Card Network Changes: Check Your November Statement

What is changing and when

In an October 2026 notice, Xplor Pay said that effective October 24, 2026 it will implement changes made to the operating regulations of the major card networks. It said the changes may affect pass-through third-party cost components, including interchange, dues, assessments, network and similar fees, depending on each merchant's pricing plan and transaction volume. It also said merchants will see the adjustments on October month-end statements mailed or made available online in early November. Other processors handle network changes on their own schedules and may notify you differently, so read any notice your own processor sends.

Pass-through costs versus processor markup

Your processing cost has layers. Interchange is paid to the bank that issued the customer's card. Assessments and network fees go to the card networks. On top of those sits your processor's markup: the percentage, per-transaction fee and monthly fees it charges for its own service. When networks change their rates, the first two layers move. The markup only moves if your processor decides to move it. A notice about network changes is not, by itself, a reason for your processor's own fees to rise.

Why your pricing model decides what you see

On interchange-plus pricing, network changes show up as changed pass-through lines and your processor's markup stays a separate, visible line, so you can see exactly what moved. On a flat rate or tiered pricing, you usually see one blended rate. A network increase may be absorbed, passed through as a rate change, or used as the moment to raise the rate by more than the network change. You cannot tell which without asking.

Three checks when the November statement arrives

First, compare total fees and your effective rate (total fees divided by total card sales) with September, not just the headline rate. Second, read every line item name and mark anything new or renamed. Third, check whether your processor's own markup, per-transaction fees or monthly fees changed in the same month. If anything moved and you cannot explain it, ask your processor in writing which change came from the networks and which came from them.

Que demander à votre processeur

Put these in writing and keep the replies: Which of my fees changed on October 24, and by how much? Which of those changes are network pass-through costs, and which are your own fees? Did my markup change? Will you send me the network notice you are relying on? A clear answer is a good sign. A vague answer is a reason to get a second opinion on your statement.

What changes for multi-location and enterprise merchants

At scale, small rate changes add up quickly, and they can land differently by location, card mix and sales channel. Compare effective rate by location and by channel, not only in total. Have finance reconcile pass-through lines against the networks' published changes where your processor provides that detail. Check that your contract says how network cost changes are passed through and how much notice you get for changes to the processor's own fees. Keep one owner for the review so it happens every time networks change rates, not only when someone notices a jump.