Assessment fees and network dues
The small, fixed slice Visa and Mastercard keep for themselves. Tiny, non-negotiable, and often misrepresented to you.
Assessments are the quietest line on your statement and the most weaponized in a sales pitch. They are the card networks’ own revenue: small, fixed, roughly 0.13–0.15% of volume, and exactly the same for every processor on the planet. Knowing the real numbers turns a favorite salesperson trick, “we’ll lower your Visa fees,” into an instant red flag.
Assessments are the network’s cut, not the bank’s
It is easy to lump all the “Visa/Mastercard” money together, but it splits two ways. Interchange goes to your customer’s issuing bank. Assessments (also called dues and assessments) are what the networks themselves keep for running the rails, the brand, and the rules.[3] Interchange is the big slice; assessments are a thin, steady skim on top.
gets interchange
the cardholder’s bank, ~70% of your cost
gets assessments
Visa / Mastercard, ~0.13–0.15%
gets markup
your provider, the only negotiable part
What the networks actually charge
Assessments are published and stable. Here are the headline percentages, plus the per-transaction network fees that ride along with them.[1][2]
| Network | Assessment | Per-transaction fee |
|---|---|---|
| Visa (credit) | ~0.14% | APF ~$0.0195 |
| Visa (debit) | ~0.13% | APF ~$0.0155 |
| Mastercard (< $1,000) | ~0.1275% | NABU ~$0.0195 |
| Mastercard (≥ $1,000) | ~0.1475% | NABU ~$0.0195 |
| Discover | ~0.13% | data usage fee |
Representative published figures. APF = Acquirer Processing Fee; NABU = Network Access and Brand Usage fee. Networks adjust these periodically.
What assessments actually cost you
Estimated assessments (≈0.13–0.15%)
per month, to the networks. Fixed for every processor.
If a line called “network fees” or “assessments” on your statement is far above this band, that extra is markup wearing a costume.
The alphabet soup of network fees, translated
Beyond the headline assessment, the networks levy a handful of tiny per-transaction and monthly fees with intimidating acronyms. They are real, they are fixed, and they are not your processor’s markup. Here is what each one means in English:
| On your statement | What it is |
|---|---|
| Visa APF | Acquirer Processing Fee, a flat per-authorization network charge. |
| Mastercard NABU | Network Access and Brand Usage, Mastercard’s per-transaction access fee. |
| Visa FANF | Fixed Acquirer Network Fee, a monthly charge scaled to your locations and volume. |
| MC Location/Merchant fee | A small monthly per-location network charge. |
| Kilobyte / Integrity fee | Charges tied to transaction data quality and proper authorization handling. |
| Cross-border / Intl. fee | Applied when the card was issued outside the U.S. |
These pass through from the networks. A transparent processor lists them at cost, not marked up.
The tell
How assessments get used against you
Because most owners never learn the real percentages, assessments become a rhetorical weapon. Three moves to watch for:
- “We’ll lower your Visa/Mastercard fees.” No one can. Assessments and interchange are network-set and identical everywhere. What they can lower is their own markup, so make them say that out loud.
- A padded “assessment” or “network fee” line. If your statement’s assessment line is well above ~0.15% of volume, the excess is markup mislabeled to look untouchable.
- Bundling. Tiered pricing folds assessments, interchange, and markup into “qualified/non-qualified” rates so you can never see the ~0.13% for what it is.
Two-second audit
Tiny in dollars, useful as a flashlight
In raw dollars, assessments barely move the needle: on $50,000 of monthly volume they run about $65–$75. You are not going to save your business on the assessment line. Its real value is diagnostic. Because the percentage is fixed and known, it is the one number on your statement you can use to calibrate everything else. If the part that should be ~0.14% looks like 0.4%, you have just located your overpayment.
The bottom line
- Assessments are the networks’ own cut, ~0.13–0.15% of volume, plus a few cents per transaction.
- They are set by Visa/Mastercard and identical for every processor, so they are never negotiable.
- Interchange goes to the issuing bank; assessments go to the network; only markup goes to (and is negotiable with) your processor.
- Acronyms like APF, NABU, and FANF are real network pass-through fees, not your processor’s margin.
- Use the known ~0.14% as a flashlight: if your "network fees" line is far higher, the excess is hidden markup.
Sources & further reading
Figures cited as ranges or examples reflect publicly published network schedules and regulator filings at the time of writing. Card networks update interchange and fees periodically, usually each April and October, so always confirm against the current schedule.
- [1]Visa. Visa USA Interchange Reimbursement Fees & network fee schedule
- [2]Mastercard. Merchant Interchange Rates & network fees
- [3]Finix. Network Fees 101: What Dues and Assessments Actually Pay For
- [4]CardFellow. Credit Card Processing Fees and Rates
- [5]The Nilson Report. U.S. card industry data – context on network economics and volume
This article is general education, not financial, legal, or tax advice. Your actual rates depend on your business, card mix, and statement. Send us a recent statement and we will show you your true effective rate and exactly where you can save.
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