Credit Card Processing Fees & Rates
Rest assured. Credit card processing fees aren't as confusing as you might think. In fact, fees are pretty straight forward once the components of cost are examined individually. In this article I'll explain the different aspects that contribute to credit card processing fees to give you a solid understanding of who's charging what and which areas of cost you can control.
After I lay the groundwork, I'll outline exactly how to get the lowest credit card processing rates for your business, keeping in mind that every quote delivered through CardFellow's marketplace has a complete cost breakdown.
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Each quote that you receive here at CardFellow comes complete with a credit card processing cost analysis that gives a comprehensive breakdown of fees and costs. It's important to understand what each fee is and where it comes from, but the work of calculating costs for your business will be done by our software.
If you haven't already done so, sign up for a free account here at CardFellow to receive competitive interchange plus quotes instantly from leading processors. Our service is completely free and 100% private.
Components of Cost
Even if you use CardFellow's easy free service that virtually finds the best credit card processor for you, you should still understand one very important point, which is:
Not all credit card processing fees are negotiable.
The rate that you pay to process a credit card transaction is a combination of base costs and markups called merchant discount. Think of merchant discount as the retail price of credit card processing, base costs as raw material expenses and the markup as production costs.
Base costs should account for the largest portion of expense (about 75% - 80%) followed by the markup (about 20% - 25%). With that said, we help a lot of businesses here at CardFellow that are getting hosed by their current processor, and their base costs are about equal to the markup they're paying. In cases like this there's a lot of room for savings. See the Cost Distribution section below to learn more about where your money goes.
Base Credit Card Processing Fees
Base credit card processing fees are made up of interchange and assessments, and they're the same for all processors. No processor can give you a lower rate or a better deal on base costs. For example, First Data (the largest credit card processor) pays the same interchange fees and assessments as a small local bank.
Interchange
Interchange accounts for the largest portion of credit card processing expense and it's paid to card-issuing banks. Believe it or not, your processor and the card brands (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover) don't see any revenue from interchange.
Here's the short story of interchange…
The stakeholders of Visa, MasterCard and Discover (the banks) get together and decide how much they want to charge when you accept their credit cards.
The banks consider things like processing method (swiped, keyed, e-commerce), card type (rewards, business, consumer), your business type (merchant category code), and a host of other variables to create a long, exhausting list of interchange fees.
Interchange fees are assessed net of refunds and chargebacks, and most are two parts consisting of a percentage and a transaction fee. For example, 1.51% plus $0.10 is the current Visa interchange fee for a swiped consumer credit card.
It's important to note that even though interchange rates don't vary among processors, it is possible to optimize interchange charges to achieve lower costs. Check out our information on interchange fees for more details on interchange optimization.
Assessments
Visa, MasterCard and Discover make money by charging assessments on every transaction involving one of their credit cards. Like interchange, assessments are exactly the same for all credit card processors and no processor can give you a lower rate or a better deal on assessments.
However, assessments may be charged differently if you have a bundled pricing model. Reason being is that your processor has more control to manipulate pricing on a bundled pricing system.
The assessments for each card brand are listed below along with the details about when they apply. Assessments are changed periodically by the card brands, and this list is updated as changes are announced.
Clarification of Terms: The only true assessment fee from each card brand is the percentage charge applied to volume. The various other fees such as network access, foreign handling, and so forth are charges incurred through processing behavior at the individual transaction level. I refer to card brand charges collectively as assessments because these charges are consistent for all businesses.
Visa
- .13% - Debit Assessment - This assessment applies to gross Visa debit transaction volume.
Update: In July 2016, Visa raised its assessment on debit volume from 0.11% to 0.13%. - .13% - Credit Assessment - This assessment applies to gross Visa credit transaction volume.
