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Infrastructure · Glossary

Card network

A card network is the rails that connect issuing banks to acquiring banks on every card transaction. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover are the four primary U.S. networks. Networks set interchange schedules and chargeback rules.

Why this matters to merchants

Card networksits inside the broader system of U.S. payment processing economics that determine a merchant’s effective rate. Most operators encounter this term on their merchant statement without understanding what it controls, which is how the four hidden fees covered by our methodology slip past unnoticed.