Payment Capabilities
Last updated: August 11, 2026
Quick Answer
Do some of your business or government customers pay you by business, corporate, purchasing, or government card? Some qualifying payments may cost less to accept when the right additional purchase information is sent with the transaction.
Level 2 and Level 3 are common names for this type of processing. Level 2 adds extra purchase information. Level 3 can add more detailed item-level information. Whether a payment actually costs less depends on the card, transaction, processor, payment setup, and current card-network rules.
B2B & B2G Payments at a Glance
Commercial cards are what matter
This capability matters when business or government customers pay you by commercial card — such as a business, corporate, purchasing, or government card.
Level 2 adds purchase information
Level 2 can send extra information about a business purchase, such as tax or purchase-reference details.
Level 3 adds more detail
Level 3 can include more detailed information about what was purchased, including item-level details.
Some payments may cost less
On qualifying commercial-card payments, sending the right information may reduce part of your processing cost.
Qualification is not automatic
The card, transaction, processor, payment setup, and current network rules all have to qualify.
ProcessorFit Research
What ProcessorFit has established about each provider researched for this capability — at a glance. Full merchant-journey analysis with evidence follows below for each provider.
Providers researched for this capability. Absence from this page does not establish that another provider lacks Level 2/3 support — it means we have not yet located sufficient first-party documentation to include them.
Stripe
Verify before applying4 findingsStripe documents enhanced commercial-card data support, but the interchange cost savings require interchange-plus (IC+) pricing and its Payment Intents integration.
Verify: Whether your Stripe pricing and checkout setup support the feature.
Helcim
Verify before applying4 findingsHelcim says it supports Level 2/3 for B2B and B2G payments and describes automatic data submission.
Verify: Which Helcim payment paths participate and whether the feature applies to your card mix and pricing.
Dharma Merchant Services
Verify before applying3 findingsDharma offers a dedicated B2B app for Level 2/3 processing and publishes processor markup for B2B transactions.
Verify: How the app fits your payment setup and what your actual all-in cost would be.
Stax
Verify before applying3 findingsStax documents Level 2 support and has published information about Visa's CEDP transition.
Verify: Whether your setup supports Level 3/CEDP and which Stax products or integrations participate.
Snapshot derived from canonical research findings. Signal and verify shown are the most action-relevant of each provider’s findings. Full evidence, sources, and dates in the research sections below.
Research details:StripeHelcimDharma Merchant ServicesStax
In this guide
ProcessorFit Research
Stripe documents enhanced commercial-card data support, but the interchange cost savings require interchange-plus (IC+) pricing and its Payment Intents integration.
Stripe documents 'payment line items' for eligible commercial-card payments. ProcessorFit could not establish whether the feature works through Stripe Checkout or Elements, or whether Stripe's current implementation fully covers Visa CEDP requirements.
What to do next
Still unknown:
Stripe's developer documentation describes a feature called 'payment line items' in the Payment Intents API that enables transmission of enhanced commercial card transaction data, with documented cost savings for eligible commercial cards for IC+ (interchange-plus pricing) users.
What remains unknown: Stripe's primary API documentation uses the label 'payment line items' rather than 'Level 2/3' consistently throughout. Whether this feature represents full Visa CEDP and Mastercard enhanced data program compliance, or only a subset of data fields, is not confirmed in a single first-party document. The full set of supported card networks and card types for which cost savings are available is not explicitly enumerated in the documentation reviewed.
Stripe has public developer documentation for enhanced commercial card data submission. IC+ (interchange-plus) pricing is a stated condition for receiving cost savings — merchants on Stripe's flat-rate plan should verify whether the cost savings component applies to their account type before building the integration.
Does this cover your business?
Whether payment line items provides other benefits — such as improved authorization rates or payment reconciliation — to merchants not on IC+ pricing is not stated in the documentation reviewed. The threshold volume or eligibility requirements for accessing Stripe IC+ pricing are not established in the sources reviewed.
What to verify:
Verify whether your Stripe account is on IC+ pricing before investing in payment line items integration. Merchants on Stripe's flat-rate plan should confirm with Stripe whether the interchange cost savings component of payment line items applies to their account, or whether they would need to switch pricing plans.