Update: In January 2015, Visa raised its assessment on credit volume from 0.11% to 0.13%. The debit volume assessment did not change from 0.11%. - $0.0195 - Acquirer Processing Fee (APF) - Credit
The Acquirer Processing Fee applies to all U.S.-based credit card authorizations acquired in the U.S. regardless of where the issuer/cardholder is located. If your business is based in the U.S., the acquirer processing fee will apply to all Visa credit card authorizations. - $0.0155 - Acquirer Processing Fee (APF) - Debit
On April 1, 2012, Visa began charging a separate lower APF of $0.0155 for transactions involving a debit card. - $0.0195 - Credit Voucher Fee - Credit
In April 2016, Visa began charging a transaction fee for refund transactions involving a credit card. As noted below, a fees also applies to debit refund transactions, but this fee is slightly lower at $0.0155. - $0.0155 - Credit Voucher Fee - Debit
In April 2016, Visa began charging a transaction fee for refund transactions involving a debit card. As noted above, a fees also applies to credit refund transactions, but this fee is slightly higher at $0.0195. - $0.0195 - Base II Credit Voucher Fee (Credit)
The Base II Credit Voucher Fee applies to all U.S.-based refund transactions involving a credit card. - $0.0155 - Base II Credit Voucher Fee (Debit)
The Base II Credit Voucher Fee applies to all U.S.-based refund transactions involving a debit card. - $0.0018 - System File Transmission Fee
System File Transmission Fee applies to all Visa transactions and is charged in addition to other transaction-based assessments, such as the Acquirer Processing Fee. - Transaction Integrity Fee (TIF)
Effective April 13, 2012, Visa will begin charging a Transaction Integrity Fee (TIF) of $0.10 on transactions involving Visa debit and prepaid cards that do not meet CPS requirements. - Variable - Fixed Acquirer Network Fee (FANF)
Effective April 1, 2012, the FANF is a monthly fee that varies based on processing method, number of locations and volume. See the Fixed Acquirer Network Fee calculator to determine the FANF for your business. - $0.0025 - Settlement Network Access Fee -- Also called a Visa Base II Fee
Applies to all U.S.-based settlement transactions. If your business is based in the U.S., the settlement network access fee will apply to all Visa settlement transactions.- Note:
The Settlement Network Access Fee (Visa Base II Fee) and Acquirer Processing Fee will both apply to the vast majority of credit card transactions for U.S.-based businesses bringing the total fee to $0.022
- Note:
- $0.0047 - Kilobyte (KB) Access Fee
Visa's kilobyte fee is charged on each authorization transaction submitted to Visa's network for settlement. - $0.045 - Misuse of Authorization Fee
The Misuse of Authorization Fee applies to Visa authorizations that are not followed by a matching clearing transaction (or in the case of a cancelled or timed out authorization, not properly reversed).
Update: On January 1, 2017, Visa will raise the Misuse of Authorization fee to $0.09. - $0.10 - Zero Floor Limit Fee
Visa's Zero Floor Limit applies to cleared transactions that can't be matched to a previously approved or partially-approved authorization. In short, it applies to settlement transactions submitted without a proper authorization.
Update: On January 1, 2017, Visa will raise the Zero Floor Limit fee to $0.20. - $0.025 - Zero Dollar Verification Fee
The Zero Dollar Verification fee applies to Zero Dollar Verification messages (approved and declined). Zero Dollar Verification messages include the verification of the card account number, address verification (through AVS), Card Verification Value 2 (CVV2) and Single Message System (SMS) acquired Account Verification authorizations. The Visa Misuse of Authorization Fee does not apply to these requests. The fee applies when you want to verify a cardholder's information without actually authorizing an amount of their card. - .80% - International Service Assessment Fee
The International Service Assessment Fee applies to U.S. acquired transactions paid for with a card issued outside of the U.S.
Update: On April 18, 2015, Visa raised the International Service Assessment from 0.40% to 0.80% on transactions settled in U.S. dollars, and to 1.20% on transactions settled in currencies other than U.S. dollars. - .45% - International Acquirer Fee
The International Acquirer Fee applies under the same circumstances as the International Service Assessment Fee noted above.- Note: The International Service Assessment Fee and International Acquirer Fee often both apply to the same transaction bringing the total charge to 0.85%.
- $0.001 -
Risk Identification fee
Effective April 1, 2012, Visa has eliminated the risk identification fee
MasterCard
- .12% - Assessment (Transactions less than $1,000)
The assessment applies to gross MasterCard transaction volume.
