merchants (MCC 5814), which now pay standard rates.
Sources: Qashier (single source)
Japan
We found no Japan-specific Visa or Mastercard fee or interchange change dated October 2026. Mastercard Japan's published standard credit interchange rates are dated July 24, 2026.
Sources: Mastercard Japan
Middle East and Africa
In the UAE, Visa removed the monthly caps on its authentication and token fees and, from October 24, 2026, added a 0.05% fee on card-number transactions sent without DCAP data, which network tokens avoid. Morocco's central bank cut the domestic interchange cap from 0.65% to 0.50% on October 1, with a 0.15% cap for e-government services and neighborhood merchants.
UAE: Visa authentication and token fee restructure
Effective: Oct 1 (year not stated in the notice, which also covers the Oct 24, 2026 fee) · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
Monthly fee caps removed. Authentication on card numbers (PAN): previously USD 0.015 per request with a USD 25,000 monthly maximum; now USD 0.015 up to 1 million requests and USD 0.005 above, with a USD 500 monthly minimum and no maximum. Network token fee: previously USD 0.010 with a USD 15,000 monthly maximum; now USD 0.01 up to 1 million requests and USD 0.0035 above, with a USD 250 monthly minimum and no maximum. New DCAP via Visa Data Only pricing: USD 0.01 up to 1 million requests and USD 0.0035 above, with a USD 500 monthly minimum. These tiers and minimums are Visa's pricing to acquirers; how they reach merchants depends on the acquirer.
Sources: Checkout.com (single source)
UAE: Visa unauthenticated PAN fee (new)
Effective: Oct 24, 2026 · Who it hits: Acquirers, merchants
0.05% per transaction, which Checkout.com calls an unauthenticated PAN fee. Stripe says it applies to eligible cardholder-initiated Visa credit and debit transactions where DCAP data isn't submitted, and Checkout.com says merchants that move to network tokens avoid it. Does not apply to AFTs or original credit transactions. Stripe confirms the UAE uses a fee rather than a DCAP incentive.
Sources: Checkout.com, Stripe
Morocco: domestic interchange cap
Effective: Oct 1, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers (revenue), acquirers and merchants (cost)
Bank Al-Maghrib (regulatory decision 265/W/2026) cut the general cap on domestic card payment interchange from 0.65% to 0.50% (excluding tax), with a 0.15% cap for e-government services and neighborhood merchants. Surcharging remains prohibited. Announced July 13, 2026.
Sources: Bank Al-Maghrib
CEMEA: Visa DCAP indicator
Effective: Oct 23, 2026 · Who it hits: Issuers, acquirers
Issuers and acquirers in CEMEA must support the DCAP indicator. Stripe lists the UAE among its October 2026 DCAP launch markets.
Latin America and Caribbean
In Latin America and the Caribbean, Fiserv reports new Visa fees from October 2026: a Network Defense Fee of USD 0.0005 per authorization and High Integrity Risk fees on card-not-present transactions in certain high-risk merchant categories, alongside Mastercard's 0.05% crypto-funded transaction fee. Visa's DCAP also rolled out, with no incentive attached yet, per Stripe. Mexico's proposed interchange caps were still a draft as of mid-October.
Visa DCAP rollout
Effective: Oct 23 to 24, 2026
Stripe lists Latin America in its October 2026 DCAP launch wave and says there is currently no financial incentive tied to DCAP in the region. Issuers and acquirers must support the DCAP indicator.
Visa AVS support for issuers
Effective: Oct 23, 2026
Issuers in certain Latin American countries must support Address Verification Service.
Sources: Marqeta (single source)
Mastercard Crypto Card Transaction Fee
Effective: October 2026
0.05% on crypto card transactions funded with cryptocurrency.
Sources: Fiserv (single source)
Visa Network Defense Fee
Effective: October 2026
USD 0.0005 per authorization in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Sources: Fiserv (single source)
Visa High Integrity Risk transaction and volume fees
Effective: October 2026
Fees on card-not-present transactions in MCCs 5967, 7273, 7995, 6012 and 6051 in Latin America and the Caribbean: 0.10% of volume plus a per-transaction fee that Fiserv's English notice lists as USD 0.10 and its Spanish notice as USD 0.02.
