Level 3 Data: What It Is and How to Qualify for Level III Credit Card Processing Rates

An advantage being in business for a few years is that you get clued into ways to save money that you had no way of knowing about when you first got started. Level 3 credit card processing is one of those under-the-radar money savers, but there’s no reason to wait until you’re an industry veteran to start saving money with Level 3 processing.

At this point, you’re probably wondering what level 3 credit card processing actually is and whether it’s as complicated as it sounds, so let’s define the term before we go into further detail.

What is Level 3 data?

Level 3 credit card processing enables business to business (B2B) and business to government (B2G) companies to save a substantial amount of money on credit card processing by giving their credit card companies – like Visa or Mastercard – additional information than they would give these companies to process traditional (level 1 or 2) transactions. Credit card transactions can fall into 3 different data levels (Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3) and each level requires a certain amount of information to qualify its transactions. The higher the level is, the more details it requires. However, the higher the data level, the less it costs merchants to process transactions.

So, if you do business with large companies or government agencies, it may be worth it to do the research to find out if level 3 data processing is an option for you. And if it is, you need to understand the steps you should take to qualify for level 3 processing rates.

Level 3 processing rates: how much can you actually save?

The short answer: you can lower your interchange by a little over 1% on corporate cards and commercial credit card transactions.

However, like with all things payment processing, the amount you ultimately save will depend on several factors including the credit card network, the level of data processing you qualify for, the technology you use to facilitate transactions, and more.

But the 1% figure should be a good ballpark to aim for.

Data Processing Levels

B2B Credit Card Procssing Infographic

If terminology like “data processing levels” sounds like a foreign language to you, know that you’re not alone. Here’s a quick breakdown of each data level, as well as what the data you need to provide for your credit card company to qualify for each tier.

Level 1: All B2B transactions must qualify for a minimum of Level 1 data processing. Luckily, the data you need to provide to qualify for Level 1 processing is limited to:

  • the merchant’s name
  • the transaction amount
  • the date on which the transaction took place.

Level 2: This level is perfect if you deal with small to mid-sized businesses. The data fields you need to fill out to qualify for Level 2 processing is a bit more extensive. You will need to provide your credit card company with:

  • all level 1 data requirements
  • the customer code
  • the total tax amount.

Level 3: Level 3 data processing is ideal for companies that do business with large corporations or government entities––in fact, this tier of payment processing was originally created to prevent branches of the government from overspending.

To qualify for Level 3 you need to provide:

  • all of the data necessary for Level 1 and Level 2
  • the postal code your company is shipping from
  • the postal code your company is shipping to
  • the invoice number
  • the order number
  • the freight amount
  • product code
  • item description
  • the line item details of the purchase.

To achieve level 3 data processing, you need to access and report a lot more data than when processing Level 1 or Level 2 transactions. Yet since higher data levels have lower interchange rates, it is worth your time to learn to qualify for Level 3 processing–– especially if your company does a lot of B2B transactions with large syndicates, or if you aspire to start doing business with the big guys, many of which only use Level 3 cards for major purchases.

Top Providers’ Level 3 Offerings

All credit card providers are not created equally, and each provider has a unique cost/benefit value proposition. Let’s take a look at what 4 of the top credit cards companies – Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover – require from merchants to process Level 3 transactions.  

Visa Level 3 Data

To qualify for Level 3 processing with Visa, your business needs to process 20,000 to 1 million e-commerce transactions with Visa annually. Visa requires that you submit an Attestation of Compliance (AOC) form and a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) annually, as well as a quarterly network scan by an Approved Scan Vendor (ASV). Visa has lower interchange rates for Level 3 data. Find out more.

Mastercard Level 3 Data

Mastercard requires businesses to have between 20,000 and 1 million combined Mastercard/Maestro transactions annually, or to meet Level 3 qualifications for Visa. Mastercard also requires an annual self-assessment, an online assessment, and a quarterly network scan conducted by an Approved Scan Vendor (ASV). Mastercard provides lower interchange rates for Level 3 data. Find out more.

American Express Level 3 Data: American Express does not offer Level 3 data processing.

Discover Level 3 Data: Discover does not offer Level 3 data processing.

Preparing Your Business for Level 3 Processing

Lower interchange costs are the most obvious reason to strive to qualify for Level 3 processing, but they aren’t the only benefit. Level 3 processing can give you more control over your business by tracking things like the size of each purchase, who is allowed to process transactions and how often your card can be used, as well as notifying you of any changes or suspicious-looking transactions.

Level 3 transactions are also processed faster, meaning there’s less of a time delay between when you make a sale and when you get paid–– this can be a major incentive for businesses that don’t have a lot of excess revenue floating around.

How to Access Level 3 Processing Rates

Extra data isn’t the only thing you need in order to qualify your businesses for Level 3 processing. You also need a payment gateway to authorize online transactions, as well as a card that’s actually eligible for Level 3 data processing.

If you need to acquire a payment gateway, the cool thing is that payment gateways like Payment Depot partner PayTrace actually fill in the data that’s necessary for you to get Level 2 and Level 3 processing rates on business cards, so you can get all of the savings of high-level processing without having to engage in the tedium of manually filling in data.

If you still aren’t sure if your transactions would qualify for Level 3 processing rates, or you want to learn additional ways your business can save money on payment processing fees, sign up for a free analysis from Payment Depot to learn how you can start saving money on interchange fees today!

Pro tip: even if you don’t end up qualifying your level 3 data processing rates, we can still help you find ways to save on merchant services and payment processing.2b

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Quick FAQs

Q: What is Level 3 data?

A: Level 3 data refers to additional information that is required for processing business-to-business (B2B) transactions on a credit card. This data includes items such as order and invoice numbers, product descriptions, and tax amounts.

Q: Why is Level 3 data important?

A: Level 3 data is important because it provides additional information about a transaction that helps to reduce the risk of fraud and chargebacks. It also allows businesses to qualify for lower interchange rates, which can result in significant savings on credit card processing fees.

Q: What types of businesses can benefit from Level 3 processing?

A: Level 3 processing is most beneficial for businesses that frequently process large B2B transactions, such as wholesale distributors, manufacturers, and government contractors.

Q: What are the requirements for Level 3 processing?

A: In order to qualify for Level 3 processing, a business must capture and transmit a certain set of data points for each transaction, including line item details such as product description, quantity, and price, as well as merchant and customer data.

Q: How does Level 3 processing differ from Level 2 processing?

A: Level 2 processing is used for business-to-business (B2B) transactions that involve smaller dollar amounts than those typically processed through Level 3. Level 2 processing requires less information than Level 3, but still includes data such as tax amount and customer code.

Q: How can a business implement Level 3 processing?

A: To implement Level 3 processing, a business must work with their payment processor to ensure that their payment gateway and software are capable of capturing and transmitting the required Level 3 data. Some payment processors also offer Level 3 reporting tools to help businesses track and manage their B2B transactions.

Q: Can Level 3 processing be used for consumer transactions?

A: No, Level 3 processing is only available for B2B transactions. Consumer transactions are processed using Level 1 data, which includes basic information such as the card number, expiration date, and billing address.

Q: How much can a business save by using Level 3 processing?

A: The amount a business can save by using Level 3 processing varies depending on the size and frequency of their B2B transactions. However, businesses can typically save between 0.5% and 1.5% on their credit card processing fees by qualifying for lower interchange rates through Level 3 processing.

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