Most WooCommerce merchants pay more for card processing than they need to, not because of bad luck, but because they’re on the wrong pricing model. Interchange++ pricing is the alternative that passes actual costs through to you with a fixed markup, so you always know what you’re paying and why.
ConvesioPay runs on interchange++ pricing. Every fee itemized, no blended rates, no surprises. As a certified Adyen partner, we bring enterprise-grade cost transparency to WooCommerce stores of every size. See your actual costs →
1. What Interchange++ Actually Means
The name describes the formula:
- Interchange — the fee paid to the cardholder’s issuing bank, set by Visa/Mastercard, varies by card type and transaction environment
- + (first plus) — scheme/assessment fees paid to the card networks themselves (Visa, Mastercard)
- + (second plus) — your processor’s fixed markup, the only component that varies between providers
On interchange++ pricing, each of these three components appears as a separate line item on your statement. You pay exactly what each costs, interchange is passed through at the actual published rate, scheme fees are passed through at cost, and the processor adds a fixed percentage and/or per-transaction fee on top.
This is different from blended or flat-rate pricing, where all three components are rolled into a single percentage, hiding how much of what you pay goes to interchange versus the processor’s margin.
2. The Cost of Blended Pricing
Flat-rate processors like Stripe charge a single blended rate (e.g., 2.9% + $0.30) designed to be profitable across all card types. This means:
- When a customer pays with a low-interchange debit card, the processor keeps the spread between actual interchange (~0.3%) and your blended rate (2.9%)
- When a customer pays with a high-interchange premium rewards card, the margin narrows — but the processor wins on average across your transaction mix
- You subsidize every debit and non-rewards transaction at above-cost rates
The bigger your volume and the more varied your card mix, the more this matters. ConvesioPay Q1 2026 data shows merchants switching from blended/flat-rate pricing to interchange++ save an average of 0.38% of processing volume. At $50,000/month, that’s $190/month, or $2,280/year.
3. Interchange++ vs. Tiered Pricing
Tiered pricing is the worst of both worlds, less transparent than interchange++ and often more expensive than flat rate. Avoid it.
| Pricing model | Transparency | Cost at scale | Who benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat rate | Simple, but hides margin | Predictable, often overpriced | Small merchants who value simplicity |
| Tiered pricing | Opaque — processor decides tier assignment | Often highest true cost | Processor |
| Interchange++ | Fully itemized | Lowest at volume | Merchant |
| Subscription/membership | High base fee + pass-through | Best at very high volume | Very high-volume merchants |
4. What an Interchange++ Statement Shows You
A properly structured interchange++ statement breaks out:
- Interchange by card category (consumer debit, consumer credit, rewards, business, etc.)
- Scheme fees (Visa assessment, Mastercard assessment, cross-border fees where applicable)
- Processor markup — the fixed rate and per-transaction fee you agreed to
- Total effective rate for the period
This level of detail lets you audit your costs, spot unexpected card-mix shifts, and verify that you’re actually being charged what was agreed. With blended pricing, none of this is possible.
5. Interchange Rates: The Component You Can’t Negotiate
Interchange rates are published by Visa and Mastercard and updated periodically. The card networks set them, your processor simply passes them through. Common interchange rates for WooCommerce (card-not-present) transactions:
| Card category | Typical CNP interchange |
|---|---|
| Consumer debit (regulated) | 0.05% + $0.22 |
| Consumer debit (unregulated) | ~1.15% + $0.15 |
| Consumer credit, non-rewards | 1.65% – 1.80% |
| Consumer credit, rewards | 1.95% – 2.30% |
| Premium rewards / travel | 2.30% – 2.70% |
| Commercial / business credit | 2.50% – 3.25% |
Your actual interchange costs depend on your specific card mix — the proportion of transactions made with each card type. Interchange++ makes this visible; blended pricing hides it.
6. How the Processor Markup Works
Your processor’s markup is the only negotiable component. Under interchange++, it’s typically expressed as a small percentage plus a per-transaction fee for example, 0.20% + $0.10 per transaction.
This markup is significantly smaller than it appears in blended pricing comparisons. When processors quote a blended 2.9% + $0.30, much of that covers interchange and scheme fees. The actual processor profit on a typical transaction mix might be 0.3%–0.7% of volume, but you’d never know it from a blended rate card.
Under interchange++, the markup is explicit. You can compare it directly between providers and verify it on every statement.
7. When Interchange++ Makes Sense
Interchange++ generally becomes the right choice at roughly $10,000/month in processing volume. Below that threshold, the predictability of flat rate may be worth the premium. Above it, the savings typically justify moving to pass-through pricing.
It’s especially valuable when:
- You process a diverse card mix with a meaningful portion of non-rewards cards (you’ll see larger savings)
- You want to verify your processing costs independently
- You’re comparing processors and need a like-for-like cost basis
- You’re preparing accurate cost projections as your store scales
8. Interchange Optimization
One advantage of interchange++ pricing: it gives you visibility into interchange costs, which creates an incentive to optimize them. Tactics that reduce interchange include:
- Submitting complete transaction data — certain interchange categories require specific data fields; missing them causes a “downgrade” to a higher-cost tier
- Using address verification (AVS) — required for some lower interchange tiers on CNP transactions
- Enabling debit routing — for eligible debit transactions, routing via PIN-debit networks can reduce interchange
- Minimizing chargebacks — high chargeback rates can trigger interchange penalties
Processors on blended pricing have no financial incentive to help you optimize interchange — their margin doesn’t change. On interchange++, both you and your processor benefit from lower interchange costs.
9. ConvesioPay and Interchange++
ConvesioPay uses interchange++ pricing for all merchants, regardless of size. As a certified Adyen partner, ConvesioPay passes through Adyen’s network costs and interchange at actual cost, adding a fixed markup that’s clearly stated in your agreement and visible on every statement.
The merchant dashboard breaks out interchange by card category, scheme fees, and ConvesioPay’s markup separately, giving you full cost visibility without needing to request it or interpret a complex statement format.
For a full comparison of pricing models, see Flat Rate vs Interchange++: Which Pricing Model Is Right for You? For a breakdown of all credit card fees, see Credit Card Processing Fees Explained.
Ready to switch to transparent pricing? ConvesioPay’s interchange++ model works natively inside WooCommerce — no separate integrations, no reconciliation headaches. Get started →