Run a Merchant Interchange Review Without Guessing at Savings

A payments account executive hears “our fees are too high” often, but that sentence can conceal card mix, routing, chargebacks, or a reporting problem.

Before the review, ask the merchant to bring a recent statement and to label any line they cannot explain. During the meeting, distinguish network costs, processor fees, and internal operating cost instead of blending them into one number. The AE can say, “Let us first agree on what this line represents.” That gives finance a practical way to continue without treating an early estimate as a commitment.

Ask which statement line concerns the finance lead, who can explain volume and mix, and what comparison the team considers credible. A fictional online retailer may have different economics for subscriptions and individual purchases; putting them in one bucket would obscure the question.

Do not promise interchange savings before validated data and approved pricing review. Say what you need to examine and why. Have a buyer ask for a percentage reduction. Practice answering with curiosity: “Which transactions are driving the concern today?”

Offer a working session with finance and payments operations to define the inputs before anyone builds a business case.

Coach the AE to point at one statement line and ask what event created it. Strong behavior is waiting for the controller’s explanation; weak behavior is turning an unfamiliar label into a savings claim.