Stripe does not publish a comprehensive list of eligible commercial card brands, card product types, or issuing banks in the documentation reviewed. Whether all major commercial card networks (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) are supported equally, and whether the CEDP-specific requirements introduced by Visa in October 2025 are fully addressed by Stripe's payment line items implementation, are not confirmed from the sources reviewed.
What to verify:
Assess your transaction card mix before relying on payment line items savings estimates. If your B2B customers predominantly use commercial cards (corporate, purchasing, government), payment line items may reduce interchange costs. If your customer card mix includes primarily consumer cards, payment line items cost savings will not apply to those transactions.
How must merchants integrate to use Stripe's payment line items / enhanced commercial card data feature?
Stripe's payment line items feature is documented as part of the Payment Intents API. Merchants must submit transaction-level line item data through the API on a per-transaction basis to access the feature's benefits. This requires per-transaction API integration, not a one-time account configuration.
What remains unknown: Whether payment line items can be activated through Stripe-hosted checkout flows (Stripe Checkout, Stripe Elements) without custom API development, and which specific data fields are mandatory versus optional for different card networks and interchange categories, are not confirmed in the documentation reviewed. The exact field requirements for Visa CEDP compliance through Stripe's system are not established from the sources reviewed.
Payment line items requires API-level integration work per transaction. Evaluate whether your existing Stripe integration uses the Payment Intents API and whether your development capacity can implement per-transaction line item submission. Merchants using Stripe Checkout or other hosted solutions should confirm with Stripe whether those flows support payment line items.
Submitting payment line items data through Stripe does not guarantee your transaction will receive a lower interchange rate.
The interchange rate applied at settlement is determined by the card network (Visa or Mastercard) and the issuing bank — not by Stripe. Providing enhanced data is a necessary step for a lower interchange rate to be possible. Whether the data submitted meets the requirements for the applicable card network program — including any CEDP data fields — depends on the card type, network program, and the specific fields your integration provides.
Question to ask before applying
"Does my current Stripe pricing plan and payment flow support payment line items for eligible commercial-card transactions, and what would I need to change if it does not?"
ProcessorFit Research
Helcim says it supports Level 2/3 for B2B and B2G payments and submits the extra data automatically.
ProcessorFit could not establish which Helcim products and pricing plans participate, or whether its current implementation fully covers Visa CEDP requirements.
What to do next
Sources checked: September 26, 2025
Still unknown:
Helcim has a dedicated 'Level 2 & 3 Interchange Optimization' product page and developer documentation publicly stating it supports Level 2 and Level 3 processing for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) credit card transactions.
What remains unknown: Whether Helcim's implementation fully covers the Visa Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP) requirements introduced in October 2025, and whether it equally covers Mastercard's equivalent enhanced data program, are not confirmed in the documentation reviewed. Whether the feature is available on all Helcim pricing plans or requires a specific account type is not stated.
Helcim has explicit, dedicated product and developer documentation for Level 2/3 interchange optimization targeting B2B and B2G merchants. This is substantively more specific than a general marketing mention. Verify whether your specific card mix (commercial cards from business customers) and your Helcim account type qualify for the feature.
Does this cover your business?
Helcim does not publish a comprehensive list of specific eligible card types, card brands, or issuing bank categories in the documentation reviewed. Whether all Helcim products (online API, POS, virtual terminal, invoicing) equally support Level 2/3 submission is not confirmed. Whether all Helcim pricing plans participate in the interchange savings or whether a specific plan is required is not stated.
What to verify:
If your B2B or B2G customers predominantly pay with commercial cards (corporate, purchasing, or government cards), Helcim's Level 2/3 feature is likely applicable. If your customer base primarily uses consumer credit cards, this feature will not apply to those transactions. Verify your card mix and confirm with Helcim which of your integration paths (API, POS, invoicing) support Level 2/3 data submission.
What data submission is required from a Helcim merchant to access Level 2/3 interchange optimization?
Helcim's product page states the system handles Level 2/3 data submission automatically, with the merchant not required to manually populate enhanced data fields. Helcim states: 'Helcim takes care of the details, so you can enjoy the savings.'
