Credit card interchange fees are completely hidden from consumers, and the big credit card companies and their banks want to keep it that way. The card companies and their banks claim that interchange fees and the rules that govern merchant card acceptance are available to anyone. The truth is that only recently have the card companies bowed to public and government pressure to make their interchange fee schedules public.

Most consumers have never heard of credit card interchange fees because of Visa and MasterCard rules that make it practically impossible for merchants to tell consumers how much the fees are costing them. The fee system is too complex and there are different fees associated with different types of cards and different types of stores that merchants and their customers don't know what it actually costs to make a credit card purchase at the time it takes place.

Most consumers are unaware that credit card interchange fees are a non-negotiable cost of doing business for merchants who accept card payments. Other business costs are negotiable and merchants constantly work to lower them so they can run their businesses more efficiently and offer greater value to their customers. The fact that interchange fees are fixed by Visa, MasterCard and their member banks and cannot be negotiated is bad for consumers and merchants alike.

Consumers have a right to know how much they are really paying when they use a credit  card, just as they do when they use an ATM machine. But the credit card interchange fee is the biggest fee you've never heard of. Unlike other credit card fees that show up on your monthly statement, the credit card interchange fee is hidden, and credit card company rules make it practically impossible for merchants to tell customers how much they are really paying.