Overview
Bridge allows you to configure fees on card transactions, enabling you to generate additional revenue beyond interchange share. These fees are automatically calculated and deducted from your customers’ wallets at the time of each card transaction. There are two types of fees you can configure:| Fee Type | Description | When Applied |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction Fee | A percentage-based fee, fixed fee, or both applied to the transaction amount | All transactions, configurable for domestic and/or international |
| FX Fee | A percentage-based premium on the exchange rate for foreign currency transactions | Transactions where currency conversion occurs |
Fees are included in the terms accepted by end users when they sign up for a card. The fee amounts are disclosed to customers as part of the card program terms.
Fee Types
Transaction Fees
Transaction fees are surcharges applied to the transaction amount. You can configure transaction fees as:- Percentage-based only: A percentage of the transaction amount (e.g., 1%)
- Fixed amount only: A flat fee per transaction (e.g.,
$0.30) - Both percentage and fixed: A combination of percentage plus fixed amount (e.g., 1% +
$0.30)
Fixed fees are charged once per transaction, regardless of how many authorizations occur. For example, if a transaction has an incremental authorization (where the merchant increases the amount after the initial auth), the fixed fee is only applied once on the initial authorization—not on each subsequent incremental auth.
- International transactions: Transactions where the merchant is located outside the card’s country of issuance
- Domestic transactions: Transactions where the merchant is in the same country as the card’s country of issuance
FX Fees
FX fees are percentage-based premiums applied to the exchange rate provided by the card network whenever currency conversion occurs. When a cardholder makes a purchase in a currency different from their card’s currency (e.g., a USD cardholder purchasing in EUR, GBP, or JPY), the transaction is converted using the network’s exchange rate plus your configured FX fee percentage. For example, if the network’s exchange rate is 1.10 USD/EUR and you have a 1.5% FX fee configured, the effective exchange rate applied to the transaction would be approximately 1.0835 USD/EUR.Configuring Fees
Fee configurations are set up during your onboarding process with Bridge. To configure or modify your fee structure:- Contact the Bridge team to discuss your desired fee configuration
- Specify your fee rates for each applicable fee type
- Bridge will configure your fee settings
Configuration Options
| Setting | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| International transaction fee (percentage) | Percentage fee for international transactions | 1.00% (100 basis points) |
| International transaction fee (fixed) | Fixed amount for international transactions | $0.30 |
| Domestic transaction fee (percentage) | Percentage fee for domestic transactions | 0.50% (50 basis points) |
| Domestic transaction fee (fixed) | Fixed amount for domestic transactions | $0.25 |
| FX premium | Percentage fee applied to the exchange rate | 1.50% (150 basis points) |
How Fees Are Applied
When a card transaction is authorized, Bridge calculates the applicable fees and includes them in the total amount debited from the cardholder’s wallet. The fee calculation happens as follows:- The card network sends the transaction authorization request with the transaction amount
- Bridge determines if the transaction is domestic or international
- If applicable, Bridge applies the transaction fee percentage and any fixed fee
- For transactions where currency conversion occurs, Bridge applies the FX premium to the exchange rate
- The total amount (transaction amount + fees) is debited from the cardholder’s wallet
Fees are typically applied at the time of authorization. This means the fee amount is included in the hold placed on the cardholder’s balance when the transaction is first approved.
Fees in Webhooks
Fee information is included incard_transaction webhook events. The fees object provides a complete breakdown of all fees applied to a transaction.