What remains unknown: Whether Helcim's automatic submission covers all required enhanced data fields across Visa CEDP, Mastercard enhanced data, and other card network programs — and whether any data points (such as customer purchase order number, product codes, or line-item detail) require merchant-side input — are not confirmed from the sources reviewed. The specific data fields Helcim collects or infers automatically are not enumerated in the documentation reviewed.
If Helcim's automatic Level 2/3 submission accurately captures the required fields for your transaction types, no custom integration work may be needed. However, verify directly with Helcim which specific data fields are submitted automatically, whether merchant-supplied fields (such as customer code or purchase order number) can improve qualification rates, and whether all your integration paths (invoicing, POS, API) participate equally.
Helcim's documentation uses qualifying language: providing enhanced data 'allows you to qualify for lower interchange rates.' The ultimate determination of whether a specific transaction receives a lower interchange rate is made by the card network (Visa or Mastercard) and the issuing bank at transaction settlement — not by Helcim.
What remains unknown: The specific interchange rate categories and qualification thresholds applied by Visa and Mastercard for enhanced data transactions, and whether these have changed under the Visa CEDP transition that began in April 2025, are subject to card network program terms and are not pre-establishable from the sources reviewed.
Enhanced data submission through Helcim is a necessary but not sufficient condition for receiving lower interchange rates. Whether your specific transactions qualify depends on the card network's evaluation of the data submitted against their program requirements at settlement. Do not model guaranteed interchange savings — model a probability of savings on the portion of your transactions that are commercial cards with complete data.
Automatic data submission by Helcim does not mean your transactions automatically qualify for lower interchange rates.
Helcim's documentation describes automatic handling of data submission. Whether the data submitted in your specific transactions meets the eligibility criteria applied by the card network and issuing bank at settlement is a separate determination — one that depends on the card type, the data fields required for that card network's program, and the transaction characteristics. Submission is a necessary step; qualification for a lower interchange rate is not automatically established.
Question to ask before applying
"Does my Helcim account, pricing plan, and the way I accept payments support Level 2/3 data submission for my commercial-card transactions, and what information do I need to provide?"
ProcessorFit Research
Dharma offers a B2B app for Level 2/3 processing and publishes its processor markup.
Those published rates are not your total processing cost. ProcessorFit could not establish how the MX Merchant B2B App fits every payment setup or whether it fully covers current Visa CEDP requirements.
What to do next
Still unknown:
Dharma has a dedicated B2B processing page, a specific FAQ on Level 2 and Level 3 processing, and features 'B2B Sales with level 2/3 interchange reductions' as a product category on its homepage. Dharma describes a 'B2B App' product for reducing interchange on qualifying B2B transactions.
What remains unknown: The specific features of Dharma's B2B App beyond the name and general savings claim — including which card networks are covered, whether Level 3 processing is included alongside Level 2, and what integration or subscription requirements apply — are not confirmed in the documentation reviewed. Whether Dharma's implementation addresses Visa's CEDP transition is not stated.
Dharma has product-level positioning around B2B Level 2/3 processing, including a named 'B2B App' product, a dedicated industry page, and a specific FAQ. This is consistent with a processor that has built specific capability around this use case. Contact Dharma to understand the B2B App's requirements and coverage before assuming it applies to your transaction types.
Dharma's B2B processing page publishes specific markup rates for B2B credit card transactions: 0.15% + $0.08 per transaction (card-present) and 0.20% + $0.11 per transaction (card-not-present), assessed above interchange.
What remains unknown: The total effective rate for a B2B merchant depends on the interchange rates that apply to their specific card mix, which varies by commercial card type and whether Level 2/3 enhanced data qualification is achieved. The rates published are Dharma's markup only; the actual interchange below those markups is determined by card network schedules and transaction qualification. Whether these rates require a specific account plan or volume threshold is not confirmed.
Dharma publishes its B2B processing markup rates explicitly — a meaningful transparency signal for merchants comparing processors. The markup alone does not determine your total processing cost; the interchange rate, which Dharma does not control, depends on your card mix and whether your transactions qualify for lower rates through Level 2/3 data submission. Verify the published rates are current and that no additional fees apply to your specific account.
Does this cover your business?
