The merchant’s cost guide
Credit card processing fees. Compare the whole bill.
A percentage is only the beginning. Put each provider’s processing, transaction, software and equipment costs on the same footing before deciding who costs less.
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Payment USA publishes this commercial comparison. We link to each provider’s own sources and explain where another option may fit better. Published rates can change; your written agreement controls.
01 / Understand the offer
Four pricing models. One total cost.
A pricing model tells you how charges are assembled. It does not tell you whether the final bill is right for your business.
Interchange-plus
Applicable interchange and network charges are passed through, with a disclosed processor markup. The markup may combine a percentage and a per-transaction amount.
Ask: which costs are passed through, which fee bases apply, and whether monthly or additional service fees sit outside the markup. Card mix changes the total. Explore interchange-plus.
Flat-rate
The provider bundles processing into a stated rate for a payment category. A percentage plus a fixed amount per transaction is common; online and keyed payments may have different rates.
Ask: which plan and channel the advertised price covers, whether international cards cost more, and which software is included. Simplicity can have real operational value.
Tiered pricing
Transactions enter categories such as qualified, mid-qualified or non-qualified. The headline rate describes one category rather than the cost of all your sales.
Ask: for the qualification rules, every tier’s rate and a projection using your actual transaction mix. Compare the blended result rather than the lowest bucket.
Subscription pricing
A recurring subscription is combined with underlying payment costs and often a per-transaction charge. The fixed portion can become more significant in slower months.
Ask: what the subscription includes, whether different sales methods cost more, and how the model behaves at both your busiest and quietest volume.
From Payment USA's merchant experience
AutoTech: from a quoted markup to a clear total.
AutoTech, an automotive business, believed it was paying 0.5% for processing. When Payment USA analyzed its statement, its actual effective rate was 3.25%. The 0.5% was the processor markup above underlying card costs. Payment USA subsequently reduced the account's effective rate to 2.8%.
About $337.50 less per month.
Estimated annual difference at approximately $75,000 in card sales each month, assuming the same effective rates and comparable card mix.
3.25% → 2.8% effective.
The reduction is 0.45 percentage points. Both percentages describe the account's effective processing cost. Neither is a universal interchange rate or a Payment USA quote for another merchant.
Swipe across to see the calculation.
| Comparison | Calculation at the same volume | Estimated monthly amount |
|---|---|---|
| Before Payment USA | $75,000 × 3.25% | $2,437.50 |
| With Payment USA | $75,000 × 2.8% | $2,100.00 |
| Difference | $2,437.50 − $2,100.00 | $337.50 |
Source: Payment USA's account of its work with AutoTech, supplied September 2026. Monthly volume is approximate. Dollar amounts are calculated from the reported effective rates and volume, not reproduced invoice totals. The $4,050 annual figure is a projection ($337.50 × 12), not a verified twelve-month result. Changes in sales, card mix or additional costs can change the outcome.
Clarity is part of the service.
We explain which costs come from the card networks, which are processor charges, and what sits outside the quoted markup. That includes checking separate Amex bills and clarifying whether “discount” charges are deducted daily or collected monthly. Our statement-review notes explain these common sources of confusion.
Payment USA never charges a cancellation fee on any account we offer. We want merchants to understand their costs and choose to stay because the service works for them.
02 / Read rate sheets correctly
Published prices are starting points.
U.S. examples checked September 16, 2026. Rows are labeled by channel and plan. A processor’s markup is not the same thing as an all-in processing rate.
Swipe across to read scope and exclusions.
| Provider / scope | Published price | What to add or confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Square Free In person | 2.6% + 15¢ $0 monthly plan fee | Hardware, optional services and applicable supplements. Legacy or custom agreements can differ. |
| Square Free Online / invoices | 3.3% + 30¢ | Online API is a separate category at 2.9% + 30¢. Plus/Premium plan fees and rates differ. |
| Helcim In person, lowest volume tier | Interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ | Applicable underlying interchange/network costs are additional. Volume tiers and optional service fees affect the total. |
| Helcim Keyed / online, lowest volume tier | Interchange + 0.50% + 25¢ | Underlying costs are additional. Recurring payments carry a published additional 0.4% fee. |
| Stripe Standard Domestic online cards | 2.9% + 30¢ | Other products and international/currency-conversion charges can add costs. Custom pricing is available. |
| Payment USA Merchant processing | Written quote | Ask for applicable markup, underlying costs, equipment, software and any additional fees for your actual business. |
Primary sources: Square fees, Helcim markup tiers, Helcim additional fees, and Stripe pricing. Helcim applies volume tiers using a trailing three-month average; this table does not reproduce every tier.
