CardConnect Fees: What a Fiserv Account Really Costs, From a Real Fee Schedule
CardConnect, a Fiserv company, does not publish its pricing. But some of its customers have to. Public universities and state agencies post their CardConnect fee schedules, and they show exactly how a CardConnect account is built, and what to check on yours.
Cornell University publishes what it pays CardConnect: interchange plus 0.20%, 10 cents per authorization, a $19.99 monthly CardPointe platform fee and a $3.50 monthly regulatory product fee. That is what a large institution negotiated. A small business signing through a reseller should expect to be quoted more, and should use this as the benchmark.
Figures in brief
- Interchange + 0.20% + 10 cents: Cornell’s published CardConnect markup and authorization fee.
- $19.99 a month: the CardPointe platform fee on Cornell’s schedule.
- $3.50 a month: the regulatory product fee, a processor charge, not a government one.
- About 2.64%: Cornell’s overall cost, with interchange around 2.32% of it.
- Fiserv: the processor behind every CardConnect account.
How a CardConnect account is priced
| Fee | Example from a public schedule | What to check on yours |
|---|---|---|
| Markup on interchange | 0.20% (Cornell) | Your percentage, and whether you are on interchange-plus at all |
| Authorization fee | 10¢ (Cornell) | Charged on every approval and decline |
| CardPointe platform fee | $19.99 a month (Cornell) | Advertised by resellers at $15; check yours |
| Regulatory product fee | $3.50 a month (Cornell) | A processor fee with an official-sounding name |
| PCI and tokenization fees | Reported on merchant notices | Whether you also pay for PCI elsewhere |
| Rate and authorization increases | Reported on merchant notices | Compare this year’s statement with last year’s |
Sources: Cornell University’s published CardConnect fee schedule; other amounts as reported from CardConnect merchant notices by independent review sites. CardConnect does not publish its pricing; your agreement and statement show what applies to you.
What Cornell’s terms cost on a real business
Apply Cornell’s markup to a business doing $50,000 a month in card sales across 500 transactions.
a month in markup and fees: $100 from the 0.20%, $50 in authorization fees and $23.49 in monthly fees. On top of interchange, which every processor passes on.
of sales. That is a good deal, and it is what an institution with negotiating power gets. If your markup is several times this, that is the conversation to have.
The Fiserv family of fees
Because CardConnect is a Fiserv company, its statements share Fiserv’s fee vocabulary. If you see these lines, here is what they are:
- Regulatory product fee: a monthly processor fee. See the regulatory product fee page.
- PCI fees: Fiserv’s compliance service and non-validation fees. See PCI Rapid Comply.
- Tokenization and encryption fees: Fiserv’s data security add-ons. See TransArmor.
A good tool on the right price. CardPointe sends Level 2 and Level 3 data on business cards, which can lower interchange meaningfully for business-to-business sellers. But that saving only reaches you on interchange-plus pricing. On a bundled rate, it stays with the processor.
How to lower what you pay
- Benchmark against a public schedule. Interchange plus 0.20% and 10 cents is what a large buyer pays.
- Ask for interchange-plus, and get every monthly fee in writing.
- Compare this year’s statement with last year’s for rate, authorization and new monthly fees.
- Get PCI validated and on record so non-validation fees stop.
CardConnect elsewhere on weAudit
Our CardConnect rating covers how CardConnect treats merchants beyond price, and Fiserv fees covers the processor behind it.
Common questions
What fees does CardConnect charge?
CardConnect does not publish its pricing; each account is quoted. Public fee schedules show the structure: interchange plus a percentage markup, a per-authorization fee, and monthly fees such as a CardPointe platform fee and a regulatory product fee. Merchants have also reported PCI, tokenization and annual fees.
What is the CardPointe fee?
A monthly platform fee for CardConnect’s CardPointe payments and reporting system. Cornell University publishes its rate as $19.99 a month; resellers have advertised it at $15, and when it was introduced in 2016 it was a $10 monthly charge.
Is CardConnect owned by Fiserv?
Yes. CardConnect is a Fiserv company and one of its largest sales channels, so CardConnect accounts are processed and underwritten by Fiserv.
What is the regulatory product fee on a CardConnect statement?
A small monthly fee that appears on many Fiserv-processed statements, including CardConnect’s. Cornell’s published schedule lists it at $3.50 a month. It is a processor fee, not a government or card network charge.
Does CardConnect offer interchange-plus pricing?
Yes. Interchange-plus is available, and it is what large institutions such as Cornell are on. Ask for it, and get the markup and every monthly fee in writing.
Is CardConnect good for business-to-business sellers?
Its CardPointe gateway supports Level 2 and Level 3 data, which can lower interchange on business and purchasing cards. That only helps you on interchange-plus pricing, where lower interchange is passed through.
Cite this page
How these figures were built. The benchmark terms are Cornell University’s published CardConnect fee schedule. Other amounts are as reported from CardConnect merchant notices by independent review sites. Dollar examples apply Cornell’s terms to an example business. Next review: April 2027.
Send us the statement. We will tell you what is in it.
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