CPS Retail 2 Card Not Present - Visa Interchange Categories

Historically, this interchange category applied to credit cards as well. As of 2023, there are no CPS Retail 2 Card Not Present interchange categories for credit cards; it only applies to debit and prepaid cards, as follows. Interchange rate & fee (debit): 0.65% + $0.15*, with a $2.00 cap. Interchange rate & fee (prepaid): 0.65% + $0.15, with a $2.00 cap. *Regulated debit card transactions (that is, transactions using a card issued by a bank with $10 billion or more in assets) are subject to the regulated debit interchange cap. That is currently set at 0.05% + $0.22. Also known as: RTL2 CNP CPS Retail 2 is a Visa interchange category that is used to calculate interchange fees for transactions involving a prepaid card or debit card for certain business types. Qualification criteria: The CPS Retail 2 interchange category will apply under the following conditions:

Authorization is obtained on the same day as the transaction
The transaction meets enhanced data requirements
The transaction meets requirements for one of the following CPS programs: Retail, Retail Key Entry, Card Not Present, E-Commerce Basic, or E-Commerce Preferred
The transaction is settled within 3 days (excluding Sundays and holidays) for mail, phone, and face to face transactions. (All other transactions must be settled within 2 days excluding Sundays and holiday.)
The business is classed with a valid Merchant Category Code (MCC)

Eligible Merchant Category Codes: The CPS Retail 2 interchange category applies to the following merchant category codes (MCCs):

9211 (Court Costs)
9222 (Fines – Gov’t)
9399 (Gov’t Services)
8211 (Elementary/Secondary Schools)
8220 (Colleges/Universities)
8299 (Education Services)
5960 (Direct Marketing – Insurance Services)
5968 (Direct Marketing – Subscriptions)
5983 (Fuel Dealers)
6300 (Insurance Underwriting)
4899 (Cable/Satellite and other Pay TV & Radio (debit & prepaid only)
8351 (Child Care)
8398 (Charities – debit & prepaid only)
7800 (Government Owned Lotteries)

Typical bundled qualification: Although qualifications for transactions vary, many processors class the CPS Retail 2 interchange category as “qualified” for transactions processed by card-present and card-not-present businesses.

Ben Dwyer

Ben Dwyer began his career in the processing industry in 2003 on the sales floor for a Connecticut‐based processor. As he learned more about the inner‐workings of the industry, rampant unethical practices, and lack of assistance available to businesses, he cut ties with his employer and started a blog where he could post accurate information about credit card processing. As the blog gained in popularity, Ben began directly assisting merchants in their search for a processor. Ben believes in empowering businesses by providing access to fair, competitive pricing, accurate information, and continued support. His dedication to transparency and education has made CardFellow a staunch small business advocate in the credit card processing industry.

Visa CPS/Retail 2 Card Not Present

Credit Card Processing exposed