The FANF fee, short for Fixed Acquirer Network Fee, shows up on nearly every merchant statement that includes Visa transactions, yet few business owners know what it covers or how Visa calculates it. Visa sets this fee directly, and no processor has the authority to change it. Some processors mark it up anyway and quietly turn a fixed network cost into a profit center. This guide lays out the real FANF fee rates Visa publishes, shows exactly how to calculate the charge, and explains how to confirm a processor isn’t padding it.
What Is the FANF Fee?
Visa introduced the FANF fee in 2012 to fund the operating costs of its payment network, separate from the interchange fees that compensate card-issuing banks. The fee applies per Taxpayer ID rather than per merchant account, so a business with several locations or multiple merchant accounts under one Taxpayer ID pays a single combined FANF fee that covers all of them.
Visa calculates the charge monthly but bills it quarterly. A business typically sees a given month’s amount folded into a statement roughly three months later, which explains why the fee catches so many merchants by surprise the first time they notice it.
Three factors set the size of the charge:
- Whether the business processes card-present or card-not-present transactions
- The merchant category code (MCC) Visa assigns to the business
- The number of locations and the monthly Visa sales volume tied to the Taxpayer ID
Why This Charge Turns Into a Hidden Profit Center
Visa publishes the FANF fee as a fixed, non-negotiable assessment and expects processors to pass it through at that exact rate. Nothing in the transaction chain forces a processor to do that, though — the processor controls what actually prints on the statement, not Visa. That gap is exactly how markups happen: a processor bills more than Visa’s published rate, buries the inflated number inside a bundled statement, and keeps the difference as pure profit, since the business owner has no easy way to catch it.
This markup persists because almost nobody checks. Most merchants assume any fee labeled “network fee” or “assessment” is untouchable, so they never compare the number on their statement against Visa’s actual published rate. Revolution Payments publishes the full rate tables below for that exact reason: a business that can see Visa’s real numbers can check its own statement in minutes and catch a markup immediately, whether Revolution Payments processes its account or not.
How Card-Present Businesses Get Charged
A card-present business processes payments at a physical location — a customer swipes, dips, or taps a card in person. Visa charges these businesses a flat rate per location each month, and the rate climbs as a business adds locations.
Visa splits card-present merchants into two rate tables. Businesses in a “high-volume” MCC pay the Table 1A rate; every other card-present business pays the Table 1B rate.
Table 1B — Standard MCC, Card-Present
| Locations | FANF Fee per Location |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | $2.00 |
| 4–10 | $2.90 |
| 11–20 | $4.00 |
| 21–50 | $4.00 |
| 51–100 | $6.00 |
| 101–150 | $8.00 |
| 151–200 | $10.00 |
| 201–250 | $14.00 |
| 251–500 | $24.00 |
Table 1A — High-Volume MCC, Card-Present
| Locations | FANF Fee per Location |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | $2.90 |
| 4–10 | $4.00 |
| 11–20 | $5.00 |
| 21–50 | $5.00 |
| 51–100 | $8.00 |
| 101–150 | $12.00 |
| 151–200 | $18.00 |
| 201–250 | $25.00 |
| 251–500 | $35.00 |
A business with any monthly card-present volume under $200, regardless of location count, owes nothing.
How Card-Not-Present Businesses Get Charged
A card-not-present business processes transactions where the customer never hands over a physical card — phone orders, mail orders, and online checkouts all fall into this category. Visa bases the charge here on total monthly Visa sales volume rather than location count.
Table 2 — Card-Not-Present
| Monthly Sales Volume | FANF Fee |
|---|---|
| Under $200 | $0.00 |
| $200–$1,249.99 | 0.15% of volume |
| $1,250–$3,999.99 | $7.00 |
| $4,000–$7,999.99 | $9.00 |
| $8,000–$39,999.99 | $15.00 |
| $40,000–$199,999.99 | $45.00 |
| $200,000–$799,999.99 | $160.00 |
| $800,000–$1,999,999.99 | $450.00 |
| $2,000,000–$3,999,999.99 | $1,000.00 |
| $4,000,000–$7,999,999.99 | $2,000.00 |
| $8,000,000–$19,999,999.99 | $4,000.00 |
| $20,000,000–$39,999,999.99 | $8,000.00 |
A business that runs both card-present and card-not-present transactions pays both amounts separately every month, calculated from the tables above.