Update: In January 2015, MasterCard increased its assessment by 0.01% on all signature debit and credit transactions with an amount of $1,000 or less from 0.11% t0 0.12%. - .14% - Acquirer Brand Volume Fee (Transactions greater than $1,000)
This assessment applies to consumer and business credit volume on transactions of $1,000 or greater. This assessment does not apply to signature debit transactions regardless of size. - Merchant Location Fee - Effective in early 2017, MasterCard will begin charging merchants an annual fee based on the number of locations a business has. More information about the this fee can be found here: MasterCard Merchant Location Fee.
- .01% - Digital Enablement Fee - Effective January 2015, MasterCard will begin charging a Digital Enablement Fee. This fee will be assessed on MasterCard card-not-present sales volume involving signature debit, consumer credit and commercial credit transactions.
- $0.0195 - Network Access and Brand Usage Fee (NABU)
Update: Effective January 8, 2012 the NABU fee will apply to U.S.-based authorization transactions regardless of whether the transaction is settled. Prior to January 8, 2012 the Network Access and Brand Usage Fee applies to all U.S.-based settled transactions.
Update: Effective June 30, 2013 the NABU fee will be increased to $0.0195, and it will apply to both authorization and refund transactions. - $15 / $3 - Merchant Location Fee
Effective February 17, 2017, MasterCard will begin billing a Merchant Location Fee. The Merchant Location Fee is billed annually at a rate of $15 per location. Payment facilitators will incur a Merchant Location Fee of $3 per merchant location. - $0.0044 - Kilobyte (KB) Access Fee
MasterCard's kilobyte fee is charged on each authorization transaction submitted to MasterCard's network for settlement. - .0045% - Acquirer License Fee (ALF)
Effective April 2012, MasterCard will begin charging 0.0045% as an Acquirer License Fee assessed on gross MasterCard processing volume. This fee is also referred to by several processors as a License Volume Fee. - .60% - Cross Border Assessment Fee (Domestic)
The domestic Cross-Border Assessment Fee applies to U.S. acquired transactions paid for with a card issued outside of the U.S. and settled in USD.
Update: On April 18, 2015, MasterCard raised the Cross-Border fee from 0.40% to 0.60%. - 1.00% - Cross-Border Assessment Fee (Foreign)
The foreign Cross-Border Assessment Fee applies to international transactions settled by U.S.-based merchants in a currency other than USD.
Update: On April 18, 2015, MasterCard raised the Cross-Border fee on non-US currency transactions from 0.80% to 1.00%. - .85% - Acquirer Program Support Fee (Increased to 0.85% from 0.55% on April 1, 2013)
The Acquirer Program Support Fee applies under the same circumstances as the Cross-Border Assessment Fee (Domestic) noted above. - $0.0075 - AVS Fee (Card-Not-Present)
MasterCard charges a fee each time a merchant access the address verification service when processing a transaction. MasterCard's AVS fee is a little higher for card-not-present merchants than it is for card-present merchants. MasterCard's AVS for card-present businesses is listed just below. - $0.005 - AVS Fee (Card-Present)
- $0.0025 - Card Validation Code Fee Effective October 21, 2013, MasterCard will implement a Card Validation Code 2 (CVC2) transaction fee of $0.0025. This fee will be charged on transactions acquired in the United States with the CVC2 (three digit code on the back of the customer's card) included in the transaction for authorization and the CVC2 response value equals ’M’ (Match) or ’N’ (Invalid/did not match). The fee will not apply to Account Status Inquiry (ASI) requests.
- $0.025 - Account Status Inquiry Fee
The account status inquiry fee is charged for transactions where a merchant does actually authorize an amount on a cardholder's account, but instead, validates aspects of her account. Account status inquiry transactions may include requests for address verification service (AVS), card validation code (CVC2), or both. MasterCard implemented the account status inquiry service on June, 14 2011 in place of support for AVS-only transactions. - $0.055 - Processing Integrity Fee (Card-Present, Card-Not-Present, No reversal)
Effective June 14, 2011 MasterCard began charging acquirers a Processing Integrity Fee of $0.045 to encourage merchants to abide by proper transaction authorization standards. MasterCard increased the Processing Integrity Fee by $0.01 to $0.055 on November 1, 2011. The Processing Integrity Fee will apply in the following instances:- Card-present: Transactions are not settled, cleared, or reversed within 24 hours of the original authorization transaction/request
- Card-not-present: Transactions are not settled, cleared, or reversed within 72 hours of the original authorization transaction/request
- No reversal: An authorization transaction cannot be matched to a corresponding settlement record after a period of 120 days
- Exempt merchants: Travel and entertainment merchants classified as MCC 3351-3441, 3501-3999, 4411, 7011 and 7512 are exempt from the Processing Integrity Fee
- Note: The Cross-Border Assessment Fee (Domestic) and the Acquirer Program Support Fee often both apply to the same transaction bringing the total charge to 1.25%.
