Which of the following best describes the term “Merchant Discount Rate” sometimes seen in news?
This questions was previously asked in
UPSC CSP Previous Year Paper (2018)
The incentive given by a bank to a merchant for accepting payments through debit cards pertaining to that bank.
Incorrect AnswerThe amount paid back by banks to their customers when they use debit cards for financial transactions for purchasing goods or services.
Incorrect AnswerThe charge to a merchant by a bank for accepting payments from his customers through the bank’s debit cards.
Correct AnswerThe incentive given by the Government to merchants for promoting digital payments by their customers through Point of Sale (PoS) machine and debit cards.
Incorrect AnswerExplanation:
Merchant Discount Rate is a fee charged from a merchant by a bank for accepting payments from customers through credit and debit cards in their establishments. It compensates the card issuing bank, the lender which puts the POS terminal and payment gateways such as Mastercard or Visa for their services.MDR charges are usually shared in pre-agreed proportion between the bank and a merchant and expressed in percentage of transaction amount.
![]()
By: Abhipedia