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Interchange fees and payment card networks: economics, industry developments, and policy issues

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Author Info
Robin A. Prager
Mark D. Manuszak
Elizabeth K. Kiser
Ron Borzekowski

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Abstract

In many countries around the world, electronic card-based payments have been replacing older types of payments at a rapid rate. In the United States, use of both debit cards and credit cards has been rising rapidly, while check volumes have been declining. The increased use of electronic payment methods has generated a number of public policy debates. One prominent debate concerns interchange fees. This paper is intended to provide background for understanding the interchange fee debate. The paper describes the operation of a typical payment card system, presents a summary of the economic theory underlying interchange fees, and discusses various developments in the U.S. payment cards industry, as well as legal and regulatory developments abroad. The paper concludes with a discussion and critical evaluation of a number of potential policy interventions.

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Paper provided by Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.) in its series Finance and Economics Discussion Series with number 2009-23.

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Date of creation: 2009
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Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2009-23

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Related research
Keywords: Electronic funds transfers ; Interchange fees (Banking) ; Credit cards;

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This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports: References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. repec:bep:eaptop:v:3:y:2003:i:1:p:1069-1069 is not listed on IDEAS
  2. Fumiko Hayashi & Stuart E. Wiener, 2006. "Interchange fees in Australia, the UK, and the United States : matching theory and practice," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, issue Q III, pages 75-112. [Downloadable!]
  3. Fumiko Hayashi, 2006. "A Puzzle of Card Payment Pricing: Why Are Merchants Still Accepting Card Payments?," Review of Network Economics, Concept Economics, vol. 5(1), pages 144-174, March. [Downloadable!]
  4. Joseph Farrell, 2006. "Efficiency and Competition between Payment Instruments," Review of Network Economics, Concept Economics, vol. 5(1), pages 26-44, March. [Downloadable!]
  5. Julian Wright, 2004. "The Determinants of Optimal Interchange Fees in Payment Systems," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 52(1), pages 1-26, 03. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Sujit Chakravorti & Roberto Roson, 2006. "Platform Competition in Two-Sided Markets: The Case of Payment Networks," Review of Network Economics, Concept Economics, vol. 5(1), pages 118-143, March. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Ann Kjos, 2007. "The merchant-acquiring side of the payment card industry; structure, operations, and challenges," Payment Cards Center Discussion Paper 07-12, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. [Downloadable!]
  8. Schmalensee, Richard, 2002. "Payment Systems and Interchange Fees," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(2), pages 103-22, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Paul W. Bauer & Daniel Littman, 2007. "Are consumers cashing out?," Economic Commentary, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, issue Oct 1. [Downloadable!]
  10. Evans, David & Schmalensee, Richard, 2005. "The Economics of Interchange Fees and Their Regulation: An Overview," Working papers 18181, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. James McAndrews & Zhu Wang, 2008. "The economics of two-sided payment card markets: pricing, adoption and usage," Research Working Paper RWP 08-12, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. [Downloadable!]
  12. Jean-Charles Rochet & Jean Tirole, 2002. "Cooperation Among Competitors: Some Economics Of Payment Card Associations," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 33(4), pages 549-570, Winter.
  13. Marc Rysman, 2006. "An Empirical Analysis of Payment Card Usage," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series WP2006-002, Boston University - Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  14. Graeme Guthrie & Julian Wright, 2003. "Competing Payment Schemes," Departmental Working Papers wp0311, National University of Singapore, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  15. Terri Bradford, 2008. "Developments in interchange fees in the United States and abroad," Payments System Research Briefing, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, issue Apr. [Downloadable!]
  16. Wright, Julian, 2003. "Optimal card payment systems," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 587-612, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Elizabeth Klee, 2006. "Families' use of payment instruments during a decade of change in the U.S. payment system," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2006-01, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
  18. Benjamin Hermalin & Michael L. Katz, 2006. "Your Network or Mine? The Economics of Routing Rules," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 37(3), pages 692-719, Autumn.
  19. Baxter, William F, 1983. "Bank Interchange of Transactional Paper: Legal and Economic Perspectives," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(3), pages 541-88, October.
  20. James J. McAndrews, 2003. "Automated Teller Machine Network Pricing - A Review of the Literature," Review of Network Economics, Concept Economics, vol. 2(2), pages 146-158, June. [Downloadable!]
  21. Geoffrey R. Gerdes, 2008. "Recent payment trends in the United States," Web Site, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), issue Oct, pages A75-A106. [Downloadable!]
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