Discover
- 0.13% - Assessment
The assessment applies to gross Discover card transaction volume.
Note: In April 2016, Discover's assessment increased from 0.11% to 0.13%.
Note: In April 2015, Discover's assessment increased from 0.105% to 0.11%. - $0.0195 - Data Usage Fee
The Data Usage Fee applies to all U.S.-based authorization transactions.
Note: On April 15, 2016, Discover's Data Usage Fee increased from $0.0185 to $0.0195. - $0.0025 - Network Authorization Fee
Discover will begin charging a Network Authorization Fee effective October 1, 2013. This fee will apply to all Discover network authorizations and will replace the previously assessed Data Transmission Fee, which applied only to settled Discover transactions. The amount of the Network Authorization Fee and the Data Transmission Fee are the same, but the Network Authorization Fee will apply to a greater number of transactions. - $0.0025 - Data Transmission Fee (No longer charged)
The Data Transmission Fee applied to all settled Discover transactions, and was replaced by the Network Authorization Fee is October 2013. - .45% - International Processing Fee
The International Service Fee applies to U.S. acquired transactions paid for with a card issued outside of the U.S.
Update: On April 15, 2016, Discover's International Processing Fee will be increased from .45% to .55%. - .80% - International Service Fee
The International Service Fee applies under the same circumstances as the International Processing Fee noted above.
Note: On April 15, 2016, Discover's International Service Fee increased from .55% to .80%. - Note: The International Processing Fee and the International Service Fee often both apply to the same transaction bringing the total charge to 0.95%. This total will be 1.35% on and after April 15, 2016.
American Express
The advent of American Express's Amex OptBlue introduced in early 2015 allows us to start listing Amex pricing on this page, as well. Like card brand charges for Visa, MasterCard and Discover, the charges listed below are paid to American Express.
- 0.15% - Assessment / Sponsorship Fee
The assessment applies to gross American Express card volume. - 0.30% - Card-Not-Present (CNP) Surcharge
The American Express card-not-present surcharge applies to gross card-not-present volume, such as keyed and e-commerce transactions. The CNP surcharge is charged in addition to to the sponsorship fee of 0.15%, making Amex's total assessment on card-not-present volume 0.45%. - 0.40% - International Assessment
The American Express international assessment applies to gross sales volume involving a card issued outside of the United States.
Markups
The markup over interchange and assessments is the only area where you have the ability to negotiate credit card processing costs. Keep in mind that many factors contribute to the markup, so not everything will be negotiable, or it will only be negotiable to a point.
Furthermore, the markup isn't all profit. it's split among all of the organizations that facilitate the processing of your business's transactions such as the acquiring bank, processor, ISO(s), gateway or software provider and others. The markup must cover cost as well as profit for all of these entities.
Markups differ significantly from one processor to the next both by amount, pricing model and the types of fees charged. These inconsistencies are why it's difficult to accurately compare credit card processing on the open market. Here at CardFellow we dictate the pricing model that processors must use to ensure fair, competitive pricing that can be accurately compared.
Pricing Model
Interchange and assessments are the same for all processors. The method the processor uses to pass these costs to you is what is important. The two most basic types of pricing are interchange plus and bundled. They're also referred to as pass through and tiered, respectively. Each pricing model is outlined below, and there's also a detailed post comparing interchange plus vs. tiered pricing here.
Interchange Plus or Pass Through
With interchange plus pricing the processor's markup isn't dependent on interchange qualification. This separation of costs keeps the processor's markup the same regardless of the type of card you accept, or how your process it. There are no qualified, mid-qualified or non-qualified rates with interchange plus.
