Despite the recent $5.6 billion antitrust settlement involving Visa and Mastercard, most businesses are still unaware that up to 80% of their credit card processing fees have nothing to do with their processor. Instead, they stem from how transactions are configured—a growing issue tied to several overlooked B2B payment trends that quietly erode margin and inflate costs.
Below are five of the most dangerous B2B payment trends draining profit from companies that accept commercial, fleet, or government credit cards—and what smart finance leaders are doing to fix them.
1. Interchange Fees Are Not Set by Your Processor
Visa and Mastercard—not your processor—control interchange rates. These rates vary depending on how transactions are submitted. If key fields are missing or not configured properly, your business is penalized with higher fees—often without even realizing it. Understanding this core concept is crucial when evaluating current B2B payment trends.
2. 3 Out of 5 B2B Businesses Aren’t Set Up Correctly
Even companies accepting commercial cards often aren’t configured properly. Without correct Level 2/3 data mapping, they overpay 50–150 basis points per transaction—with the losses buried in the statement. This is one of the most costly B2B payment trends being ignored today.
3. Processors Aren’t Required to Optimize Interchange
There’s no licensing or oversight in this industry. Even well-meaning reps may skip critical steps simply because they don’t know what to look for. That’s why so many businesses unknowingly fall victim to bad configurations—one of the most pervasive B2B payment trends impacting EBITDA.
4. “Level 3 Capable” Doesn’t Mean You’re Getting Level 3 Rates
Support for Level 3 is not the same as optimization. To truly qualify, you need:
- A proper rate structure
- Field-level data mapping
- Automated, consistent data submission
Without all three, your transactions fall into higher-cost interchange tiers—another example of how subtle B2B payment trends can lead to serious financial leakage.
5. Most Businesses Don’t Know They’re Overpaying
Terms like EIRF, Standard, or Non-Qual on your merchant statement are penalty codes, not pricing levels. Most finance teams aren’t trained to read interchange tables or detect downgrade trends—allowing major inefficiencies to go unchecked.
What CFOs and Controllers Should Require
To reduce costs and protect margin, companies should demand:
- Automated Level 3 data submission (no manual entry)
- Rate structure optimization to qualify for the lowest category
- Real-time downgrade tracking and reporting
- A partner who proactively audits and resolves interchange issues
Need Help?
This is exactly what we specialize in at Revolution Payments. If you’d like a confidential benchmark of your current setup—or want to learn how to reverse the effects of overlooked B2B payment trends—we’re happy to help.
Give us a call at 888 790 3450 or email info@ revolution-payments.com