Sources: Fiserv (single source; amounts conflict)
Mexico: proposed interchange caps (draft)
Effective: Not final
The second draft from Banxico and the CNBV would cap credit interchange at 1.30% per transaction and debit at MXN 10.80, phased in over three years, with annual aggregate limits of 1.0% (credit) and 0.30% (debit). Expansión reported it was in public consultation in late August, and BBVA Research's October 15 review still lists it as a draft. As of that review, it had not taken effect.
Sources: Expansión, BBVA Research
What to check on your invoices
- Retry logic. Decline handling that still retries Visa code 57 now draws reattempt fees.
- Reversals and pre-authorizations in Canada. Mastercard now bills both the authorization and the reversal, so reversal practice has become a cost line.
- Retired fees. Confirm the Mastercard Acquirer Clearing Fee came off Canadian invoices when NABU went on.
- Billing dates. Compare processor billing start dates with network effective dates, especially for the Mastercard Specialty Merchant fees.
- Tax gross-ups. Several Canadian processor notices include a 13% gross-up for non-recoverable HST on network fees. Make sure you're comparing like with like.
- Data requirements. Missing Fleet 2.0 data drops fleet transactions to standard interchange, missing DCAP data forgoes the US and Canadian incentive (and, in the UAE, draws a fee on card-number transactions that don't use a network token), and TLID non-compliance is set to draw assessments on dates that vary by processor.
- Opt-out deadlines. Visa Credential Enrichment Service switched on by default after a September 30 opt-out window.
Frequently asked questions
What Visa and Mastercard fee changes took effect in October 2026? The largest were in Canada, Australia and the US. In Canada, Visa cut small merchant and premium consumer credit interchange (October 24) and Mastercard introduced its NABU fee (October 19). In Australia, lower interchange caps took effect October 1, and surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards ended. In the US, Visa reclassified Response Code 57 (October 25) and Mastercard's TLID requirement for merchant-initiated transactions took effect (October 23).
What is Mastercard's NABU fee in Canada? The Acquirer Network Access and Brand Usage fee replaced the Mastercard Acquirer Clearing Fee on October 19, 2026. It is charged at authorization: USD 0.0195 per domestic authorization and USD 0.0098 per domestic reversal, before Canadian sales tax.
Did Visa raise or lower interchange in Canada in October 2026? Both. Visa lowered most small merchant and premium consumer credit rates and raised its small merchant threshold to CA$750,000, but raised Visa Business Credit Standard from 2.00% to 2.15%.
What changed in Australia on October 1, 2026? Consumer credit interchange was capped at 0.30% and debit at 8 cents or 0.16%. The RBA also lifted its prohibition on network no-surcharge rules, ending surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards, and networks became subject to quarterly scheme fee reporting.
What is Visa DCAP, and does it cost money? Visa's Digital Commerce Authentication Program rewards card-not-present transactions that carry enhanced data such as device ID, IP address and email. The economics vary by region: in the US and Canada it generally pairs a 10 bps interchange reduction with a 5 bps fee, in Asia Pacific and Latin America there is currently no incentive (per Stripe), and in the UAE a new fee applies to eligible card-number transactions sent without the data (network tokens avoid it, per Checkout.com).
When do Mastercard's TLID requirements take effect? There isn't one timeline. Processors describe two different requirements: carrying the TLID through clearing and the rest of the transaction lifecycle, and linking later merchant-initiated payments to the original cardholder-initiated transaction. Their published dates range from October 23, 2026 (Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com) through December 1, 2026 (J.P. Morgan, Braintree) to assessments from January 31, 2027 (Braintree), and Checkout.com's November 10 update gives an August 2027 comply-by date with fees from September 2027. Ask your processor which requirement and which dates apply to you. No assessment amount has been published.
CardTraq tracks Visa and Mastercard network fee and interchange changes for issuers, acquirers and BIN sponsors. If you'd like to see which of these show up on your invoices, I'm happy to take a look.