2023 Updates to Blackbaud Payment and Merchant Services

BBMS Rate Change FAQ

• What is changing?
  Blackbaud Merchant Services rates will change on August 1, 2023. We continue working to bring ongoing enhancements across all markets in compliance with local regulation and user preferences.
• Is there anything I need to do?
  No, your Blackbaud Merchant Services rates will automatically update for transactions beginning August 1, 2023.    
  
• When do the new rates take effect?

  Rates will be updated for Blackbaud Merchant Services on August 1, 2023.

• What are the new Blackbaud Merchant Services rates?

  Currency	Existing BBMS Rate	New Blackbaud Merchant Services Rate (Aug '23)
  USD	2.5% + $0.30 (3.5% for AMEX)	2.79% + $0.30 (3.5% for AMEX)
  CAD	2.5% + $0.30 (3.5% AMEX)	2.79% + $0.30 (3.5% for AMEX)
  GBP	2.5% + £0.20 (+3.5% for AMEX)	2.79% + £0.20 (3.5% for AMEX)
  EUR	2.5% + €0.20 (3.5% for AMEX)	2.79% + €0.20 (3.5% for AMEX)
  AUD/NZD	Tiered rates based on volume (+1% for AMEX)	No change

  
  
  
• What value-add services are included in the new rate?
  Daily disbursements (for all currencies excluding Euro) and Credit Card Updater (for accounts processing in US and Canadian dollars) are available at no additional cost. For more information, visit resources in the Payments Help Center.
• I don’t currently use Credit Card Updater or daily disbursements.  Will these be turned on automatically on August 1, 2023?

  These features were made available to your organization without an additional cost in January but were not turned on automatically. Should you choose to take advantage of these services, you can opt in from the Blackbaud Merchant Services Web Portal. For some payment-enabled solutions, you will also need to turn on Credit Card Updater in the product. Please refer to Knowledgebase for specific instructions.

• I use a third-party merchant provider with the Blackbaud Payment Service. Are my interconnect fees changing?

  The per transaction fee has not changed and neither has the monthly minimum.

• I pay interconnect fees annually. Are those rates changing?

  No, the rate table will follow the existing interconnect per transaction fees as follows:

  Annual Transactions Tier	Price (USD and CAD)
  1,500	$450
  2,000	$600
  4,000	$1,200
  6,000	$1,800
  8,000	$2,400
  10,000	$2,500
  Over 10,000	Contact Account Executive for pricing

• Why is Blackbaud making these changes?

  While the payments industry continues to impose increasing costs, Blackbaud Payments Services rates have remained constant for many years. With these rate changes, we are working to both remain competitive in the payments industry and streamline globally to a simplified rate structure.
  

  These updates also enable us to provide key innovation in the Digital Giving space. As always, Blackbaud is committed to providing you with modern and innovative tools that help you raise more money to support your mission. To learn more, watch the October Product Update Briefing for Payment Services.

• Do these changes apply to all card types?

  No, the 3.5% rate for American Express remains the same.

• Do these changes apply to PayPal?
  There are no changes to Blackbaud’s PayPal Rates which are as follows: 

  Currency	Current PayPal Rate	New PayPal Rate (Aug '23)
  USD	2.9% + $.30	No change
  CAD	2.9% + $.30	No change
  GBP	2.9% + £0.20	No change
  EUR	2.9% + €0.20	No change
  AUD	1.1% + $0.29	No change

• Do these changes apply to YourCause®?
  No, YourCause processes through the Blackbaud Giving Fund or international giving partner and is not subject to these changes.
• Do these changes apply to Blackbaud MobilePay Terminal™?
  Yes, MobilePay Terminal transactions will follow the standard rate pricing by currency, where available. 
• Do these changes affect direct debit transaction fees?

  Yes, for currencies where direct debits are accepted, the below rates will apply:

  Currency	Current ACH Direct Debit Rate	New ACH Direct Debit Rate
  USD	1.00% + $0.30/transaction  $5 cap per transaction	No change
  CAD	1.00% + $0.30/transaction  $5 cap per transaction	No change
  GBP	Not Applicable
  EUR
  AUD/NZD

• Are there changes in how direct debits are processed?
  The returned check fee remains at $5 per occurrence. 
• What does this mean for me? How can I determine if my costs are increasing or decreasing?

  Many factors determine how the rate change will impact your organization, including average gift size, transactional volume, and credit card brand mix.  For help calculating your specific rate impact, contact your Customer Success Manager.

  In addition, Complete Cover™ and donor cover for Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and Blackbaud eTapestry® customers offer ways to reduce, or even remove, fees associated with online transactions.  To date, we have put hundreds of thousands of dollars back into our customers’ missions, with over 85% of donors opting in for participating organizations. 

• I’m under contract with fixed rates, do these new published rates apply to me?

  No, this does not apply to your organization if you have negotiated a custom rate. For more information, please see the Blackbaud Payment Service Terms.

• How is this different from the Payment Enablement Fee?
  Blackbaud Merchant Services rates encompass the cost of actually processing a given transaction. The Blackbaud Payment Service Interconnect Fee is designed to encompass the collection, transmission, and storing of credit card data for payment processing with third-party credit card payment gateway service providers and credit card processors. The Payment Enablement Fee helps support the efforts needed to build, maintain, and support secure, compliant, and reliable connections for our customers leveraging payments-enabled solutions.