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Level 3

Why 70% of B2B Businesses Are Overpaying on Every Transaction

Ryan UptonMarch 10, 20252 min read

Why 70% of B2B Businesses Are Overpaying on Every Transaction

Every transaction you process as a business costs you money. Most companies don't realize they're leaving 30% in savings on the table.

The Problem: Hidden Interchange Rates

If you're a B2B business processing card payments, you're likely paying interchange rates designed for retail. Retail companies process thousands of small, low-risk transactions. Your business processes fewer, larger, higher-value transactions with better documentation.

Visa and Mastercard know this. They created special rates for businesses like yours. They're called Level 3 rates.

But here's the thing: 70% of eligible B2B companies aren't using them.

What Level 3 Actually Does

Level 3 processing gives card networks more data about the transaction. Instead of just seeing a transaction amount, they see:

  • Item descriptions
  • Quantity and unit cost
  • Shipping and tax details
  • Purchase order numbers
  • Invoice details

Card networks view these transactions as lower risk. Lower risk = lower interchange rates. On average, you save 33% on qualifying transactions.

That's $85-$125 saved per $10,000 processed.

Why Most Processors Don't Offer It

Level 3 isn't hard to implement. But it requires:

  1. Your payment processor to support it
  2. Your accounting system to integrate with the processor
  3. Manual configuration (most processors do it manually)

Stripe doesn't offer automated Level 3. Square doesn't. QuickBooks Payments doesn't. Traditional processors? They'll do it for you—manually—which means errors, delays, and overhead.

So most businesses just... don't use it.

Why Tricera is Different

Tricera's Level 3 optimization is fully automated. Your QuickBooks data flows directly into Tricera Secure. The gateway automatically formats and sends Level 3 data on every qualifying transaction.

No manual work. No errors. No missed savings.

You get Level 3 rates by default. Because that's what your business deserves.

The Math

If you're processing $100,000/month in qualifying transactions, you're likely overpaying by $850-$1,250 per month. That's $10,200-$15,000 per year.

One Level 3-capable processor paying itself off in the first month.

Next Steps

If you're a B2B business processing payments via invoices, your transactions probably qualify for Level 3 rates. You can't afford not to use them.

Want to see how much you're leaving on the table? Get a statement review from us.

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