Also called: Level 2 card data, Level II data, L2 data
What Level 2 data is
Level 2 data is extra transaction information sent with a card payment, beyond basic details such as the amount and merchant name. It is used mainly for business-to-business and government sales paid with commercial, purchasing or corporate cards.
The information helps card networks classify an eligible sale for a commercial-card interchange category. Level 2 data supplements the basic transaction record. Level 3 data adds more detail, such as item descriptions, quantities, unit prices and freight.
Level 2 data only helps when your payment system sends complete, eligible transaction details with the sale.
What information you send
Common Level 2 fields include the sales tax amount, a customer code or purchase order number, and the merchant's postal code. Some network specifications also call for details such as a merchant tax ID or tax indicator. Required fields differ by network and card type.
Your checkout, gateway or accounting system must capture the applicable fields and pass them to the processor with the transaction. A field saved only on your invoice does not count if it never reaches the payment record. Your merchant account and processing setup also need to support enhanced data.
How Level 2 data affects your costs and statement
Complete, accepted Level 2 data can qualify an eligible commercial card sale for a lower interchange category than basic or downgraded processing. The savings depend on the card, network rules and transaction eligibility. There is no single Level 2 rate or guaranteed discount, and interchange itself is set by the card networks, not negotiated by your processor.
Look for qualification detail on an itemized processing statement. A line labeled "Standard" or "STD" can signal a downgrade, but that label alone does not show which data field was missing. Compare commercial-card sales, their interchange categories and the data your system submitted. Your processor's markup remains a separate cost from interchange.
What you can actually change
You cannot change the networks' interchange schedules, but you can reduce preventable data errors. Focus on the fields your commercial-card transactions require and confirm they reach processing.
- Identify the commercial, purchasing and corporate card sales your business processes.
- Confirm your payment setup supports Level 2 data and the applicable network fields.
- Map tax, customer-reference and merchant postal-code fields from your checkout or ERP system to the transaction.
- Review statement downgrades and compare them with the transaction data your system sent.
- Map the fields. Match your tax, customer-reference and merchant details to the fields your payment setup transmits for eligible commercial-card sales.
- Test a transaction. Run a commercial-card payment and verify that the required Level 2 details appear in the transaction record.
- Review downgrades. Compare statement lines labeled "Standard" or "STD" with the transactions and data your system submitted.
Frequently asked questions
Does Level 2 data lower interchange?
It can qualify eligible commercial-card transactions for a lower interchange category when the required data is complete, accepted and passed to processing. The card network, card type and transaction determine eligibility, so sending Level 2 fields does not guarantee a lower rate on every sale.
What information is included in Level 2 data?
Common fields include the sales tax amount, customer code or purchase order number, and merchant postal code. Network and card requirements differ, and some transactions call for additional details such as a merchant tax ID or tax indicator.
Is Level 2 data the same as Level 3 data?
No. Level 2 data adds summary details such as tax and a customer reference. Level 3 data includes item-level information, such as product descriptions, quantities and unit prices, along with other transaction details.