Four-stage merchant card cost analysis and optimization framework. Model your blended interchange rate, map your MCC risk and category, identify routing and surcharging savings, check VDCAP April 2026 authentication compliance, and generate a board-ready CFO optimization memo — all client-side, zero PII.
Zero PII · Client-Side Only4 Stages · 4 Upstream Tools⚠ VDCAP April 2026CFO Memo Export
Stage 1 · Transaction Cost Discovery
Tool 38 — ClearCost Card & A2A Cost AnalyzerEnter your merchant processing profile. All calculations are client-side estimates based on published interchange schedules.
Business Profile
Total revenue processed via card (not net revenue)
Transaction Mix
Card Mix (must total 100%)
Visa Credit35%
Visa Debit20%
Mastercard Credit25%
Mastercard Debit10%
Amex8%
Other (Discover / JCB)2%
⚠ Mix total ≠ 100%
Current Processing Setup
Channel Mix
Channel
Card Present
In-store, EMV chip / tap
Channel
Card Not Present
E-commerce, MOTO
Channel
Mobile / Wallet
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Channel
Recurring / Subs
Subscription billing
⚠ Enter annual card revenue and average transaction value to proceed.
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Awaiting inputs
Complete the left panel and click Run Cost Analysis to see your blended interchange rate, current processing cost breakdown, and cost-per-channel comparison.
Stage 2 · MCC Risk & Category Mapping
Tool 51 — MCC Code Explorer & Risk ProfilerSelect your Merchant Category Code. MCC drives your interchange tier, chargeback liability, and surcharging eligibility. Getting this right can shift your blended rate by 40–80bps.
Find Your MCC
Business Characteristics
⚠ Select an MCC from the search results above before proceeding.
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Select your MCC
Search for your Merchant Category Code in the left panel. Your MCC determines your interchange tier, chargeback liability, and surcharging rules.
Stage 3 · Interchange & Routing Optimization
⚠ VDCAP — Visa April 2026 MandateVisa's VDCAP mandate is live. Check all 6 authentication data fields below. Missing fields may cause authorization failures and shift liability back to the merchant.
Tools 52 & 78 — Interchange Optimizer + Smart Routing AdvisorConfigure optimization levers and VDCAP field compliance below.
VDCAP Authentication Fields
Click each field to toggle present / missing status
Optimization Levers
Surcharging is prohibited in some US states (CT, MA, OK, PR) and on Visa/MC debit cards.Durbin Amendment (Reg II) requires dual-network routing on debit. LCR routes to cheapest network.L2/L3 data can save 40–100bps on corporate, purchasing, and GSA card interchange.
⚠ Complete the VDCAP checklist and run optimization before proceeding.
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Configure optimization levers
Complete the VDCAP field audit and set your optimization levers, then click Run Optimization to see your savings model.
Stage 4 · CFO Optimization Memo
Board-Ready CFO Memo OutputSynthesizes all four stages into a structured executive memo with a 3-column savings table, implementation priority ranking, and risk register.
Memo Recipients
Implementation Horizon
Horizon
90-Day Sprint
High-impact, low-complexity changes first
Horizon
6-Month Roadmap
Include routing changes and LCR rollout
Horizon
12-Month Programme
Full A2A migration and Level 3 data rollout
Risk Appetite
Appetite
Conservative
Prioritise compliance and minimal disruption to checkout UX
Appetite
Balanced
Optimise cost while maintaining conversion rates
Appetite
Aggressive
Maximise savings — surcharging, A2A migration, full LCR
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Configure memo settings
Fill in the recipients and implementation horizon, then click Generate CFO Memo to produce the board-ready optimization output.