Understanding interchange

Welcome to the Mastercard Europe interchange hub. Find out what interchange is and the value it delivers.

Interchange is a small fee typically paid by acquirers (retailer’s bank) to issuers (cardholder's bank), to recognise the value delivered to retailers, governments and consumers by accepting electronic payments.

Interchange helps maximise the value of electronic payments to all stakeholders

Governments

Significant efficiencies and improved financial inclusion when distributing social benefits and other programmes via electronic payments

Issuers

By receiving interchange fees, issuers can bear the risks and costs of extending electronic payments to their customers

Retailers

Guaranteed payments, increased sales, fraud protection, lower processing costs and a faster, more efficient buying experience

Consumers

Convenience and safety when making an electronic purchase, as well as increased financial inclusion, access to rewards, and choice of payment products

Society

Encourages financial inclusion for consumers who could not otherwise participate by incentivising issuers to create innovative payment programmes

Mastercard® European interregional and intra-location (POS) interchange

The Interchange Fee Regulation caps interchange fees on EEA domestic and EEA cross-border consumer debit and credit transactions, whilst the UK’s version of the Regulation caps interchange fees only on UK domestic consumer debit and credit transactions. We set interchange fees on these transactions in compliance with the Interchange Fee Regulation.

Value delivered by the issuing bank

Benefits of accepting electronic payments

Setting interchange at the right level is important. Too high, retailers may choose not to accept cards. Too low, issuing banks have no incentive to cover the risks of issuing payment cards. The optimum level also helps ensure issuers and acquirers deliver effective services, and spur innovations in payment solutions.

Interchange rates let electronic payments deliver maximum value at the lowest cost for retailers and consumers, and promotes credit availability for small businesses – driving financial inclusion.

Our inter-and-intra
European fees

EEA inbound interregional cross-border interchange fees

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Mastercard Intra-EEA Interchange Fees

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Undertaking to the European Commission

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Mastercard intra-EEA fallback POS interchange fees

The Mastercard EEA subregion for purposes of the application of intra-EEA interchange fees includes the following:

the Member States of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland (including Aland Islands), France (including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, Saint Martin [French Part], and Mayotte), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal (including Azores and Madeira), Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (including Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla), and Sweden
Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway (including Svalbard and Jan Mayen); and
Andorra (for transactions with above mentioned countries).

Any changes will be published promptly on this website.

European fees by location

Select a location from the drop-down menu to view intra-location POS (point of sale) interchange fees

Albania Intra-Location Mastercard and Maestro POS interchange fees are detailed in the PDF document below.
Mastercard reserves the right to change the rates below at any time. Any changes will be published promptly on this website.

Understanding interchange

Governments

Issuers

Retailers

Consumers

Society

Mastercard® European interregional and intra-location (POS) interchange

Value delivered by the issuing bank

Benefits of accepting electronic payments

EEA inbound interregional cross-border interchange fees

Mastercard Intra-EEA Interchange Fees

Undertaking to the European Commission

Mastercard intra-EEA fallback POS interchange fees

European fees by location

Albania intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Andorra intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Austria intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Azerbaijan intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Belarus intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Belgium intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Bosnia intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Bulgaria intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Croatia intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Cyprus intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Czech Republic intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Denmark intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Estonia intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Finland intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

France intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Georgia intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Germany intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Greece intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Hungary intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Iceland intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Ireland intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Israel intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Italy intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Kazakhstan intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Kosovo intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Kyrgyzstan intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Latvia intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Liechtenstein intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Lithuania intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Luxembourg intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Macedonia intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Malta intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Moldova intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Monaco intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Montenegro intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Netherlands intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Norway intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Poland intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Portugal intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Romania intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

San Marino intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Serbia intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Slovakia intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Slovenia intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Spain intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Sweden intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Switzerland intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Turkey intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

United Kingdom intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Ukraine intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

Vatican city intra-location POS interchange fees‎‎

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