Interchange-plus pricing, also called IC+ or cost-plus, charges a business the actual network costs of each card payment plus the processor's own fee. Network costs include the interchange paid to the card issuer and the card network's own fees. They change with the card type, the cardholder's country and the payment amount. The processor's fee is usually a percentage, a per-transaction amount, or both. On Stripe, IC+ is part of custom pricing. It gives more visibility into costs than one blended rate, but the fee on each payment varies and reporting is more complex.
What is interchange-plus pricing?
It is a way for a processor to charge for card payments. Stripe describes it this way: "In an IC+ pricing model (sometimes known as a 'cost plus' or 'network cost plus' pricing model), you'll be charged for the underlying card network costs attributed to you, along with Stripe's processor fees."
So every card payment has two kinds of charge:
- Network costs. The interchange fee that goes to the card issuer, plus the card network's own fees. These are set by the networks, not the processor.
- Processor fees. The processor's markup, set in your agreement with it.
How is it different from flat-rate pricing?
Under flat-rate pricing, which Stripe calls blended, "you'll be charged the same rate for all transactions." That rate already includes interchange and network fees, "regardless of card type or brand."
| Blended (flat rate) | Interchange-plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate per payment | The same for every card | Changes with the card and payment |
| Network costs | Included in the rate | Passed through as charged |
| Reporting | Simpler | More detail, more line items |
| Predictability | Higher | Lower |
Stripe sums it up: blended offers "more predictability in costs and simpler reporting," and IC+ provides "more visibility into costs and drivers, but involves more complex reporting and fee variability."
What do the fees look like on Stripe IC+?
Stripe's support page on IC+ fees splits them into Stripe fees and network costs. Stripe fees come as a volume_fee (the percentage part) and a per_auth_fee (the fixed part). Network costs come as card_scheme, non_transactional_card_scheme, interchange or discount.
Two details matter for planning:
- Per-authorization fees apply to more than successful payments. Stripe says they are incurred for each request to a payment method, "including for authorization (successful and declined), void, charge, reversal, or to validate a card."
- Network costs can arrive late. "Card networks can bill fees for a given payment up to two months after it was processed."
What does it mean for a $1,108.33 payment?
The interchange part alone changes a lot by card. Using example rates from Visa's US schedule effective April 18, 2026, for a card-not-present payment:
- A regulated debit card: 0.05% + $0.21, plus $0.01 for an eligible issuer, which is $0.77.
- A credit card in Visa's Product 1 program, All Other Products column: 1.89% + $0.10, which is $21.05.
- The same program on a Visa Signature Preferred card: 2.50% + $0.10, which is $27.81.
Under IC+, the business pays each of those as charged, plus network fees and the processor's markup. Under a flat rate, it pays the same amount whichever card was used.
Who is IC+ for?
Stripe lists IC+ pricing under custom pricing, "available for businesses with large payments volume or unique business models." A business whose customers mostly pay with debit cards, or with low-cost card types, can see that saving under IC+. Under a flat rate, it would not.
- Stripe Support: Understanding Blended & Interchange+ pricing
- Stripe Support: Reviewing IC+ fees, Stripe fees and Network Costs
- Stripe pricing
- Visa: Visa USA Interchange Reimbursement Fees, 18 April 2026 (PDF)
- eCFR: 12 CFR part 235, Regulation II
Every figure on this page was checked against these sources on Oct 6, 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.