April 2025 Card Network Fee Increases: What Small Businesses Need to Know

By Robert Skinner | WBN News | April 21, 2025

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If you run a small business, your April credit card processing statement may come with a surprise: higher fees.

Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and processors like Fullsteam Payments have implemented new fees or updated their program rules effective April 2025 — changes that could chip away at small business profit margins unless addressed.

What’s changing?
Visa has adjusted its Custom Payment Service (CPS) rules to change how certain unattended terminals qualify for lower rates. This could affect industries like vending, car washes, or any kiosk-based business. Mastercard is tweaking its Digital Enablement Fee, while Fullsteam introduced a 0.05% fee on gross daily funding volume and hiked its per-transaction rate by 0.072% plus $0.01. Even PCI non-compliance fees saw a bump.

In other words: if you’re a small business processing $50,000/month, these tweaks can cost you hundreds of dollars annually — without increasing your revenue.

Who’s affected most?
Retailers, restaurants, service-based businesses, and anyone using daily gross settlement (a common setup for cash flow management) could feel this pinch immediately. Businesses not in full PCI compliance are hit even harder.

What can you do?

Compare providers: Even if you're satisfied with your current processor, it may be time to shop around. Some providers haven’t passed these new fees on yet — others mark them up.
Negotiate rates: Processing is negotiable, especially if your volume has grown or your average ticket size has changed.
Offer incentives for debit or cash: While you may not want to push people away from credit cards, offering small discounts for debit purchases can reduce your cost per transaction.
Ensure PCI compliance: Avoid unnecessary monthly penalties by confirming you're up-to-date.
Evaluate surcharging (carefully): In some provinces, you can legally pass credit card fees on to customers — but it must be done properly to avoid fines or customer backlash.

The bottom line:
Processing fees aren’t static. They creep upward through policy shifts and processor add-ons — and that can squeeze already tight small business margins. Now’s a smart time to run a processing health check, just like you would with rent, wages, or insurance.

WBN News - South Delta Edition

Robert Skinner - Publisher

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