What is Level II and Level III Data Pricing in Card Processing?

Level II and Level III data pricing refers to commercial card transactions (often B2B or B2G) where you submit additional purchase details along with the payment. When the required data is included correctly, some transactions may qualify for different interchange categories than they would with basic data only. Qualification depends on the card type, how the transaction is processed, and whether your acquiring bank and processor support the required data fields.

What “Level II” and “Level III” mean

• Level I data (standard transaction data)
  Basic payment details required to process a card transaction.

• Level II data (summary purchase data)
  Adds higher-level fields that help the buyer reconcile the purchase, commonly including:
  • Sales tax amount (when applicable)

  • Invoice number or reference number

  • Customer code or purchase order related fields (varies by setup)

• Level III data (line-item purchase data)
  Adds detailed line-item fields, commonly including:
  • Item description

  • Quantity and unit of measure

  • Unit cost and line total

  • Discount and freight or shipping (when applicable)

  • Tax at the line or invoice level (depending on configuration)

  • Product or commodity codes (varies by industry and setup)

Exact required fields and formatting can vary by card network rules, card product, and processor implementation.

Who typically benefits

Level II and Level III data is most commonly relevant for:

• Businesses selling to other businesses (B2B)

• Businesses selling to government entities (B2G)

• Merchants accepting corporate, purchasing, or commercial card products

Not all merchants, transactions, or card types qualify.

How businesses reimburse or recover these fees

Businesses typically recover acceptance costs in one or more of these ways, depending on their model and what is permitted:

1. Improve qualification by sending the right data
   If your transactions are eligible, supplying Level II or Level III data can improve the likelihood the transaction qualifies under the intended commercial category. This can reduce unnecessary “downgrades” that happen when required fields are missing or incorrect.

2. Use payment method strategy (common in B2B invoicing)
   Some businesses encourage lower-cost methods for certain invoices, such as ACH, especially for larger ticket sizes where the customer is willing to pay via bank transfer.

3. Reflect acceptance costs in your pricing and terms (where permitted)
   Some businesses incorporate payment acceptance costs into pricing or invoicing strategy. Any approach involving fees at checkout or on invoices should align with applicable card network rules and relevant laws for your business and customer location.

How Easy Pay Direct helps

Interchange categories and pricing are determined by the card networks, acquiring banks, and processors. We do not set those rates.

However, we can add and map Level II and Level III data fields in The Easy Pay Direct Gateway when your setup supports it, so eligible transactions can include the data needed for commercial card processing requirements. This helps you pursue the most accurate qualification available for your transaction type.