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Operations · Glossary

Card-not-present

Also called: CNP, online transaction

Card-not-present (CNP) is any transaction where the card is keyed, entered online, or captured through a phone order. CNP transactions carry interchange 0.50-1.20% higher than card-present because fraud risk is higher.

Why this matters to merchants

Card-not-presentsits 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.

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