Disagio (Italian for discount) is a well-established term in the financial sector. The disagio refers to the deduction from the nominal value, which can be agreed, for example, with the granting of a loan or the issue of a bond or a foreign currency. In the case of a credit agreement, it implies for the borrower an increase in his liability. For the creditor, his yield is increased by the disagio that can be retained.

In online payment, the term disagio is specifically associate to the credit card payment method. It is virtually a processing fee, which the partner bank of the online dealer, also named acquirer, receives for processing the resulting credit card payments.

Basis for the calculation of disagio

The formal basis for the calculation of disagio is the credit card acceptance agreement. This contract is concluded between the dealer and the acquirer. The merchant agrees to accept credit cards as a means of payment. Furthermore, this agreement regulates, for example, the merchant's obligation to check credit card data, the standards to be considered when handling these sensitive data, and the amount of the discount (disagio) paid by the acquirer to the merchant's bank for his services. The agreement also regulates whether the credit card sales are paid out by the acquirer daily, weekly or monthly to the merchant. This guideline is essential to allow the trader to manage his liquidity.