How Can I Have The Lowest Discount Rate and The Worst Deal?
Credit card processors know that merchants look at two numbers: the discount rate and the transaction fee. So those are…
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Insights
Merchant processing is complex, involving hundreds of interchange categories that are updated annually, making it challenging to stay current.
At weAudit, we understand the intricacies of the payment processing industry, having served as executives for the world’s largest processors.
We aim to be a valuable resource for you, the merchant.
Please let us know what you would like us to write about. If we do, we will give you $50.00 for your idea.
Credit Card Fraud Statistics 2026: What the Primary Sources Say
BANKCARD MTOT DISC: What That Charge On Your Bank Statement Is
Excessive Chargeback Programs: Visa VAMP and Mastercard ECM
Chargeback Protection Services: What You Actually Get
Chargeback Prevention: How to Stop Them Before They Start
How to Lower Your Credit Card Processing Fees
The number on your statement is not one price. It is three separate charges stacked on top of each other,…
Interchange Category Study: Visa and Mastercard Rate Categories, 1991 to 2026
In 2009 the US Government Accountability Office counted the interchange rate categories Visa and Mastercard used to price credit card…
Elavon Service Fee: What It Is and Why It Is On Your Statement
You paid a property tax bill, a tuition invoice, a water bill or a dentist, and a second charge showed…
AVS Mismatch: What It Means and How to Fix It
An AVS mismatch means the billing address entered at checkout did not match the address the card issuing bank has…
What Is an ISO in Payments? Who Really Set Up Your Account
If you accept credit cards, there is a good chance the company that sold you your merchant account was not…
Credit Card Processing Fees Explained: 5 Things Your Processor Will Not Tell You
Most merchants have credit card processing fees explained to them exactly once: on the day they sign. After that, the…
PCI Non-Compliance Fee? You May Not Owe It |
A PCI non-compliance fee is often a penalty you do not actually owe If a recurring PCI non-compliance fee showed…
Do You Realy Know How to Read Your Statement
Every once in a while, I run into someone who openly admits, “I have no idea how merchant processing fees…
Credit Card Surcharge Laws by State: The 2026 Rules
Before the rules, our position. We do not recommend surcharging. Not one of the 500 largest companies in America adds…
Surcharge vs. Convenience Fee: What’s the Difference (and Which Can You Legally Use)?
In this industry, the words “surcharge” and “convenience fee” get used interchangeably. They should not be. They are two different…
Cash Discount, Dual Pricing and “Free” Processing: The Real Math
A cash discount program is the one way of passing card costs along that is legal in all fifty states,…
If Credit Card Processing Networks Controlled ACH Fees
If credit card processing networks controlled ACH Fees, then ACH fees would look very different than they do today.
How to Read Your Chase Paymentech Statement
What makes Chase Paymentech statements hard to read Before you spend time on an article that may not apply to…
Overcharged by Your Credit Card Processor?
If a fee on your statement felt wrong, you were probably right Most business owners who suspect they are being…
Understanding Illinois’ Swipe Fee Law and What It Means For Merchants
In July, the Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC) asked the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to withdraw an interim final rule…
Strategies To Help Lower Your Business’s Credit Card Fees
As a merchant, you’ve probably received calls from companies promising to lower your credit card fees. What’s surprising is how…
Is Your Credit Card Processor Secretly Costing You a Fortune?
The lack of transparency in credit card processing can quietly eat your profit margin. Here are five things to look…
Visa’s Commercial Enhanced Data Program: What Merchants Should Know in 2026
That deal did not hold. If you process Visa Small Business cards, your costs went up in 2026, and they…
Card Account Updater: What It Does and What Your Processor Charges
Card account updaters (CAUs) are handy tools that credit card companies and payment processors offer to help businesses keep their…
Merchant Account Fees: Which Ones Are Real and Which Your Processor Invented
Running a business comes with enough challenges. Managing operations, serving customers, staying ahead of competitors. But merchant account fees may…
Credit Card Surcharge Rules — and Why Big Retailers Don’t Do It
I belong to a CEO peer group, and I love connecting with leaders who are further along in their journey….
