The insurance industry, including carriers, brokers and agents increasingly accepts credit cards. Typically such businesses accept payment from their customers over the phone or computer, more similar to an internet business than a retail store.

Insurance companies have the added benefit, however, of a special category for Mastercard transactions (no special category exists for Visa, however).  The full mastercard interchange guide is available at mastercard.com and below is a summary.

Card Type	E-commerce Rate	Insurance Rate
Consumer Credit (non-rewards)	1.89% + 0.10	1.43% + 0.05
Consumer Rewards	2.04% + 0.10	1.43% + 0.05
Consumer World Rewards	2.05% + 0.10	1.43% + 0.05
Consumer World Elite	2.50% + 0.10	2.20% + 0.10

The Mastercard insurance interchange rates are significantly lower than for other industries. To ensure you are getting the lowest possible rates:

1. insist on interchange plus pricing
2. ensure that you are set up to qualify for your industry-specific rates
3. audit your bill afterward to ensure you are getting those rates