03 / Put both offers in dollars
A worked comparison that can go either way.
Assume $10,000 in domestic in-person sales and 200 transactions. Use Square Free’s published rate and Helcim’s lowest-volume in-person markup. Underlying costs below are teaching assumptions, not a prediction about your cards.
Square Free
Illustrative monthly processing charges.
200 × $0.15 = $30
Total: $290 / 2.90% effective
The calculation uses the stated plan/channel rate. It excludes optional software, hardware and other adjustments.
Helcim
If underlying interchange/network costs are $200.
$10,000 × 0.40% + 200 × $0.08 = $56
Total: $256 / 2.56% effective
With that assumption, the total is $34 lower. The $200 is not a quoted or universal wholesale cost.
Examples exclude hardware, foreign-card supplements, refunds, disputes, optional products and custom pricing. They assume Helcim’s lowest volume tier applies. Use your written Payment USA quote for a merchant-specific comparison.
Then add the costs outside processing.
If a replacement requires a separate $40 monthly software subscription, add it before deciding. If an annual $99 charge applies, include it once in the annual projection. A $34 monthly processing advantage would not cover $40 of new monthly software.
For flat-rate calculations, start with sales × percentage + transactions × per-item fee. For interchange-plus, start with matched underlying costs + percentage markup + per-item markup. Add the relevant fixed and additional charges to each side. The effective-rate calculator helps establish your baseline; its illustrative comparison settings are not a merchant quote.
04 / Compare the complete cost
Make every proposal answer the same questions.
Variable charges
- Card-present, online and keyed rates.
- Per-transaction and authorization charges.
- Applicable interchange and assessments.
- Recurring, international and conversion charges.
- Refund, dispute and ACH-return treatment.
Fixed charges
- Account, gateway and software subscriptions.
- Each location, register or user charge.
- Equipment purchase or lease terms.
- Monthly minimums and PCI-related charges.
- Annual fees counted once per year.
Switching costs
- Setup and installation.
- Hardware and integration compatibility.
- Data or subscription migration.
- Staff training and reconciliation.
- Existing cancellation or lease obligations.
Keep Amex and statement periods aligned.
Fees divided by sales is meaningful only when both cover the same transactions and period. If Amex sales appear on your processor statement while Amex bills its fees separately, including that volume without those fees understates the combined cost. Review Visa/Mastercard/Discover separately, then use the matching Amex statement to complete its comparison.
Do not treat deposits as gross sales: refunds, fees and settlement timing can change the cash received. Show the chosen sales basis consistently. Our Amex guide and statement guide explain the documents to collect.
Cash discount is a different comparison.
Interchange-plus changes how the merchant’s processing costs are priced. Cash-discount and dual-pricing programs change how cash/card prices are presented and costs are covered. Compare the merchant expense, customer experience, payment-method treatment and program terms together. The absence of merchant credit-card fees does not, by itself, establish that software or equipment is free. Read what zero-cost processing means.
05 / Research your actual provider
Go beyond the rate table.
These existing guides help you identify the provider and questions to ask. Confirm any dated rate or contract detail against a current written proposal.
Elavon
Published pricing and what to confirm in your quote.
North American Bancard
Understand the provider behind your merchant agreement.
Clover
Separate the device, software and processing offer.
Worldpay
Questions for a statement-based pricing comparison.
Heartland
Read fee categories and review the account terms.
Stripe
Look at the products and fees behind online acceptance.
06 / Common comparison questions
The details that change the decision.
Which processor has the lowest credit card processing fees?
Is interchange-plus always cheaper than flat-rate?
What does a qualified processing rate mean?
How should I compare an annual fee?
Why can a merchant statement show a misleadingly low effective rate?
Does Payment USA offer every merchant a 2.65% rate?
Check the details
Sources & methodology.
Provider facts were checked against the sources below on September 16, 2026. Examples identify their inputs and exclusions. A published rate, a hypothetical model and a personalized merchant quote are different things.
- Square: current U.S. payment fees
- Square: plans and software pricing
- Helcim: interchange-plus markup tiers
- Helcim: account and additional service fees
- Stripe: U.S. standard and custom pricing
- Payment USA: merchant processing
- Payment USA: statement-reading guide
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