The specific data fields required by Dharma's B2B App for Level 2 vs. Level 3 qualification — and whether Dharma's system automatically supplies some fields or requires merchant input — are not confirmed from the documentation reviewed. Whether all major commercial card networks and card types are covered equally is not established.
What to verify:
If your B2B customers pay with business or purchasing cards (corporate cards, corporate purchasing cards, government cards), Dharma's B2B processing page directly addresses your card type. The reduction in interchange is not guaranteed — it depends on the specific card type and whether the required enhanced data fields are supplied correctly. Confirm the data requirements with Dharma before relying on interchange savings in your cost modeling.
Dharma's published processor markup is not your all-in processing cost — and the B2B App automating data submission does not establish your interchange qualification outcome.
The rates Dharma publishes are their processor markup above interchange. The interchange component — set by Visa or Mastercard — varies by commercial card type and whether the submitted Level 2/3 data meets the applicable interchange program requirements at settlement. A lower markup rate does not guarantee a lower total rate if the interchange component is higher than estimated or if enhanced data qualification is not achieved.
Question to ask before applying
"Will the MX Merchant B2B App work with my current payment setup, and what data must be submitted for my commercial-card transactions to be considered for lower interchange rates?"
ProcessorFit Research
Stax documents Level 2 support and has published information about Visa's CEDP transition.
ProcessorFit could not confirm Level 3 or full CEDP support across Stax products, pricing plans, and integrations.
What to do next
Still unknown:
Stax has published developer documentation for Level 2 processing at docs.staxpayments.com, describing it as submitting additional information beyond Level 1 to potentially lower fees on commercial card transactions.
What remains unknown: Whether Stax supports Level 3 processing in addition to Level 2 is not confirmed in the documentation reviewed. Whether all Stax products and pricing plans include Level 2 processing capability, or whether a specific plan or integration is required, is not established. How Stax's implementation addresses the Visa CEDP transition (which replaced Visa's Level 3 program beginning October 2025) is not stated in the Level 2 documentation reviewed.
Stax has developer-level documentation for Level 2 processing — a meaningful signal that the capability is technically implemented, not merely marketed. If your B2B business primarily needs Level 2 data submission (tax amount, customer code), Stax's documented Level 2 support is relevant. Verify with Stax whether Level 3 (or CEDP equivalent) support is also available for your transaction types.
Does this cover your business?
The specific Level 2 data fields required by Stax's system, and whether Stax's API handles any automated field population or requires the merchant to supply all fields, are not confirmed from the documentation reviewed. How Stax's system handles the transition from Visa's Level 3 to CEDP for merchants who were previously using Level 3 data is not established.
What to verify:
Verify that your B2B customer card mix consists of commercial card types before integrating Level 2 data submission through Stax. Confirm with Stax which data fields are required, how they are submitted through your integration path, and whether Level 3 or CEDP enhanced data submission is also available if your transaction types require it.
Stax has published content stating that as of October 2025, Visa's Level 3 program was replaced by Visa's Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP). This documents a material change to the enhanced commercial card data framework that affects how B2B processors and merchants reference and implement enhanced data processing.
Stax acknowledging the CEDP network change does not establish that Stax's implementation is fully CEDP-compliant for your transaction types — or that your transactions will qualify for CEDP-category interchange rates.
Stax has published about the CEDP transition, and their API references CEDP for payment links. This establishes awareness and partial implementation. Whether this extends to your transaction types, integration path, and pricing plan — and whether the specific data fields submitted meet CEDP qualification criteria at settlement — requires direct verification. Interchange qualification is determined by the card network at settlement, not by the provider's stated awareness of the program.
Question to ask before applying
"Does my Stax product and payment setup support Level 3 or current CEDP data submission, and which of my commercial-card transactions can use it?"
ProcessorFit has not completed the same B2B-specific research for these processors. Capability support, pricing structure, and integration requirements must be verified directly with each provider before applying.
National Processing
National Processing appeared in B2B processor comparison positioning during this research, but ProcessorFit did not locate sufficient first-party Level 2/3 documentation to include it in the researched provider cohort.
That does not establish that National Processing lacks Level 2/3 support. It means ProcessorFit could not verify enough from first-party public evidence to include it here. Additional processors may be added in future research cycles when first-party evidence is located.
