Many businesses are leaving money on the table and don’t realize it. The interchange fees from credit card acceptance are part of doing business, but most businesses are unaware that card brand programs exist to help reduce these fees. A common misconception is that the payment processor’s mark-ups are the only place to save on fees. The more significant savings potential is actually in the interchange rate which is the hard cost of payment card acceptance. Interchange fees are those transaction costs collected for the card brand and the card-issuing bank to partially cover their operational costs and risks associated with issued payment cards. Payment processors charge merchants a mark-up on top of interchange, which partially covers their operational costs and financial risks associated with processing, settling and funding card payments for their merchant customers.