A Merchant Location Fee is an assessment fee imposed by MasterCard for each business location accepting MasterCard. The fee is charged to credit card processors, who in turn charge your business. Early information about the location fee indicated that it will be assessed based on the number of locations a business has at the end of the fourth quarter in 2016.
Unlike interchange charges, the card brands post little information about the assessments they charge.
How is the location fee assessed?
This new fee is assessed directly by MasterCard and is not being assessed by payment processors. It’s likely that most payment providers will pass along the fee. Many actually charge more for the fee itself.
There are some exclusions to the fee:
Any location that accepts MasterCard, online or in-store will count as a location and will be assessed the location fee.
When will I be charged the Merchant Location Fee?
The per location fee for 2016 was billed in full ($18 per location) and should have appeared, along with a statement message from Tidal Commerce, on your April/March statement. Moving forward, the location fee ($1.50) will be billed each month per location and will show up on your statement moving forward.
How am I being billed for the fee?
Starting in May 2017, the per location fee will be billed at a rate of $1.50 per month, or $18 annually per location. This monthly fee will appear on your statements moving forward.
