What does the merchant acquiring fee depend on?

The merchant acquiring fee is determined taking into account several factors: the company's turnover, the number of outlets, and the business sector.

It includes: 

• interchange fee (IRF);
• payment system fees;
• processing services; 
• equipment maintenance;
• other related expenses. 

The largest share is the IRF interchange fee, which the acquiring bank transfers to the bank that issued the card. Its amount depends on: 

• card category (the higher the status—for example, gold or platinum—the higher the fee);
• Merchant Category Code (MCC);
• payment method (transactions using a magnetic stripe are more expensive than contactless payments).