Visa charges the Fixed Acquirer Network Fee, often abbreviated as FANF, for credit card acceptance. The fee went into effect in 2012, but has undergone several changes since then. Unlike some other assessment fees, the FANF is not a set cost. It varies based on factors including processing method, sales volume, and number of business locations. ...

Merit 3 is Mastercard’s way of referring to a card-present transaction for most restaurants and retailers. It can actually apply to several different interchange categories based on card type and other details. It does not apply to card-not-present transactions, which will typically qualify for Merit I interchange rates. This article explains sp...

At CardFellow, we received this message from a curious business owner. I have a question about a specific company - [removed to protect the guilty]. They are saying the rate they can provide is 1.54% on qualified and mid-qualified cards ("flat wholesale rate"). The only other rate is "up to 4.61%" on non-qualified cards. Then they charge a three-c...

Before you can negotiate credit card processing fees, you have to know which fees are flexible. Credit card processing is like any other industry in that there are fixed costs and markups. Fixed costs are those that a processor can't change, and markups are open to discussion. Understanding the components of credit card processing cost is the f...

There's a lot of confusion about American Express merchant services. We regularly field questions about discount rates, pricing models, and settlement. In this article, we'll explain everything you need to know about accepting American Express at a business. Just looking to see costs to take Amex cards? For the most up-to-date pricing, use our f...

If you use Intuit for your merchant services, you may find your monthly statements confusing. This tutorial will show you to read an Intuit merchant statement, and it will highlight the aspects of Intuit's credit card processing services that make it expensive and opaque when compared to more competitive options that we will cover. The methodolo...

A more cost-effective, transparent alternative to tiered merchant account pricing is available to businesses that know enough to request it. What is Tiered Pricing? Tiered pricing is a merchant account rate structure that credit card processors use to assess charges. It is also referred to as bundled pricing because it allows processors to grou...

This article will provide the general steps and knowledge necessary to decipher your small business credit card processing statement, and will link to detailed examples of actual statement analyses that will allow you to follow along as we dissect various merchant account statements. Existing Clients: If you used CardFellow to find your current ...