EnglishDeutschEspañolFrançaisItalianoNederlandsPortuguêsPolskiSvenskaNorskDanskRomânăČeštinaБългарски繁體中文（香港）
PlatformPartnersSolutionsAboutPricingContactDevelopersAll featuresAll industriesApply now

Payments in United States

Cardflo operates in the US through Tier 1 sponsor banks and acquirer partners with full coverage on Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover.

Currencies supported in United States

USD

Local payment methods in United States

Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, ACH, Affirm, Afterpay

Acquiring

US sponsor banks and processors support interchange-plus pricing from the first dollar. Network tokens (VTS, MDES, Amex Token) are enabled by default to lift stored-credential approval rates.

Regulation

US e-commerce does not have a federal SCA mandate, but issuer-side risk models still benefit from 3DS on high-risk transactions. PCI DSS, state privacy laws (CCPA/CPRA) and Reg E for ACH apply.

Market context in United States

The US processes roughly $10 trillion in card payments annually, with Visa and Mastercard combined commanding around 80% of card volume, Amex roughly 13% and Discover the remainder. Ecommerce is about 16% of total retail and growing at double-digit rates. Buy-Now-Pay-Later (Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna) now represents over $90 billion in annual GMV, with the heaviest concentration in apparel, beauty and home goods.

Card scheme mix in United States

Debit volume is split roughly 60% Visa, 30% Mastercard and 10% on PIN-only domestic networks (Star, Pulse, NYCE, Maestro, Interlink). Durbin-eligible debit (issuers over $10B in assets) is capped at 0.05% plus $0.22, and Cardflo's routing engine selects the cheapest enabled debit network per transaction. Credit interchange ranges from roughly 1.4% for regulated debit to 3.5% for premium rewards cards.

Interchange and fees in United States

US interchange is not regulator-capped (other than Durbin debit). Effective blended rates vary heavily by MCC, AOV and card mix: a typical DTC merchant sees 2.1 to 2.5%, a B2B merchant on commercial cards can see 2.6 to 3.0%, and a subscription merchant skews higher due to recurring premium-rewards usage. Level 2 and Level 3 data on commercial cards can recover 30 to 80 bps for eligible MCCs.

Common payment challenges in United States

Subscription false-decline rates can reach 12 to 15% on the first renewal without account updater, network tokens and intelligent retry. Issuer behaviour varies sharply, JPMorgan Chase and Capital One use machine-learning risk models that respond to consistent merchant signalling; smaller credit-union issuers are more rule-based. Chargeback ratios are monitored by Visa VAMP at 0.9% of transactions and Mastercard ECP at 1.5%.

Recommended setup for United States

  • Tier 1 sponsor bank with interchange-plus pricing from the first dollar
  • Visa Account Updater and Mastercard ABU on all card-on-file portfolios
  • Network tokens (VTS, MDES, Amex Token) enabled by default
  • Debit routing for Durbin-regulated cards across enabled networks
  • ACH and Apple Pay / Google Pay as standard alternatives at checkout

Popular verticals in United States

Subscription SaaSCBDTelehealthDirect-to-consumerMarketplaces

FAQ

Can you board US CBD and hemp merchants?

Yes. Cardflo works with sponsor banks that board compliant CBD and hemp businesses on Tier 1 acquiring.

Do you offer interchange-plus pricing in the US?

Yes. US merchants are priced interchange-plus from the first dollar, with monthly statements that reconcile interchange, scheme fees and acquirer margin separately.

Can I accept ACH alongside cards?

Yes. ACH (including Same Day ACH where eligible) is supported alongside card acceptance, with returns and Reg E handling built into the platform.

Do you support Level 2 and Level 3 data submission?

Yes. For eligible commercial-card MCCs, Cardflo can pass enhanced Level 2 and Level 3 data (tax, customer code, line items, freight) to qualify transactions for lower interchange. The recovery is typically 30 to 80 bps on commercial-card volume.

How does debit routing work under Durbin?

Regulated debit cards must offer at least two unaffiliated network routes per the Federal Reserve's Reg II update. Cardflo evaluates available networks per transaction and selects the cheapest enabled rail, which can save 5 to 15 bps versus signature-debit default routing.

How does US settlement and reconciliation work?

Sponsor banks settle to a US business bank account in USD via ACH, typically T+1 for Visa and Mastercard and T+2 for Amex OptBlue. Cardflo's ledger reconciles gross volume, interchange, scheme fees, acquirer margin and chargeback debits into one statement so finance sees a single view per MID and per acquirer.

How are chargebacks and VAMP monitoring handled?

Visa VAMP thresholds sit at 0.9% dispute ratio and 0.65% fraud-transaction ratio; Mastercard ECP at 1.5% and 1.0%. Cardflo tracks both ratios in real time per MID, surfaces at-risk BIN cohorts, and triggers automated evidence submission via VROL and Mastercom before issuer deadlines. Merchants approaching either threshold get proactive risk-team engagement.

How does US interchange compare to the UK and EU?

US interchange is uncapped and materially higher. Premium consumer credit cards can carry 2.10% + fixed, and commercial cards over 2.60% before scheme fees. That is why US portfolios benefit disproportionately from Level 2 / Level 3 data on commercial spend, network tokens on card-on-file, and routing to a US local acquirer rather than authorising cross-border into the US.

What is Durbin and how does it affect debit routing?

The Durbin Amendment caps regulated (large-issuer) US debit interchange at 0.05% + $0.22 and requires at least two unaffiliated networks per debit card, typically Visa or Mastercard plus a PIN network (STAR, NYCE, Pulse, Interlink). Cardflo supports Durbin least-cost routing on eligible debit BINs, which usually saves 40 to 90 basis points on debit-heavy US portfolios.

How does US chargeback monitoring differ from EU / UK?

US acquirers monitor Visa VAMP (0.9% and 1.5% thresholds) and Mastercard ECP (1.5%) the same way as elsewhere, but issuer chargeback behaviour skews to reason code 10.4 (no cardholder authorisation) and 13.1 (services not as described) more than EEA equivalents. Compelling Evidence 3.0 documentation and network tokens materially reduce first-chargeback loss rates on US traffic.

Related guides.

Apply with Cardflo

Ready to improve your payments setup?

Tell us about your business. We'll match you with the right acquiring partners and the right route, typically inside a week.

Apply with Cardflo Explore the platform
Apply now