by Matt Rej
If you process credit cards with North (formerly North American Bancard), there’s a good chance you’re enrolled in their PCI Plus program.
You may have been auto-enrolled during signup or “upgraded” into it at some point over the last couple of years. Either way, you’re paying for it. And every year it’s costing you more than the previous year.
This isn’t a scam or junk fee. But the way it’s marketed makes it easy to draw the wrong conclusions about what you’re actually getting and where the fee is coming from.
Let’s clear it up so you understand exactly what’s going on with this PCI program and the associated fees from North.
What PCI Plus Actually Is
PCI Plus is North’s branded PCI compliance program. The service includes features like:
- Guidance on completing annual Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs)
- Scans for up to three merchant IDs
- Dedicated support
- Breach forgiveness up to $100,000 (subject to terms and conditions)
New North merchants are typically automatically enrolled. And we’ve been seeing older accounts getting “complimentary upgrades” to PCI Plus, which started happening around 2023/2024, and is still happening in 2026.
But it’s worth separating two things here:
PCI compliance itself is mandatory. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) are set by the PCI Security Standards Council (not by North or any individual processor). Any business that accepts credit cards needs to maintain compliance, and there are consequences for failing to do so.
PCI Plus is not. This is just North’s way of selling you compliance. Other processors offer similar programs under different names. So while the compliance itself is required, the specific product you use to satisfy PCI standards is not.
PCI Plus Fee Increases in 2026
As of April 2026, North increased its PCI Plus fees across the board:
- Annual fee increased to $199 per year (up from $145)
- Tier I fees increased to $20 per month (up from $15)
- Tier II fees increased to $42 per month (up from $37)
- Tier III fees increased to $90 per month (up from $90)
This is the third consecutive year we’ve seen North Raise its PCI Plus fees, and the increases are starting to compound.
A merchant on a Tier II monthly billing plan now pays $504 per year from PCI Plus compared to $324 just two years ago. That’s a 56% increase over a 24-month stretch.
For non-compliant merchants, the costs are even steeper. Tier III merchants paying $90 per month pay over $1,000 per year, purely for PCI Plus.
These aren’t pass-through costs from Visa or Mastercard. And they aren’t being paid to any governing body over PCI standards, either. These fees are 100% controlled by North, and the prices increased simply because North decided to raise them.
How Are North PCI Plus Tiers Determined?
North’s PCI Plus structure breaks merchants into three tiers. But the logic behind each isn’t always obvious.
Tier I and Tier II both apply to merchants who are PCI compliant. The difference between them is based on factors like:
- Processing platform
- Equipment type
- Pricing model
But North doesn’t publish a clear breakdown of which combinations of these factors put you into each tier. We tend to see most PCI-compliant merchants designated as Tier II (likely because it gives North an excuse to charge them more money).
The only way to clarify this is by talking to a North rep to determine what steps you can take to ensure you’re on Tier I and paying the lowest rate.
Tier III applies to merchants who are not PCI compliant. If you’re in Tier III, it means you haven’t completed compliance steps (typically annual SAQ and associated scans), and you’re paying a premium until you do.
This is worth flagging because some merchants don’t realize they’re paying the non-compliant rate. PCI Plus is supposed to streamline compliance.
And if you see a $90 Tier III PCI Plus charge on your statement, there’s no clear indication based on the line item descriptor that you’re non-compliant. Many merchants incorrectly assume that charge means they are paying for compliance.
The “Complimentary Upgrade” is Not What it Sounds Like
North has been sending emails and attaching statement notices to merchant accounts describing the program as “complimentary upgrade to PCI Plus.”
If you’re reading this quickly, the language suggests that something is being given to you for free. But the program itself carries both monthly and annual fees.
And here’s something else that’s worth calling out.
All of the PCI Plus information sent by North directs you to mypci.com. If you open this page, you won’t see North’s name or logo anywhere on it. There’s no header, no footer, and no copyright tying the program to North. Just a generic PCI Plus FAQ that’s available as PDF.
So the connection to North isn’t obvious.
The way this information is presented mirrors the way North communicates fee changes associated with the program. The latest PCI Plus fee increase notice was bundled with legitimate card network changes from Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, which included links to the networks and even links to the IRS website.
That mypci.com link shared is alongside those references, and looks visually identical to the rest.
I’m not going to claim that North is doing this to intentionally mislead you. But the practical effect here is that a lot of merchants assume PCI Plus is being misrepresented as free. And even when you realize it’s a paid service, the info looks as though it’s coming from a third-party entity.
When in reality, it’s just a value-added service from North, with prices set by North, and fees going directly to North as a processor markup (with rates that have gone up three years in a row).
