Understanding your Bill from Visa

Practically everyone ends up having a Visa credit card at one point or another. They’re a cornerstone financial institution across the world, but this also means they have plenty of experience when it comes to obfuscating certain fees or credit card processing charges that you might not be aware of. Ever wondered why purchasing something with your Visa credit card costs more than the flat asking price?

We’ve written this guide to answer those questions and more. We’ll help you understand your Visa bill and break down any additional charges you might see on your statement at the end of the month.

What’s On Your Visa Statement

Visa is one of the biggest credit card companies in America, so they helped pioneer the standard credit card bill or statement format. You should see a line by line breakdown of your credit card charges and payments, as well as a listing for the next payment deadline. This will help you keep track of your payment schedule and avoid late fees.

What Are the Extra Charges You Might See?

Visa may charge additional fees because of processing issues. Let’s break them down one by one:

• Average credit card processing fee: between 1.43% and 2.4%. This is the additional fee that you’re charged whenever you make a payment with your Visa card. Certain places will have a higher processing fee than others, though this should be listed near the register
• Interchange fee: 1.51% of the total transaction cost plus $.10. An interchange fee is paid at the card-issuing banks and accounts for some of the processing expenses described above
• Debit assessment: 0.13% of the transaction total. This applies to every Visa debit transaction
• Replace lost or stolen credit card fee: $30 per card, with potential for up to $45 for rush delivery. The above value is only an average fee, while the actual amount will depend on the bank that the credit card is attached to
• Program fees: if you pick up a particularly high-value Visa credit card or one with an excellent APR you may be charged a program introductory fee. This is often something between $50 and $89 and it must be paid prior to opening your account

Visa APR rates and other credit card details vary from bank to bank.

• Annual credit card holding fee: between $0 and $99 per year
• Regular credit card APR rate: between 13.99% and 25.99%. Your actual APR will vary based on your creditworthiness and other aspects like your history with the bank in question. Most of these APRs also have grace periods of 0% APR for the first 12 to 18 months

How to Contact Visa

Visa has a contact page you can reference for questions or concerns about your card, or if you need help replacing a lost or stolen credit card. However, you may need to contact the banking institution the Visa card is issued through if you want questions answered about specific fees or if you want to resolve unauthorized charges.