Virtual cards in the age of AI

A perspective by Debjit Sarkar on LinkedIn.

Payment costs are rarely captured by a single headline rate. Processing charges, network fees, cross-border costs, and the impact of failed transactions all shape the economics of acceptance.

Start by building a consistent view of your transaction mix. Separate card types, markets, channels, and currencies so that comparisons reflect the business you actually operate.

Cost optimization should not come at the expense of conversion or resilience. Evaluate providers against service quality, authorization performance, settlement visibility, and the flexibility to support your next stage of growth.