Cut through the noise and learn what each fee really means — interchange, assessments, processor markups, and more.
The three layers of every fee
Every card swipe pays three groups: the card network (Visa/Mastercard/etc), the issuing bank (interchange), and your processor. Interchange and assessments are non-negotiable; your processor's markup is where the savings live.
Watch for 'enhanced' or 'bundled' tiers
If your statement groups every transaction into 'Qualified', 'Mid-Qualified', and 'Non-Qualified' buckets, you're on tiered pricing. It's often the most expensive structure — interchange-plus is usually cleaner.
Per-item, batch, and monthly fees
These add up. Compare them apples-to-apples across providers, not just rate percentages.
Effective rate is the only number that matters
Total fees ÷ total card volume = your true cost. If you don't know your effective rate, you can't compare offers.
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