Level 2 and Level 3 data, field by field.

Level 2 and Level 3 data is extra information sent with a card payment, beyond the basic amount and card number, that describes the purchase for the buyer’s company. On qualifying commercial cards, sending complete and accurate data can move a payment into a lower interchange category, while on consumer cards it makes no difference.

If you sell to other businesses, this is one of the few places where the setup of your gateway or terminal changes what you pay. This guide covers the data itself. For how we set it up, see Level 2 and Level 3 processing.

The three levels, side by side

The word “level” describes how much information travels with the authorization and settlement of a payment. Each level includes everything in the one below it.

Level	What it sends	Typical source
Level 1	Card number, amount, date, merchant name and location	Any terminal or gateway
Level 2	Level 1 plus sales tax amount and a customer code or purchase-order number	Gateway, virtual terminal or some terminals
Level 3	Level 2 plus line-item detail for each product or service on the order	Gateway with Level 3 support, ERP or invoicing software

Every card payment is Level 1. Levels 2 and 3 only exist when your systems send the extra fields and the card is the kind that uses them.

Think of it as attaching a copy of the invoice to the payment. The more of that invoice the buyer’s card program receives, the more useful the payment is to their accounting team, and the more the card networks reward it.

What the Level 2 fields mean

Level 2 is short. The fields most often asked for are:

• Sales tax amount. The tax charged on the order, as a dollar figure. Some programs also look for a tax flag that says whether the order was taxable.
• Customer code or PO number. A reference the buyer uses to match the charge to their own records, usually a purchase-order number.
• Merchant tax ID and postal codes. Some card brands ask for your tax ID and the ship-from and ship-to ZIP codes.

The catch is the tax field. Entering zero, or a made-up placeholder, to get through the screen can cause the payment to fail the data checks. Tax-exempt sales are real, and they need to be flagged as exempt, not faked.

What the Level 3 fields mean

Level 3 adds a line for each item on the order, much like an invoice. Common fields per line include:

• Product code or SKU
• Item description
• Quantity and unit of measure
• Unit price and line total
• Discount, freight and duty amounts where they apply
• Commodity code, a standard category for what was bought

Typing all of that by hand for every order is slow and invites mistakes. It also slows down your staff on the phone with a customer. That is why Level 3 works best when the data comes straight from the system that already holds the order: an ERP, accounting software or an invoicing tool connected to your gateway.

Card brands review enhanced data for quality. Placeholder line items, repeated generic descriptions or totals that don’t add up can disqualify a payment. Real order data is the safe path.

Which cards care about the extra data

Enhanced data is designed for commercial cards: business, corporate, purchasing and fleet cards issued to companies and government agencies. Their buyers use the data to track spending, reconcile statements and enforce purchasing policies. The card networks reward the seller who supplies it.

A personal rewards card used by a business owner is still a consumer card. Sending Level 3 data with it doesn’t change its cost. That is why the first question is always your card mix. Our guide on commercial card interchange explains how those cards are priced, and accepting cards B2B covers the wider picture.

How to tell if your payments carry the data

Many businesses assume their gateway sends Level 3 because the feature exists. Often it was never turned on, or a required field is missing. A few ways to check:

1. Read the statement. Interchange category names often show whether a commercial payment qualified at Level 2, Level 3 or neither. Many commercial payments landing in a standard or “non-qualified” category is a red flag.
2. Look at the payment screen. If your virtual terminal never asks for tax or a PO number, Level 2 isn’t being sent from that screen.
3. Ask your gateway provider directly. Is enhanced data enabled for this account, which fields are mapped, and what happens when one is blank? A clear answer to those three questions tells you most of what you need.
4. Check the source system. If invoices come out of QuickBooks or an ERP, the line items exist. The question is whether they reach the payment.

Card-brand programs for commercial data change from time to time, including a recent Visa program for commercial enhanced data. What counts as complete can shift, so a setup that qualified a few years ago is worth checking again.

What PayZoom does

We start with one recent statement and look at how many of your payments come from commercial cards and where they landed. If enhanced data could help, we set up your gateway, terminal or connection to tools like SAP or QuickBooks to pass Level 2 and Level 3 fields, and a custom API is an option for unusual systems. We don’t promise a savings number. Our margin is shown on its own line, there are no early termination fees, and a real person answers when you call. Start with Level 2 and Level 3 processing or browse more guides.