High New Year! Visa Credit Card Fees Going Up In 2025

Visa is expected to increase some fees it charges merchants and banks for credit card payments starting Jan. 1, according to a notice last month from the processor Global Payments. That Oct. 10 notice says Visa’s “misuse” fee paid by merchants will jump by two-thirds to 15 cents, from 9 cents per transaction, while a base transmission fee paid by financial institutions will rise to a quarter of a cent from 18% of a penny. The misuse fee would be imposed if a transaction is authorized, but not settled within a certain timeframe. Visa didn’t respond to a request for comment on the notice. A spokesperson for Global Payments didn’t immediately have a comment.

While the transmission fee is paid by banks that issue the cards, such fee increases are typically passed onto merchants. The notice also said that as of Jan. 1, Visa’s U.S. digital commerce service fee would “be based on authorized transactions rather than clearing and settlement,” with no change in that rate. The scheduled fee increases come as Visa faces pressure to reduce the fees it charges merchants when consumers swipe their credit cards to pay for goods and services. Overall interchange fee rates that retailers, restaurants and other businesses pay to process card payments typically range from 1% to 3%, depending on the merchants’ volumes. Those fees are set in conjunction with the banks that issue the cards, and networks like Visa can charge additional network fees.

Source: Payments Dive