Interchange is fundamental to open loop card system economics and a mystery to many, especially to merchants who must pay it but don’t perceive any benefit from it. It’s a non-optional component of what the merchant pays to accept cards. It’s one element of the merchant discount fee. Despite the stubborn fact of it, there are ways for some merchants to make sure they pay as low a rate as possible.
Join Angelo Grecco of CardConnect (now a part of First Data) and Glenbrook’s George Peabody for a conversation about interchange optimization, an approach that certain B2B merchants can employ to lower their acceptance costs.
In this episode of Payments on Fire we decode the payments industry terms:
- Merchant discount fee
- Interchange
- Bundled pricing
- Interchange plus pricing
- Level II/III data
If you’re new to payments or just need a refresher on interchange, take a listen!
George, founder of Glenbrook’s Payments on Fire® podcast, is a 20-year payments industry veteran with a background in founding and running IT-based businesses to help clients develop payments strategies. During his 10 years at Glenbrook, George focused heavily on consulting in competitive positioning, technology investment road mapping, and innovation. Before joining Glenbrook, George led teams at Aberdeen Group, Mercator Advisory Group, and several other companies he founded, including Payment Pathways, RapidNet, and DigiFlite. George retired in 2024, but his contributions to Glenbrook live on through the 175+ episodes of Payments on Fire he recorded during his tenure.