What is a Card Association?

Card associations are organizations such as VISA® and MASTERCARD® that, along with the government, make the rules in regard to the acceptance of credit cards.  These rules include fees that are charged for interchange.  American Express® and Discover® are different cases.  They are both the issuer and acceptors, and Merchants must have a separate agreement with them.  This may change as soon as current litigation is resolved.

Electronic Merchant Systems Payment Processing Glossary :

Defining key payment processing and merchant services industry terms to help business owners make better decisions.

 

 

 

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