The processor earns a fixed percentage regardless of the underlying interchange. For example, 0.25% is an example of an interchange plus rate quote. No fancy tiers, not qualification at the processor level -- just one simple rate that gets added to actual cost (interchange).
Interchange plus allows for interchange credits on refunded transactions. For example, when you issue a customer a refund, you are supposed to receive a partial credit of the interchange fee paid on the original transaction. This refund credit is not issued on bundled pricing models, but processors are capable of issuing interchange refunds on interchange plus pricing. However, just because a processor is capable of issuing interchange credits doesn't mean it will.
Important:
Like with bundled pricing, processors are capable of manipulating costs under an interchange plus pricing model, too. For example, interchange plus pricing does not guarantee that a processor will pass assessments at true cost, issue interchange credits, or refrain from applying a discount to refund volume. This article goes into more detail about the dangers of becoming pricing model-complacent.
This is yet another reason why it's important to have expert guidance, like that offered by CardFellow, to ensure you secure a truly competitive processing solution for your business.
Another benefit to interchange plus is that it allows for businesses to reap the benefits of decreases in interchange fees. For example, businesses with interchange plus pricing will benefit from lower debit card charges from the Durbin Amendment due October 1, 2011.
Interchange plus is the least expensive, most transparent form of credit card processing pricing. For these reasons, it's the only form of pricing that processors are allowed to quote here at CardFellow.
Tiered or Bundled
Tiered pricing, also referred to as bundled or bucket pricing, is named for the way a processor categorizes interchange fees into three pricing tiers called qualified, mid-qualified and non-qualified. Although three tiers are most common, this pricing model can have separate sets of tiers for various types of cards. For example, six-tier pricing where credit and debit cards each have their own three tiers is gaining in popularity.
On a bundled pricing model the processor uses something called an interchange qualification matrix to route interchange fees to the qualified, mid-qualified, or non-qualified tiers.
A big problem with tiered pricing is that interchange fees are often not disclosed on your merchant processing statement (although they sometimes are), and the processor doesn't tell you into which tier individual interchange fees are being routed. This leaves you with no way to calculate exactly how much you're paying above the actual processing costs of interchange and assessments.
Tiered pricing has played a big role in building the processing industry's shady reputation.
Inconsistent Buckets
Inconsistent buckets is the processing industry's term for, "there's no way to compare credit card processing quotes that are based on tiered pricing."
Tiered pricing allows a processor to manipulate charges behind the scenes. Essentially, they can raise your cost without having to raise your rates. They do this by routing more interchange fees to the mid and non-qualified pricing tiers. Since there's no consistency regarding interchange qualification, it's impossible to compare tiered pricing among different processors.
Let's look at an example to illustrate inconsistent buckets. Let's pretend that we have the following quotes from two different processors:
Processor A:
Qualified Rate: 1.49%
Mid-Qualified Rate: 2.59%
Non-Qualified Rate: 2.99%
Processor B:
Qualified Rate: 1.69%
Mid-Qualified Rate: 2.25%
Non-Qualified Rate: 2.49%
Look only at the qualified rate, Processor A is offering a much better deal. What you don't know is how many interchange categories are being routed to the qualified tier. Processor A may be routing the majority of transactions to the mid and non-qualified tiers making Processor B the better option. Of course, there's no way to tell just by looking at the numbers.
Types of Fees
Credit card processing fees are either flat fees, transaction fees, or based on volume. Assessments are listed above, and interchange fees (or at least a portion of them) are published by Visa and MasterCard. The only inconsistent portion of cost is the processor's markup. Unfortunately, the scope of different fees and pricing models utilized in the marketplace makes accurately comparing markups a daunting task.
This is the reason why we dictate the pricing model and fees that processors are allowed to quote here at CardFellow. All quotes are based on interchange plus pricing so that our software can present you with an accurate comparison of costs.
Trying to list the various fees that individual credit card processors charge is like herding cats. When comparing processing quotes, it's easier (and more useful) to break fees down into three general categories and then compare each offer based on the estimated effective rate.
Volume
With interchange plus pricing (the best kind) the volume fee will be a single number such as 0.25%. With tiered pricing the volume fees will be in the form of a qualified, mid-qualified and non-qualified rate, and there may be more than one set of tiers.
