Keeping up with the latest trends, news, and stories in the payments space is part of what we do here at MCC. Whenever we find something noteworthy, we share it with our readers and clients.
Here’s a roundup of what’s happening this month.
New Fees and Rate Increases
Businesses should be aware of a few new rate changes from processors and card networks—some of which have already gone into effect, while others are right around the corner.
Fiserv
Fiserv increased rates by 30 basis points on March 1, 2025.
Read More: Fiserv Rates | Fiserv Review
Bluefin
Effective April 1, 2025, Bluefin is increasing its rates by 0.23% per transaction. This rate hike will be applied to all Visa, Amex, Mastercard, and Discover cards.
Read More: Bluefin Rates and Fees | Bluefin Review
Visa
Visa’s new Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP) goes into effect on April 12, 2025. Eligible businesses can automatically get reduced rates by capturing Level 3 card data on commercial transactions.
There’s a 0.05% program participation fee. But even with the fee, rates should still be lower than you’re currently paying on eligible transactions.
Read More: Visa CEDP Rates | Visa Interchange Rates
Fullsteam Payments
On April 1, 2025, Fullsteam will begin charging a 0.05% fee on total gross processing volume for its Daily Gross Funding Service.
Effective April 5, 2025, Fullsteam Payments is increasing rates by 0.072% + $0.01 per transaction.
Fullsteam is also increasing its PCI non-compliance fee by $4.95 per month.
Read More: Fullsteam Rates and Updates | Fullsteam Review
PayPal Partners With Verifone, Expands Strategic Partnership With Norwegian Cruise, and Announces “PayPal 2.0”
It’s been a big month for PayPal. They’re making headlines for new partnerships, extending existing partnerships, and announcing a new vision for the company.
Omnichannel Partnership With Verifone — PayPal announced a new partnership with Verifone to provide an omnichannel payment acceptance experience for merchants. The partnership will combine Verifone’s in-person payment acceptance capabilities with PayPal’s ecommerce platform (Braintree), providing an all-in-one solution for omnichannel merchants.
Expanded Strategic Partnership With Norwegian Cruise Line — Consumers can pay with PayPal on all US-based reservations operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. In addition to giving people the option to checkout with PayPal when booking a trip, PayPal and Braintree will continue being used to accept payments on all ships.
PayPal 2.0 — During PayPal’s annual Investor Day, senior management announced plans to continue transforming PayPal into a total commerce platform. CEO Alex Chriss referred to this as “a new PayPal” and called it “PayPal 2.0.” Focusing on B2B expansion and AI-powered payments will be a big part of these plans.
Shareholders Approve Merger Between Capital One and Discover
The merger between Capital One and Discover has been in talks for over a year. But it’s taken a step in the right direction as the shareholders from both companies approved the acquisition.
With the votes to approve passed, Capital One’s $35.3 billion acquisition of Discover is on pace to be completed in May of 2025—assuming there are no additional setbacks or regulatory hurdles.
This deal has been under scrutiny and subject to investigations to determine any potential antitrust law violations.
We’ll keep you posted with any developing news about this story.
Adyen Announces Partnership With Eats365
Payment processor Adyen just announced a new partnership with Eats365—a POS software for restaurants.
The partnership is designed to simplify payment acceptance for merchants and consumers in 27 global markets. Merchants can now access Adyen’s payment services directly through Eats365pay. The embedded payments system will be available for all touchpoints, including in-person, online, and offline uses.
Eats365pay is being rolled out in Singapore and Hong Kong before its expansion throughout North America, APAC, and Europe.
Intuit Launches New Tap-to-Pay Feature For Small Businesses
Intuit is launching a new payment acceptance feature for small businesses using QuickBooks. This new feature is designed to alleviate problems associated with invoicing and outstanding payments.
With tap-to-pay, merchants can use their smartphones to accept credit cards in person without needing a separate card reader. This feature will be accessible directly from the QuickBooks mobile app or GoPayment app.
It’s a great way for field-service businesses like plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and contractors to accept payments from credit cards, debit cards, and Apple Pay.
This feature is already available for US-based businesses using iOS devices, and an Android version is expected to roll out later this year.
New and Noteworthy Acquisitions in the Payments Space
- Fiserv completed its acquisition of Payfare, acquiring 48,287,259 shares.
- American Express entered an agreement to acquire Center, an expense management software.
- Paysafe has agreed to sell its direct marketing payment processing solution to Kort Payments (run by Paysafe’s founder and former CEO).
- Shift4 has entered an agreement to acquire Global Blue for $2.5 billion.
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