Accept credit cards

Intelligent Rate prices different cards at their different costs. Instead of charging a flat rate, Intelligent Rate sets the service fee to correspond to the cost of accepting the card a consumer chooses. For example, consumers who choose rewards cards will cover the extra cost associated with those rewards.

Empower customers to save

Consumers with low-cost cards pay a lower fee (as low as 0.75%). Intelligent Rate provides real-time information about savings options. Consumers can reduce their service fee by choosing a lower-cost form of payment, such as a no-frills credit card or a debit card.

Powerful surcharging— proven at scale

$55M

Savings delivered to CardX customers since 2023

5,000+

Customers served with in-house support

99.99%

Uptime means dependability for customers

200+

Payment processors and ISOs use CardX by Stax technology

Why institutions choose CardX by Stax

Zero cost

When consumers pay with a credit card or debit card, your institution receives 100% of its billed amount. CardX collects the service fee and pays all transaction costs, so you get every dollar you’re due.

Leading technology

Most payment providers haven’t kept up with the times. Intelligent Rate is powered by our patent-pending technology that determines card type and cost of acceptance in less than a second. The result is a forward-thinking payment solution that provides the transparent experience today’s consumers expect.

Fair and friendly

With Intelligent Rate, consumers are responsible for covering only the costs they create, just like with utility bills and other consumer services. In contrast, a flat-rate service fee forces a consumer with a low-cost card, such as a debit card, to subsidize a consumer who prefers a card that’s more costly to accept.

Eligibility

Intelligent Rate is available in the following merchant category codes:

MCC 8244 – Business and Secretarial Schools

MCC 9311 – Tax

MCC 8211 – Elementary and Secondary Schools

MCC 9399 – Misc. Gov. Services

MCC 8220 – College Tuition

MCC 8249 – Trade Schools

MCC 9222 – Fines

MCC 9211 – Court Costs

Not eligible? Try CardX for Business instead.

Helping businesses win

Intelligent Rate is a smarter approach to service fees. Most cardholders pay less with Intelligent Rate, and all cardholders are informed of lower-cost alternatives.It's consistent with our mission of helping students and their families make better payment decisions through education and transparency. And it's a true win-win for schools and families alike.

Craig Lockwood, President Tuition Management Systems

We are able to get deposits/payments quicker than ever and eliminate a lot of the manual work. Not only is the platform itself wonderful, the customer service is impeccable.

Aerial Titans

Increase your margins without the hassle

Businesses incur billions in interchange fees each year. With CardX by Stax, they don’t have to.

0% cost*

Automated compliance**

Customer friendly

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*Where eligible, the credit card discount rate is offset by the surcharge

**Terms and limitations apply; see our Terms and Conditions for more details