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Pricing models · Glossary

Interchange-plus pricing

Also called: IC+, IC++, interchange-plus-margin

Interchange-plus pricing is a payment-processing model where merchants pay the wholesale interchange rate set by the card networks plus a fixed, transparent processor markup. The model exposes the cost structure, which makes it easier to audit and benchmark than flat-rate or tiered pricing.

Example

Helcim's interchange-plus rate of IC + 0.40% + $0.08 per in-person transaction is among the lowest publicly available.

Why this matters to merchants

Interchange-plus pricingsits 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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