Offshore Credit Card Merchant Accounts - European Businesses Will See Lower Interchange Fees

Offshore Credit Card Merchant Accounts - Most businesses interested in offshore merchant accounts have their headquarters or at least some physical locations in countries other than the United States.

For businesses with a presence in Europe, processing debit cards could be much cheaper from here on out. Yesterday, Visa announced that it would place a cap on Visa debit card transaction charges at 0.2% for the next four years.

Debit card processing rates in Europe are already very low compared to those in the United States. Visa shocked retailers in Europe and the U.S. by lowering European fees while also raising fees on American business owners.

In the United States, merchants now have to pay 0.95% of each debit card transaction in interchange fees as well as a standard 20-cent swipe fee. Compared to the fees in Europe, these rates are outrageous.