Fee Object Structure
The fee information is included at the top level of the transaction webhook payload:Fee Fields Reference
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
fees.total_fee_amount | The total fee amount deducted from the cardholder’s wallet for this transaction |
fees.fx_fee.fee_amount | The fee amount attributable to the FX premium |
fees.fx_fee.local_currency | The original currency of the transaction at the merchant |
fees.fx_fee.is_international | Whether the transaction was classified as international |
fees.fx_fee.original_exchange_rate | The exchange rate provided by the card network before the FX premium |
fees.fx_fee.effective_exchange_rate | The exchange rate applied after adding the FX premium |
fees.fx_fee.fee_config.percentage_fee_basis_points | Your configured FX fee rate in basis points |
fees.transaction_fee.fee_amount | The fee amount from the transaction fee |
fees.transaction_fee.is_international | Whether the transaction was classified as international |
fees.transaction_fee.fee_config.percentage_fee_basis_points | Your configured transaction fee rate in basis points |
fees.transaction_fee.fee_config.fixed_fee_amount | Your configured fixed fee amount per transaction |
Webhook Scenarios with Fees
Below are examples of card transaction webhooks showing how fees appear in different scenarios.Successful Transaction with Fees
A successful transaction can go through multiple stages: initial authorization, preauth completion, and settlement. The fee is charged at the initial authorization and persists through the transaction lifecycle.In these examples, the fee is calculated as: 1% of
$1.11 ($0.01) + $0.10 fixed fee = $0.11.- Initial Auth
- Preauth Completion
- Settlement
When a card transaction is first approved, the fee is calculated and included:
Over Capture and Under Capture
The preauth completion amount can differ from the original authorization amount. This happens when merchants capture more (over capture) or less (under capture) than the initially authorized amount. When this occurs, the fee adjusts based on the final captured amount.- Over Capture
- Under Capture
When a merchant captures more than the original authorization (e.g., original auth was
$10.00 but final capture is $12.00), an additional fee is charged for the difference. The top-level fees reflects the updated total fee based on the captured amount:In this example, the original auth was
$10.00 with a fee of $0.20 (1% of $10 + $0.10 fixed). The over capture of $12.00 adds an additional percentage fee of $0.02 (1% of the extra $2.00), bringing the total fee to $0.22. The fixed fee is not charged again.Incremental Authorization with Fees
When a transaction has an incremental authorization (e.g., adding a tip at a restaurant), the fixed fee is only charged once on the initial authorization. Subsequent incremental authorizations only apply the percentage fee to the additional amount.In the initial auth, the fee is calculated as: 1% of
$7.34 ($0.07) + $0.10 fixed fee = $0.17. When an incremental authorization is added, only the percentage fee (1%) applies to the additional amount—the fixed fee is not charged again.- Initial Auth
- Incremental Auth
The initial authorization includes both the percentage fee and the fixed fee:
Authorization Reversal with Fee Refund
When a transaction is reversed before settlement, fees may be refunded depending on your configuration. In this example, fees are refunded and thefees object shows a net total of 0.0:
The
authorization_infos array contains both the original authorization (with negative fee) and the reversal (with positive fee, returning the fee to the cardholder). The top-level fees.total_fee_amount shows the net fee of 0.0.Authorization Expiration with Fee Refund
Authorizations can expire if the merchant does not complete the transaction within a certain time period (e.g., a hotel hold that is never settled). When an authorization expires, fees are always refunded to the cardholder.- Initial Auth
- Auth Expired
When a card transaction is first approved, the fee is calculated and charged:
In this example, the fee is calculated as: 1% of
$10.00 ($0.10) + $0.10 fixed fee = $0.20.Denied Transactions
Fees are not charged on denied transactions. Thefees object will not appear in webhook payloads for denied transactions.
Refunds After Settlement
For refunds that occur after a transaction has settled (merchant credits), fees from the original transaction are not returned to the cardholder. Thefees object will not appear in refund transaction webhooks.
Fees in the Dashboard
Coming soon.Fees on Card Statements
Coming soon.Fees and Refunds
When a transaction is refunded or reversed, the handling of fees depends on your configuration and the type of refund:| Scenario | Fee Behavior |
|---|---|
| Auth reversal (refund before settlement) | Fee refund behavior is configurable per developer |
| Auth expiration | Fees are always refunded to the cardholder |
| Merchant credit (refund after settlement) | Fees from the original transaction are not returned to the cardholder |
Fee refund behavior for your integration is configured by Bridge during onboarding. Contact the Bridge team if you need to understand or modify how fees are handled for refunds.
Fees Payout
Card transaction fees you collect are automatically withheld from each transaction and set aside in a ledger reserved for you. Fees are settled and paid out monthly on the 5th of each month to your configured external account.Payout Details
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Payout frequency | Monthly, on the 5th of each month |
| Payout currency | Same as the card’s base currency (regardless of original transaction currency) |