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Brazilian Credit Cards

Although credit cards are the preferred payment method for online purchases in Brazil, there are some particularities when it comes to credit card payment processing in the country. First, credit cards issued in Brazil, even Visa and Mastercard labeled, are often restricted to national purchases in Brazilian real.

And even Brazilians that hold credit cards enabled for international purchases dislike using them if the transaction is processed outside of Brazil. The reason is a 5.38% tax fee applied to the credit card bill for international financial transactions and an exchange rate markup of up to 7%, raising the total additional cost to roughly 14%.

Added to that, Brazilians are used to paying in monthly installments with their credit cards, which makes it an absolute must to accept credit card payments in the country. In both cases, a local payment processing partner is needed to overcome the barriers and successfully receive credit card payments.

Installment payments

Brazilians are used to financing their consumption by paying in installments. To put it into perspective, credit cards are the main source of debt for over 78% of Brazilian households. Installment payments are offered and financed by merchants. When given the choice, consumers take advantage of installment payments for 75% of all online card transactions. The share can go up or down, depending on the market segment, reaching up to 90% of all credit card transactions for higher value purchases.

By enabling your buyers to pay in installments, you can boost sales by 50% or more. Our platform allows you to offer up to 12 installments for all supported credit card labels. In addition, you benefit from anticipated payout of the entire payment amount and can rest assured that 100% of the default risk is covered should a customer fail to pay any of the installments.

 

Additional resources

Take advantage of the extra features supported by our platform, such as credit card pre-authorization and partial capture. For a better payment experience, you can also enable recurring and one-click payments.

Credit Card Labels

Visa and Mastercard are the leading credit card labels in Brazil, with local labels Elo and Hipercard also playing a considerable role. In addition to these labels, PagBrasil also processes Amex, Diners, JCB and Discover. Elo, the main local label, is a joint venture of three major Brazilian banks: Banco do Brasil, Bradesco and Caixa Econômica Federal, while Hipercard is issued by Itaú. Because of the large banks behind these two labels, their market share is expected to continue growing over the coming years.

 

Credit Card Labels

Visa and Mastercard are the leading credit card labels in Brazil, with local labels Elo and Hipercard also playing a considerable role. In addition to these labels, PagBrasil also processes Amex, Diners, JCB and Discover. Elo, the main local label, is a joint venture of three major Brazilian banks: Banco do Brasil, Bradesco and Caixa Econômica Federal, while Hipercard is issued by Itaú. Because of the large banks behind these two labels, their market share is expected to continue growing over the coming years.