Visa CEDP: What Merchants Need to Know About Visa’s Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP)

Reshaping how businesses process and quality for commercial card transactions, the new Visa Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP) introduces significant changes that present both challenges and opportunities for merchants managing recurring or subscription payments.

Visa CEDP rewards businesses that provide accurate, detailed transaction data with better interchange rates, improved approval rates and stronger customer trust. Those who don’t comply risk higher costs and compliance issues. Let’s explore what CEDP means, who it impacts and how we can help your business stay ready.

What Is CEDP and Why Does It Matter?

As Visa’s next step in transaction transparency, Visa CEDP builds on the existing Level II and Level III programs to standardize enhanced data collection, making payments more consistent, secure and efficient.

For dispute-prone subscription-based businesses, CEDP requirements can support recurring transactions and renewal management with enhanced transparency. By requiring higher-quality data, CEDP measures can also help with chargeback reduction.

By sharing detailed data—like invoice numbers, item descriptions and tax details—businesses can help buyers reconcile payments faster while qualifying for reduced Visa interchange rates. Visa CEDP aims to improve data accuracy and accountability across every commercial transaction.

CEDP in context: Under older Level II and III programs, merchants could access lower rates by submitting limited enhanced data. Now, CEDP enforces broader and stricter standards across all commercial payments, setting a new bar for quality and transparency.^[1]^,[2]

Who Needs to Comply with CEDP?

Visa CEDP affects U.S. businesses that accept commercial cards—corporate, purchasing or business credit cards—especially in B2B payment processing.

Visa now defines two merchant categories:

CEDP verified merchants: Consistently submit complete and accurate enhanced data and qualify for reduced interchange rates.
Non-verified merchants: Submit incomplete or inconsistent data and do not qualify for CEDP incentives.[3]

For B2B businesses, this shift is critical. Merchants who once relied on Level II or Level III data for lower rates must now comply with Visa CEDP to maintain those savings.[4]

What Are the New Data Requirements?

To qualify for the best interchange rates, CEDP data requirements demand that merchants transmit a more comprehensive dataset for each transaction.

Key data fields include:

Invoice and purchase order numbers
Tax amounts
Item descriptions and product codes
Line-item details
Ship-from and ship-to postal codes

Mandatory vs. optional elements: Some fields—like tax and invoice data—are required for compliance, while others are optional but enhance data quality. The more complete your data, the stronger your qualification under CEDP.[5]

How Will CEDP Impact Business Costs?

Comply with the Visa CEDP program to lower your cost of doing business. When merchants enhance their data quality to meet the new standards, they can enjoy higher authorization rates and lower interchange fees. Those who don’t may see their transactions downgraded to higher-cost categories.[6]

Beyond cost savings, accurate, enhanced data builds buyer trust. When customers can see complete details on their invoices and statements, they reconcile payments faster and dispute fewer transactions.[7]

How Does CEDP Impact Subscription Businesses?

For subscription businesses, the Visa CEDP program makes consistent data accuracy a must. Every recurring payment—whether a renewal, upgrade or adjustment—must include the required enhanced fields.

By improving data transparency, subscription merchants can reduce chargebacks with CEDP and limit disputes. Detailed transaction records give customers clear context, making it easier to recognize recurring charges and trust the billing process.[8]

What Are the Rules, Risks and Compliance Considerations?

Fortunately, CEDP aligns closely with PCI compliance and does not introduce any new requirements, such as updated encryption or storage regulations.[9]

Businesses that already maintain strong data security controls will find CEDP requirements easier to meet, as both emphasize secure, verified data transmission. Maintaining complete and accurate data isn’t just about compliance—it’s key to securing lower interchange rates and preserving trust with buyers.[10]

What Is the CEDP Timeline?

Understanding the CEDP timeline helps merchants plan ahead and stay compliant as Visa phases in new data and interchange standards. Here’s a quick overview of past and current milestones to help your business stay aligned and ready for each step.

October 2024: Visa announced the Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP), introducing new interchange qualification rules.

April 2025: U.S. launch. Visa introduced new fees on commercial transactions with Level II or III data, encouraging merchants to meet new standards.

October 17, 2025: Full enforcement began. Going forward, only merchants providing accurate and complete enhanced data will qualify for the best “Product 3” interchange rates.

April 2026: Visa will retire most Level II processing. From then on, only CEDP-compliant transactions qualify for preferential B2B interchange rates.[11]

What Do Businesses Need to Do to Be CEDP-Ready?

Getting ready for Visa CEDP requires collaboration and careful preparation. Here’s how to start:

Audit your data: Review your current transaction fields to identify missing or incomplete information.
Work with your processor: Payment processor collaboration is essential—contact your gateway and acquirer to confirm support for CEDP-compliant data transmission.
Strengthen data governance practices: Build internal checks to validate data accuracy and monitor compliance regularly.

How Payway Simplifies CEDP Readiness

We make Visa CEDP readiness simple. Payway automates enhanced data capture, so every eligible transaction includes complete, accurate fields—helping you qualify for the best Visa interchange rates. By partnering with us, you can turn payments data into a competitive advantage.

With Payway, you get:

Automated enhanced data capture for CEDP compliance
Advanced reporting and support

Want to make sure your business is CEDP-ready to access the best rates? Contact our team for answers to your questions and to ensure you’re getting the best rates on every transaction.

[1] The Strawhecker Group (2025). Visa CEDP Unpacked: What It Is & Why It Matters

[2] The Strawhecker Group (2025). CEDP Unpacked: Complexity Without Clarity

[3] The Strawhecker Group (2025). Visa CEDP Unpacked: What It Is & Why It Matters

[4] Versapay (2025). Navigating Visa’s Commercial Enhanced Data Program: What B2B Merchants Need to Know.

[5] Stripe Support (2025). Understand the Visa Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP).

[6] The Strawhecker Group (2025). Visa CEDP Unpacked: What It Is & Why It Matters

[7] The Strawhecker Group (2025). CEDP Unpacked: Complexity Without Clarity

[8] Versapay (2025). Navigating Visa’s Commercial Enhanced Data Program: What B2B Merchants Need to Know.

[9] Curbstone (2025). What is the New Visa CEDP program?

[10] Stripe Support (2025). Understand the Visa Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP).

[11] Versapay (2025). Navigating Visa’s Commercial Enhanced Data Program: What B2B Merchants Need to Know.