Worked Examples
Single-location retail store. A shoe store with one physical location and $5,000 in monthly card-present sales falls into Table 1B, tier one. The total comes to $2.00 for the month.
Online-only business. An e-commerce brand processing $18,000 a month in card-not-present sales falls into Table 2’s $8,000–$39,999.99 tier. The total comes to $15.00 for the month.
Multi-location restaurant with online orders. A restaurant chain with five locations processes $8,000 in card-present sales and $2,000 in card-not-present sales through online ordering. The five locations fall into Table 1B tier three ($2.90 each), for $14.50. The card-not-present volume falls into Table 2’s $1,250–$3,999.99 tier, adding $7.00. The business owes $21.50 total for the month.
Who Is Exempt From This Charge
Visa exempts two groups from this charge entirely. A business that processes less than $200 in Visa card-present volume during a given month owes nothing that month. Charitable organizations classified under MCC 8398 also avoid the fee — Visa charges it upfront and issues a rebate afterward.
Where This Charge Appears on a Statement
Processors label this charge inconsistently, which makes markups even harder for a business owner to catch. The charge can appear under any of these names:
- Visa Fixed Acquirer Network Fee
- Fixed Network CNP Fee
- High Volume Card Present Fee
- Visa Network Fee
- FNF Fee
A business on a flat-rate pricing plan won’t see it itemized at all, since the processor folds it into the blended rate. The fee still applies — the flat-rate structure just makes it impossible to verify.
What Drives the Cost Higher?
Three changes typically drive a higher FANF fee:
- Rising sales volume. Card-not-present businesses move into a higher Table 2 tier as volume climbs.
- New locations. Card-present businesses add the per-location rate for every store they open.
- A shift toward card-not-present sales. Businesses that add online or phone ordering trigger a second, separate FANF fee on top of any existing card-present charge.
How to Confirm a Processor Isn’t Marking It Up
Compare the line item on a statement against the exact tables above. Match the business’s location count or sales volume to the correct tier, and check whether the billed amount lines up. A statement audit catches this discrepancy quickly, along with markups hidden in other assessment fees that processors often bundle the same way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the FANF fee cover?
The FANF fee funds Visa’s payment network operating costs. Visa separates this charge from the interchange fees that go to card-issuing banks.
Does Mastercard Charge an Equivalent Fee?
Mastercard doesn’t charge a FANF fee by that name. It applies a comparable charge called the Domestic Other Non-Mastercard Purchased Volume fee, calculated as a percentage of transaction volume rather than a flat per-location rate.
Can a Business Negotiate It?
No business can negotiate the FANF fee, since Visa sets the rate directly and processors must pass it through unchanged. A business can still choose a processor that bills the fee at Visa’s exact rate instead of adding a markup.
How Often Does Visa Bill This Charge?
Visa calculates the FANF fee monthly and bills it quarterly, so a statement typically shows three months of charges combined into a single line item.
Why do some processors charge more than Visa’s published FANF rate?
Visa expects processors to pass the FANF fee through unchanged, but nothing stops a processor from billing more, since the processor writes the statement, not Visa. A processor that does this is treating a fixed network cost as an extra revenue source. Because Visa’s rate is published and easy to verify, any amount above the correct tier is pure markup, not a legitimate charge.
Curious If You’re Being Billed Correctly?
A business rarely knows whether its FANF fee, or any other line item on a statement, matches what Visa actually charges until someone checks it directly. Revolution Payments offers a no-obligation interchange assessment that reviews a statement line by line and flags any markup, on the FANF fee or elsewhere. Reach out to get a statement reviewed at no cost.