Visa CEDP for B2B what changed and what to do now
Quick take
CEDP is Visa’s Commercial Enhanced Data Program. It links your B2B card pricing and outcomes to the quality of the data you send with each transaction. Better data in, better results out.
Key dates and fees
Monitoring began in April 2025
Full enforcement and new Product 3 pricing begin October 2025
Classic Level 2 paths sunset in April 2026
A 0.05 percent CEDP participation fee applies when you send Level 2 or Level 3 data. Verified merchants can qualify for lower Product 3 rates that may offset this
What CEDP is in plain English
When a business pays you with a commercial or small business card, the transaction can carry more detail than just a total and a tax line. CEDP looks for clear line items and checks that the math works. Think item names, codes or SKUs, quantity, unit price, extended amount, tax, freight, plus references like purchase order or invoice numbers. If the details are complete and accurate, the transaction is more likely to qualify for preferred pricing and fewer downgrades.
What changed from the old Level 2 and Level 3 world
Accuracy matters, not just presence. Submitting fields is not enough. Values are checked for reasonableness and arithmetic.
Status matters. Merchants that consistently send accurate data can qualify for preferred Product 3 pricing. Those that do not may see downgrades.
More cards are in scope. It is not only classic corporate and purchasing cards. Small business cards are often included.
Legacy routes fade. Level 2 and many Level 3 paths are being replaced by the CEDP approach.
Who should care
B2B sellers with invoices, orders, or contracts
Businesses that accept cards by mail, phone, links, or portals
Teams that want cleaner buyer reporting and smoother month end
What good enhanced data looks like
Each line has a clear name and a code or SKU
Quantity, unit price, and line total are present
Tax and freight are in their own fields when they apply
A reference is present, such as purchase order or invoice number
Line totals plus tax plus freight equals the transaction total
No generic placeholders like misc item and no missing fields
A simple plan for the next month
Week 1. Understand your baseline
Ask your processor or gateway for your downgrade rate and any data integrity alerts
Pull ten recent commercial card payments and compare your invoice or order file to the clearing data to see what fields are missing
Assign owners across Payments, IT or your vendor, and Accounting
Week 2. Map the fields
Map name, code or SKU, quantity, unit price, line totals, tax, freight, and references from your ERP or invoicing tool to your gateway
Add a sum check before capture so the lines always add up to the total
Week 3. Test and fix
Run a small batch with full data
Correct patterns like missing SKUs, tax written inside a description, or freight hidden in an item line
Week 4. Monitor and share
Track three numbers each week: integrity alerts, downgrade rate on commercial cards, and effective interchange on those cards
Share a brief update with Accounting and IT so everyone sees progress
Common pitfalls that trigger downgrades
Footer links for Terms, Privacy, or Refunds that do not open on phone or desktop
Item descriptions that say service or misc with no detail
Missing purchase order numbers when a buyer expects them
Tax or freight placed inside a description instead of in fields
Line math that does not add up to the total
Card present and card not present basics under CEDP
Card present
Use chip readers and encrypted terminals. Confirm your statement descriptor and batch time match your closeCard not present
Use invoices or links with clear descriptions. Turn on AVS and CVV checks. Keep public pages for Terms, Privacy, and Refunds live and consistent with your application
What success looks like
Batches post on the correct day and deposits tie to sales
Fees map to clear general ledger lines
Buyers see usable detail in their own systems which reduces back and forth
Fewer downgrades and clearer pricing over time
How PlutosPay helps
PlutosPay is an independent partner for payment operations.
Review your flow and produce a simple CEDP field map for your ERP and gateway
Add the sum check so lines plus tax plus freight always equal the total
Monitor for integrity alerts and downgrades and show what to fix
When tools block progress, source point of sale, property systems, and terminals that fit your workflow and train your team
Keep Accounting in the loop so reconciliation and reporting stay clean
If you want this turned into a checklist for your stack and buyer mix, send a recent invoice sample and a masked clearing record and we will mark the exact fields to pass.