Volume-based fees are levied against your business's sales volume. The competitiveness, consistency and transparency of the volume-based markup are dependent on the pricing model that your merchant account utilizes.
Transaction
Credit card transaction fees often contribute more to total cost than volume fees. So, don't ignore transaction fees to focus just on the volume markup (processor's rate over interchange).
Transaction fees are charged each time your machine or gateway contacts the processor to get or give information, and they are a pre-determined fixed dollar amount regardless of the type or size of the transaction.
Flat
Flat fees are consistent regardless of sales or transaction volume. Monthly and annual charges are examples of flat fees.
Cost Distribution
With competitive pricing the majority of credit card processing costs are paid to your customers' issuing banks through interchange. The remaining costs are split among a varying number of players such as the acquiring bank, processor, ISO(s), and equipment or software provider. Exactly how many players there are depends on the provider and your business's processing needs.
Here's an example that illustrates how credit card processing costs are distributed. Let's pretend that you're processing a $50 transaction by swiping a customer's (consumer, non-reward) Visa credit card through your credit card machine. For this example we'll assume that you used CardFellow to obtain a competitive interchange plus merchant account with rates of 20 basis points and $0.10 per transaction.
Interchange:
1.54% plus $0.10 = $0.87 goes to the issuing bank
Assessments:
0.11% plus $0.0195 to Visa when the transaction is authorized and another $0.003 when it's settled = $0.07 goes to Visa
Card Markup:
.20% plus $0.10 to the processor = $0.20 goes to the processor
You are left with:
$50 - $0.87 - $0.07 - $0.20 = $48.86 (2.28% overall effective rate)
Getting the Lowest Rates
Now that you know where processing fees come from, you know that the best credit card processor is the one that offers you the lowest markup over interchange and assessments. As we outline in this article, you shouldn't be shopping for the lowest rates. Instead, you should be shopping for the lowest overall markup over base cost. Furthermore, you want to look at the whole picture and consider the effective rate. Don't just focus on the interchange markup or another single fee.
Separate Costs
Interchange and assessments account for the majority of processing expense, and they're not negotiable. Separate costs into interchange, assessments and markups when shopping for a merchant account and focus solely on getting the lowest markup.
Of course, you can make your life easier by letting CardFellow do the shopping for you. Sign up for free here at CardFellow to get instant interchange plus quotes from multiple processors.
Simplicity is Expensive
Simplicity is expensive when it comes to credit card processing. Companies like Square and PayPal Here are making nice profits by offering flat rate pricing to businesses that don't spend the time to learn how processing fees really work.
For most businesses, credit card processing fees are second only to rental and real estate expense. All business people and entrepreneurs are busy, but the time invested in learning about credit card processing fees will pay off in spades.
Simple and competitive are two very different things, and for most businesses, credit card processing fees are either one or the other.
DOn
I was just looking over my most recent statement from processor and found a new fee called MC Location FEE for $3.00. Is this something new Mastercard is charging everyone with a terminal? The customer service rep couldn’t tell what it was for except that MC started charging everyone a few months ago. Thanks.
Ellen
Hi Don,
Funnily enough, we just posted an article about the MasterCard location fee. It’s not just for everyone with a terminal, it’s for everyone, period. The article we wrote is here: https://www.cardfellow.com/mastercard-annual-merchant-location-fee/
Some processors will be assessing a $3 fee, while others will be charging $15. Who’s your processor?
DOn
Flagship Merchant Services. There fee is $3.00 per account. I have two accounts. One with a terminal and one through a website.
Ellen
I see. I do hear from people sometimes about Flagship charging a lot, but unfortunately the location fee is likely legit. You can check out some reviews (or leave your own) of Flagship here: https://www.cardfellow.com/credit-card-processors/flagship-merchant-services/#tabs-4
Or feel free to see how your current pricing compares to the offers you’d get through CardFellow. Our quote comparison tool is free and private, you just need to fill out the quick signup form: https://www.cardfellow.com/sign-up
Matt
How do interchange plus prices compare to membership/subscription based models like Payment Depot that don’t charge any additional percentage-based markup above interchange in exchange for a somewhat higher monthly fee? Does Card Fellow include membership-based processors in your price comparison?
