PCI non-compliance fees ($20-50/mo), monthly minimums ($25), batch fees ($0.10-0.30/day), and any 'IRS reporting fee' or 'regulatory fee'. Most can be negotiated away or avoided by switching processors.

Can I negotiate fees mid-contract?

Yes. Call your processor with a competing quote in hand; many will match. If not, the early-termination fee is usually less than 1 year of overpayment.

Fees & pricing

Credit card processing fees, decoded

There are only three fee buckets on your statement: interchange (paid to banks, ~70%), assessments (paid to Visa/Mastercard, ~10%), and markup (paid to your processor, ~20% — and the only part that's negotiable).

✓Editorially reviewedReviewed by Sam Patel, Merchant services editorUpdated April 1, 2026How we make money Methodology Advertiser disclosure

Quick answer

For most small businesses, an effective rate (total fees ÷ total volume) of 2.6%-3.0% is normal on flat-rate, and 2.0%-2.5% is normal on interchange-plus. Above that, you're overpaying.

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