Card Network Fees Comparison: Visa, Mastercard, Amex & Discover
Every time a business accepts a card payment, a small portion of the transaction goes to the card networks—Visa, Mastercard, American Express (Amex), and Discover. These card network fees are often overlooked but can significantly impact a merchant's total payment processing costs.
In this article, we break down and compare the core fees charged by the major card networks, so you can understand where your money goes and how to optimize your processing expenses.
Card network fees (also called assessment fees or network access fees) are charged by the card brands to help cover:
These fees are separate from interchange fees (paid to the cardholder's bank) and processor markup fees (charged by your payment provider).
Understanding card network fees—separate from interchange and processing fees—gives you a clearer picture of your true cost per transaction. Visa and Mastercard tend to offer lower, more predictable fees, while Amex and Discover provide higher-value customers at a higher cost.
As payment technology and consumer preferences evolve, being aware of your network fee structure is a key step in optimizing profitability and maintaining competitive pricing.