Ellen
Hi Matt,
Great question. The answer on how it compares is: it depends. The 0% (or “subscription” style) pricing can be more competitive in some cases, but not in others. In general, it’s a transparent pricing model and could be low cost. You don’t need to run from it, but it’s also important not to fall for the hype and think it’s automatically cheaper. We have an article that goes through it in depth, available here: https://www.cardfellow.com/flat-rate-subscription-merchant-account/
We do include membership-based processors in our comparison options. Payment Depot is actually a member of CardFellow, and places quotes through our system, but you can request quotes from any processor that you’d like and our software will show you how the costs stack up. Using our quote comparison tools, it’s possible to compare as many companies as you want.
I hope this helps!
Mik
This is a very informative article. As a budding cc analyst, this is simply tremendous. Thank you
Jack
Do Mastercard and Visa publish their rates that are on top of interchange?
Ellen
Hi Jack,
What do you mean by their rates on top of interchange? The assessments and dues? If you scroll to the dues/assessments part of this article, those are the charges that go to Visa and MasterCard.
Gerald Star
I had quotes from a “no contract” “no termination’ processor that had no annual fees and just a $5 monthly fee. Terminals were free and had equipment failure guarantee. Also the rates where highly competitive.. But then a higher priced processor was able to point out that there was indeed a 3 year contract and that liquidated damages for early termination could be in the thousands of dollars. It was hiding on page 42 of their merchant services guide. Then they also pointed out the 3-party processor probably lacked proper encryption software monitoring and improvements that could cost merchant significant undisclosed security fees every month. The company siting this is to provide proof of these security fees that range between $100 to $150ba month. Have you been hearing merchant complaints concerning both of these issues ?
Ellen
Hi Gerald,
This sounds like misleading information at best. Most processors are adequately equipped with security features like encryption technology. Liquidated damages clauses do happen and can be quite expensive, but they can be avoided. (At CardFellow, we prohibit cancellation fees in our marketplace.)
The complaints that we tend to hear come from businesses that didn’t use CardFellow to find their processor, because the information is misleading or incorrect and ends up costing them money. Businesses that use CardFellow benefit from fully disclosed pricing, so there aren’t things like unexpected security fees popping up, and there are no cancellation fees at all.
Doug
Are these fees for all regions? If not, is there a resource for Canada, LATAM/LAC, and Europe?
Ellen Cunningham
Hi Doug,
The information in these articles applies to the United States unless otherwise specified. Unfortunately, I don’t know of a comprehensive resource for processing information in the regions you mention.
mary
I have been shaking my head over the high fees – cc and then bank fees – still confused but not so much…
Nicola Balmain
I am very appreciative of your detailed articles and advice, yet, I am still very confused as the best approach I should take for engaging the right (and best priced) merchant services provider.
I am a new start-up business offering travel related products to international destinations. I anticipate my first year revenue to be approx $800K, however my first few months will be slow.
How do I decide the BEST provider for my online transactions?
Ellen Cunningham
Hi Nicola,
My suggestion would be to sign up for free at CardFellow to get instant quotes. I hope this helps!
Richard Heuser
The processing fees a merchant is assessed for the convenience of utilizing credit card payments, can they be passed on to their customers? I thought this was prohibited, at least with MasterCard. Thank you.
Ellen Cunningham
Hi Richard,
The rules surrounding surcharges can be complicated (and vary by state) but there are ways that businesses can pass fees to customers. There is more information available in this post.
carol gallagher
Where can a send my merchant statements to be analyzed? I am with PNC and the fees are VERY high.
Thanks
Carol Gallagher
Ellen Cunningham
Hi Carol,
Currently we only offer statement analyses to clients who chose a processor through the CardFellow marketplace, but we plan to offer the service to anyone in the future. If you’re considering a new processor, I suggest signing up for a free account at CardFellow. In just a few minutes you’ll get fully disclosed quotes and we’ll be able to discuss your specific business needs to help make sure you’re getting the best possible pricing.
John Pettit
How does Bank of America rate?
Ben
Hi John,
Processors can set pricing and terms on a per-case basis, so “ratings” and “reviews” are generally unhelpful unless you know the exact pricing, terms and sales channel of the person(s) rating or reviewing a processor. Check out our article on credit card processor reviews for more information on this topic.