Unknown remains a valid research result. Absence of documentation does not establish that support is absent.
Who this applies to
This capability is relevant when some of your business or government customers pay you by commercial card. A commercial card is a payment card issued for business or government spending rather than personal purchases — such as business cards, corporate cards, purchasing cards, or government purchasing cards.
B2B (business-to-business) and B2G (business-to-government) describe your customer relationship — who you sell to, not what industry you’re in. Level 2/3 is not industry-specific. It can matter for manufacturers, distributors, software companies, professional-service firms, and many others when commercial-card volume is meaningful.
Level 2 — additional business-purchase data
Level 2 traditionally adds information such as tax amount, customer code, or purchase-order reference alongside an eligible commercial-card transaction. Field requirements are not universal — different networks, programs, and providers may require different data elements.
Level 3 — richer line-item detail
Level 3 can include more detailed line-item information about what was purchased — such as product or item description, quantity and unit cost, product code, and other details. Field requirements are not universal across networks, programs, or providers.
Receiving payment by commercial card does not automatically make that transaction eligible for Level 2/3 treatment. Card type, transaction characteristics, and data submission all affect whether a transaction qualifies.
What interchange is
Interchange is one part of the cost behind a card payment. Different transactions can qualify for different interchange rates. If a transaction qualifies for a lower rate, its interchange cost may be lower. That does not necessarily mean your total processing cost will fall by the same amount.
Why it might matter
On qualifying commercial-card transactions, submitting the required data may reduce the interchange rate applied at settlement — but conditions must be met: the card must be an eligible commercial card type, the transaction must meet the applicable network criteria, the required data must be submitted correctly, and your pricing arrangement must pass reductions in interchange cost through to you.
That is not the same thing as a lower total processing cost — your total also depends on your processor’s markup and pricing structure. A lower interchange rate does not automatically mean a lower total processing cost.
Who actually decides whether your transaction qualifies?
Whether a specific transaction receives a lower interchange rate is determined by the card network (Visa or Mastercard) and the issuing bank — not your processor. Your processor’s role is to submit the data.
Your processor's role: Submit the required enhanced data fields alongside the transaction — accurately and in the format the card network expects.
Card network's role: Apply interchange category rules at settlement — evaluating whether the submitted data meets the requirements for the applicable commercial card program (Level 2, CEDP, Data II, or equivalent).
Your role: Ensure your card mix includes eligible commercial card types, your integration sends the right data fields, and your pricing plan is structured so that reductions in interchange cost are passed through to you.
The same processor capability can produce different outcomes depending on your customer card mix, pricing plan structure, and the specific data fields your integration supplies.
No processor can guarantee interchange qualification outcomes before you process.
“Level 2” and “Level 3” are longstanding industry terms that providers still use, but card-network programs change. Visa replaced its older U.S. enhanced commercial-card data programs with the Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP) in 2025.
ProcessorFit checks current provider documentation rather than assuming older terminology still applies. Where a provider uses “Level 2/3” language, we note whether current program documentation has been reviewed. Where a provider mentions CEDP, we note what that does and does not establish.
A provider mentioning CEDP does not establish that the provider is fully compliant with all current CEDP requirements — field specifications, network rules, and implementation details must be verified directly. Mastercard maintains separate programs (Data II and Data III) with their own requirements.
Deeper CEDP context — including what changed in October 2025 and how each of the four researched providers addresses the transition — is in the provider research sections above.
No. More detailed data does not automatically mean a lower interchange rate. The card, transaction, processor, payment setup, and applicable card-network program still have to qualify.
No. It is most relevant when business or government customers pay you by commercial card and that card volume is meaningful enough to investigate.
Visa replaced its older U.S. Level 2/3 commercial-card programs with the Commercial Enhanced Data Program in 2025. Providers may still use older Level 2/3 terminology, so ProcessorFit checks current evidence rather than assuming older wording still applies.
No. Processor support is only one part of qualification. The card, transaction, submitted data, current network rules, and other conditions determine the final outcome.
Use the Merchant Decision Center to analyze your payment profile, explore provider options, and build a research path around what actually matters for your commercial-card payments.