Key points
- Blended is simple; interchange-plus is usually cheaper above ~£15k/month
- Ask for both pricing models against your real transaction data
- Low-volume businesses don't need to worry about IC+ complexity
- The 'headline rate' is meaningless without card-mix context
Blended pricing
One flat rate for every card. Simple to understand and predictable to budget, but you over-pay on cheap debit cards to subsidise the expensive ones.
Interchange-plus (IC+)
You pay the true interchange + scheme fee + a transparent acquirer margin. Cheaper overall for most SMEs above roughly £15k monthly card turnover.
When blended still wins
Very low card volumes (a mobile hairdresser, a market stall) get less benefit from IC+ complexity and are usually fine on blended.
Reading a quote
Ask providers to price you on both models against 3 months of your real transaction data. That's the only fair comparison.
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