What Merchants Should Consider Before They Surcharge
With processing fees rising, more businesses are surcharging, or looking hard at it. Many tell us they feel stuck between…
Is the Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement Legit? (2026)
Every day, our clients ask us about the Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement. It has been running for years, with…
Your Processor Profits When Your Transactions Downgrade
Some credit card processors use a quiet tactic known as “enhanced billing.” They quote you a low discount rate to…
Zero Markup Processing Does Not Exist. Interchange Plus Pricing Does.
We would also start asking about free lunches. What actually exists is creative marketing. Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) that resell…
Commercial Card Interchange Service (CCIS): What Merchants Pay
CCIS stands for Commercial Card Interchange Service. The quickest way to understand it is to follow the chain, because each…
Why Monitoring Your Credit Card Processing Statement Is Critical
If you want a fee reduced or removed, you can call your processor and just ask. Most of the time…
Credit Card Processing Definitions
The Worst Credit Card Processing Companies (And Why “Best” Lists Lie)
No one has put together a definitive list of the best processors. Who could do that even if they wanted…
Is Chargeback Insurance Worth It? The Math Says No!
If you are here, chargebacks are costing you money and you want it to stop. Chargeback insurance looks like the…
Fiserv PassKey Encryption and Your Merchant Statements
It locks everyone except you out of your own statements. That includes the people you have deliberately asked to look…
California’s SB 478 – Another Flip Flop
California has flip flopped on credit card surcharging for forty years, and the current answer is more precise than either…
The Great American Heist – How Credit Card Processors Steal Businesses’ Profits
The Great American Heist! I am sure many will say, wow, that might just be a little overkill, don’t you…
Bank of America Credit Card Processing: What It Costs and What to Watch
If Bank of America handles your credit card processing, go and pull your last three statements before you read any…
Wholesale Credit Card Processing
The whole article in one line. There is no such thing as wholesale credit card processing.
Is Your Credit Card Processor Keeping Your Rebates?
Is your credit card processor keeping your rebates? Most likely, yes. I would say 95% or more of merchants are…
The Hidden Dangers of Dealing with Credit Card Processing Auditing Companies
You might find this an odd topic coming from me, given that I run an auditing firm specialising in credit…
Is Your Money Safe In A Bank?
If I asked whether your money is safer in a box on your back porch or in the bank, you…
Case Study – When Your Processor Promises to Make Things Right
A merchant found out they were being overbilled, confronted their processor, and accepted an apology and a promise to put…
Do You Have Risk Fees On Your Credit Card Processing Statement?
Do you have a “Risk Fee” on your credit card processing statement? No? Good. You are luckier than a lot…
About weAudit
weAudit.com, Founded in 2009 by Robert Day, is America’s #1 Credit Card Processing Auditing Firm.The firm specializes in all aspects of credit card processing fees, interchange management, fraud, PCI Compliance and surcharging, aiming to save businesses money and provide ethical, transparent, and secure services. In 2019, they were awarded the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for ethics and community service. weAudit.com is dedicated to making a positive impact by supporting various charitable organizations and upholding high standards of respect and privacy for their clients.
More from weAudit
- The 2030 Great DepressionWhy the next downturn is being built into the payments system now.
- A Second Look at 2030Revisiting the forecast with what has changed since.
- They Paid $52 Million Trying to Cover It UpWhat a processor was willing to spend rather than explain its billing.
- Our Founders StoryHow an executive at the largest processor ended up auditing them.
- Press Release: The Great American HeistThe book, and the reporting behind it.
- Vistage SpeakingRobert Day speaking to CEO and executive groups.
- Podcasts, Interviews and MediaWhere Robert has appeared, and how to book him.
- Stop Being an Expense, Start Being EssentialFor advisors who want to matter more to their clients.
- How Autowash Maintenance Lost Five YearsA client case study on what five years of unchecked processing fees cost one car wash chain, and how they got it back.
- The Billing Problem No One Talks AboutWhy the fees that cost you most are the ones nobody explains, and what to ask your processor about them.
Want to talk?
- Call us today 800-672-1292
- Book a free consultation
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