Processing & Fees
The 7 Hidden Fees Hiding in Your Merchant Statement
Seven line items worth finding on your next statement.
Most of what makes processing expensive isn't the headline rate — it's the pile of small fees underneath it. Here are seven that hide in plain sight.
The usual suspects
1) Monthly minimum fees. 2) PCI compliance (and non-compliance) fees. 3) Statement and batch fees. 4) 'Regulatory' or 'network access' fees that just pad margin. 5) Tiered pricing that quietly buckets your best transactions into the priciest tier. 6) Early-termination fees buried in the contract. 7) Annual fees you forgot you agreed to.
None of these are illegal — they're just rarely explained. An independent review catches them, tells you which are legitimate, and which you should push back on.
More on processing & fees
Interchange, Markup & Your Effective Rate, Explained Simply
The one number that makes any two processing offers comparable.
Flat-Rate vs. Interchange-Plus: Which Is Cheaper for You?
Simpler is not always cheaper. Where the crossover actually falls.
How to Actually Read Your Credit Card Processing Statement
Find your effective rate first. Everything else follows from it.