Andrew Holshouser
I will own a car wash by June1st. I will have lots of smaLl transactions. I need a card processor that specializes in high volume and low dollar and very low fres. Can you help me?
Ellen Cunningham
Hi Andrew,
We can certainly help you get competitive pricing. If you haven’t already done so, you can create a free business profile at CardFellow. Once you enter your information, you’ll receive quotes with fully disclosed pricing from several processors in just a few seconds. We don’t share your contact information with the processors, so you can review your quotes in private without pressure from sales calls. If you have any questions during the process, you can give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.
Amber
Hello I work at a car dealership, and our sales are between 80,000-150,000 a month. We are paying a very high rate in fees. We do some swiped transactions but we do a lot of manually entered transactions. Which company do you think would be the best?
Ellen Cunningham
Hi Amber,
The best thing to do would be to sign up at CardFellow.com so you can get several quotes directly in just minutes. We’ll also be able to walk you through the quotes at that point so that we can talk to you about real numbers and make sure you’re getting the most competitive rate. Signing up with CardFellow is completely free, and processors won’t see your contact information unless you decide to work with them. If you have any questions, please let me know!
Brendan
You had a few minor errors in relation to the new changes, according to other different sources:
1. MasterCard’s January 2015 changes happened specifically on the 5th. Visa’s 2015 changes were on the 1st.
2. The non-US Cross-Border fee update is on the wrong fee. The Acquirer Program Support Fee actually isn’t changing.
3. The April MasterCard Cross Border Assessment Fee changes are actually on the 17th, not 18th. Visa’s int’l fee changes are still on the 18th.
Keep up the good work. It’s a great resource! I see this page quoted quite often in interchange fee articles from other sites.
Brian Hecklemeyer
Great article. Keep posting, Ben.
Bryan
I would like to say this is the best article I have read on this subject. As the first Pizza Shop in my city to take credit cards and the first in my chain, I have learned the hard way a bunch of this.
I was only doing some more research to verify what the merchant processor scammers were telling me.
I have actually had two companies recently tell me they can get me better than interchange rates because they are wholesalers. I have yet to be able to verify if this is even possible.
Ben
Hi Bryan,
I’m glad you found this article helpful. Processors or sales agents will sometimes claim to be “wholesale” providers, but there actually is no such thing. Interchange rates are set by the Card Associations and are the same for all processors.
Gerald
Very Informative. I am just beginning to scratch the service on just how involved the pricing and fees are when it comes to credit card processing. You have broken it down to a science. Thank you
Doug
Is MasterCard’s “Assessment” and “Acquirer Brand Volume Fee” based on authorizations or settlements?
Ben
Hi Doug,
MasterCard’s assessment of 0.11% (0.13% for transaction greater than $1,000) and Acquirer Brand Volume Fee are based on gross sales volume. They are not based on authorization or settlement transactions. MasterCard’s Network Access and Brand Usage (NABU) fee is charged for each U.S.-based authorization transaction regardless of whether the transaction is settled.
John Che
I would like to know what processing company you would use if you were me. I do some M/C Visa and AMEX, although we do not do a lot of transactions per day (like a restaurant). Our charges are in the 10s of thousands of dollars and we do 4-10 a month.
Thx
John
Ben
Hi John,
That’s an easy question. I would sign up for free here at CardFellow to receive multiple instant quotes, and then I would choose the lowest offer.
– Ben
Michelle
This information was very helpful in assisting with my decision… thank you very much.
Angelo
Great Info again Ben. Thank You.
I understand the only item negotiable in a pass through contract is a processors mark-up fee. I wonder whether processors receive incentives from either the debit networks or mc/v associations in the form of rebates. In other words, if processors achieve certain targets are they able to either negotiate better debit/credit rates or receive cash incentives?
If a merchant processes 2m debit transactions per year is that enough leverage to have the various debit networks compete for the business?
Have you ever heard of processors receiving rebates/incentives from either any of the debit networks, associations or issuing banks?
Wesley
Angelo, the only thing that might change once the processor’s volume grows is the floor cost, which the bottom cost of processing a transaction on top of interchange. The interchange will never change.