This Follows a Familiar Pattern From Processor Notices
North isn’t the only provider that blurs the lines between network updates and processor-imposed fees. I’ve covered this in detail in another post, describing how processors hide rate increases behind interchange updates.
This 2026 PCI Plus notice uses the exact playbook here. One notice includes:
- Interchange-level updates from the card networks
- Assessment changes from Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover
- Information related to IRS backup withholding
- Discount rate increases (from North)
- PCI Plus rate increases (also from North)
All of this is packed into one very long and difficult to read plaintext notice, with no logical headings or separation between what’s non-negotiable from the networks and what’s coming from North.
This is why you need to read these notices carefully. Because if you’re just glancing, it’s easy to assume everything in there is a mandatory network-level update. And if you do spot the PCI Plus info, the “complimentary upgrade” phrasing makes it sound free.
Rate Creep Adds Up Faster Than You Think
A $5 monthly increase doesn’t sound like much in isolation. You used to pay $15 and now you pay $20. Or a $37 fee is now $42. Who cares?
Most merchants see this and just move on with their day. And that’s exactly what North is hoping for.
Here’s the problem though. PCI Plus fees have gone up three years in a row.
A Tier II merchant paid $324 per year in 2024 and now pays $504 in 2026. That’s an extra $180 per year for the same “complimentary” program with no meaningful change to the service itself.
And PCI Plus is just one piece of it. Over that same two-year stretch, North has also raised:
- Discount rates by 0.25% on tiered pricing (twice per year)
- Discount rates by up to 0.15% on IC+ pricing (twice per year)
- Annual regulatory fee from $169 to $199
- Per-item and authorization fees on certain accounts
You can read our full breakdown of North’s latest rate increases for the full picture. But the short version is that PCI Plus increases don’t happen in a vacuum. It’s part of a broader pattern where North raises multiple rates, where each one is small enough to fly under the radar.
That’s exactly what rate creep looks like in payment processing.
It’s not a 1% increase on your discount rate that happens all at once. It’s $5 here, 25 basis points there, slightly higher annual fees, and another fee somewhere else. But the end result is the same. Over a couple of years your effective rate can easily be close to 1% more than it used to be.
Merchants who don’t audit their statements line by line tend to absorb these increases without realizing how much their effective rate has actually changed.
Is PCI Plus Worth What You’re Paying?
Honestly, it depends on how you look at it.
There is some real value to the program. I just don’t know that it’s priced based on what you’re actually getting in return.
It’s definitely nice to have your processor guide you through PCI compliance. Automated SAQ handling and scan facilitation can save you time, especially if you don’t want to navigate PCI compliance on your own elsewhere. And the $100k breach forgiveness is a legit perk (even though there are stipulations).
So for Tier I merchants paying $20 per month, the price isn’t unreasonable.
Beyond that, it’s a bit expensive just for PCI compliance. And the yearly increases are not keeping pace with the value. A 56% hike over two years for a program that hasn’t really changed is tough to justify.
The biggest issue here is for Tier III merchants. This means you’re non-compliant, and you need to contact North ASAP to change this to lower your rates and ensure you’re meeting PCI standards.
What to Do If You’re Auto-Enrolled in PCI Plus From North
If you process with North and you’ve been selected for a “complimentary” upgrade to PCI Plus, here’s what I recommend.
Start by pulling your latest statements to see if you can identify your tier classification. If the tier itself isn’t listed, the amount you’re paying per month should tell you which tier.
Anything higher than $20 (Tier I) should be assessed. Tier II merchants, even though they are compliant, should contact North to get on Tier I. And Tier III (non-compliant) needs to do the same.
North also says that certain merchants qualify for a lower fee or no-fee option. So ask if you can qualify for that based on your setup.
Just make sure you treat PCI Plus the same way as any other negotiable fee from your processor. So while you’re doing this, it’s worth looking for other opportunities to optimize your processing costs.
Final Thoughts
PCI Plus from North isn’t necessarily a bad program. It does what it claims to do, and for some merchants, it’s a reasonable trade-off between cost and convenience.
The issue is the way this program is presented. Between the “complimentary upgrade” language, fee increases buried in network change notices, and the unbranded domain all make it difficult for merchants to assume PCI Plus is something they have no control over. Which is incorrect.
So if you’re using North and want a second set of eyes on what you’re paying, contact our team here at MCC. We’ll give you a free audit to assess your PCI Plus situation and everything else on your North statement.
And if we find savings opportunities, we’ll help you lower your rate directly with North. So you can save money on credit card processing without changing providers.