Amex, Commercial and International Card Fees
Not all cards clear at the same interchange. Premium credit, American Express, commercial cards and foreign-issued cards can shift your true margin — especially on blended MDR. This guide helps UK SMEs model card mix, read statements, and decide what to accept.
Next step: Compare card acquiring for your sector — useful if tourists, consultants or procurement cards are a growing slice of turnover. Contact us for help interpreting a recent statement export.
Why some cards cost more
Interchange and scheme fees reward issuer risk, rewards programmes and cross-border clearing. Corporate and purchasing cards often carry higher interchange categories; non-UK cards may add currency and routing costs. Your acquirer passes those through on IC++ pricing or hides them inside a blended rate — see IC++ vs blended for how to spot the difference.
American Express — opt-in acceptance
Many UK merchants accept Amex via their main acquirer; some verticals still see Amex as optional. Before switching Amex on or off, quantify: average ticket, share of Amex volume, and whether corporate buyers expect it. Turning Amex off can lose B2B deals; leaving it on without pricing discipline erodes margin. Align signage with what your contract and terminal actually support.
International cards and DCC
Tourism-heavy retailers should train staff on currency choice at the terminal: cardholder currency vs sterling, and when dynamic currency conversion is offered. Poor disclosure creates complaints and chargebacks. Our DCC at the till guide covers the operational basics.
Modelling and renewals
Export 90 days of transaction data by card product if your portal allows. Re-run the model before renewal: a few points of MDR on Amex or international spend can exceed “headline” savings on UK debit. If you cannot surcharge consumers (see surcharging rules), recovery belongs in pricing strategy, not the checkout surprise.
Related guides
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