In the card-not-present (CNP) environment—where cross-border transactions, multiple currencies, and 3DS flows collide—the stakes are even higher. It’s no surprise that many businesses in the online payments space are drawn to interchange optimization as a way to gain a competitive edge.

Optimization: Marginal Gains or Risky Game?

Fine-tuning Merchant Category Codes (MCCs), routing transactions based on card type, or using dynamic currency conversion (DCC) can deliver incremental margin gains. But these tactics come with trade-offs—regulatory scrutiny, operational complexity, and potential disruptions to the customer experience.

The truth: Interchange optimization isn’t about breaking the system. It’s about understanding it.

Finding the Right Balance

Interchange is just one lever among many in online payments. The smartest merchants know how to pull it thoughtfully—balancing efficiency with compliance, scalability, and a frictionless checkout journey. The goal isn’t to obsess over every basis point, but to align interchange strategy with the bigger picture of business growth.

How Maksu Redefines the Game

At Maksu, we’re building the next generation of PSP infrastructure for online payments—where real-time risk detection, smart orchestration, and frictionless checkouts come together to help merchants thrive in the CNP world. Interchange isn’t the enemy. But using it wisely? That’s where the real advantage lies.

About Interchange in Online Payments

What is Interchange in online payments?

Interchange is a fee paid by the merchant’s acquiring bank to the cardholder’s issuing bank for each card transaction. It’s set by card networks and varies by factors such as card type, transaction channel, and region.

Why are Interchange fees higher in the CNP world?

In card-not-present transactions—like e-commerce or mobile payments—the risk of fraud is higher. Card networks price this risk into the interchange fee, and cross-border or multi-currency transactions can add even more cost.

How can merchants optimize interchange without harming customer experience?

Merchants can use tactics like MCC refinement, card routing, and intelligent 3DS flows to reduce fees. But these strategies must be balanced with compliance, scalability, and seamless checkout to avoid hurting conversion rates.

Does Maksu offer interchange optimization tools?

Maksu’s PSP infrastructure includes real-time risk detection and smart transaction orchestration, helping merchants manage costs—including interchange—while delivering a frictionless online payments experience.