Processor fees compared

Credit Card Processing Fees Comparison: What Every Major Processor Really Charges

Here is what the biggest payment processors charge, side by side, with a link to a full breakdown of each. One warning before the table: the headline rate is the least useful number on it. What matters is how each one prices, and what it leaves out.

Written by Robert Day, Founder and Managing Partner of weAudit.com, previously an executive at Fifth Third Processing Solutions, later Vantiv and Worldpay, now part of Global Payments, the world’s largest card processor. Published October 2026.

Figures in brief

80 to 90 percent of what any business pays to accept cards is interchange, set by the card networks and the same at every processor.
Three pricing models: flat rates, published transparent pricing, and pricing that is quoted and never published.
About 2.25%: typical blended interchange in weAudit’s audits. A flat rate well above it is markup.
15 processors and platforms compared below, each with its own full breakdown.

Published flat rates

Choosing between two of them? See Clover vs Square, or run your own numbers in the Clover fee calculator and Square fee calculator.

One price on every card. Simple to understand, and usually the most expensive way for a growing business to take cards, because a cheap debit card costs you the same as a premium rewards card.

Processor	Headline price	What the price does not show	Details
Stripe	2.9% + 30¢ online; 2.7% + 5¢ in person	Same price on every card, cheap or expensive	Stripe fees
Square	2.6% + 15¢ in person; 3.3% + 30¢ online (Free plan)	Same price on every card; online rate rose in 2026	Square fee calculator
QuickBooks Payments	2.99% on invoices; 2.5% in person; 3.5% keyed	Business-card savings stay with Intuit	QuickBooks fees
Chase Payment Solutions	2.6% + 10¢ in person; 2.9% + 25¢ online	Tied to Chase business banking	Chase fees
Toast	2.49% + 15¢ in person on the $69 plan	You cannot process anywhere else	Toast fees
Clover	From 2.6% + 10¢, plus software from $0 a month (direct)	Reseller packages often cost far more	Clover fees
Authorize.net All-in-One	$25 a month + 2.9% + 30¢	The cheaper Gateway Only plan exists	Authorize.net fees

Published transparent pricing

You pay the real cost of each card plus a stated markup or subscription. This is the structure weAudit pushes merchants toward, because you can check every line.

Processor	Headline price	What the price does not show	Details
Helcim	Interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ in person; no monthly fee	A fair entry markup, not a floor	Helcim fees
Stax	$99 to $199 a month + 8¢ or 15¢ a sale; no markup on interchange	Expensive for small volumes, cheap for large	Stax fees

Quoted, not published

Most of the industry by volume. These processors set pricing account by account, often through resellers and salespeople, so there is no single price to compare. What we can compare is how they price and where the extra fees show up.

Processor	Headline price	What the price does not show	Details
Fiserv	Not published	Fee detail on statements varies by account	Fiserv fees
Worldpay	Not published	Fee changes arrive by statement notice	Worldpay fees
Global Payments, Heartland, TSYS	Not published	Reported annual fee about $499 and infrastructure fee about $450	Global Payments fees
CardConnect	Not published	A public schedule shows interchange + 0.20% + 10¢ for a large buyer	CardConnect fees
Bank of America	Not published	Clients seen moved from 4 to over 40 basis points	Bank of America processing
Versapay	Not published	License reported at $50,000 to $150,000+ a year, plus processing	Versapay fees
Adyen	List price published; most merchants pay a reseller’s price	$0.13 + interchange + scheme fees + 0.60% list; platforms often charge a flat 2.9%	Adyen fees
Payment Depot	Not published since the Stax acquisition	Interchange + 0.2% to 1.95% reported, plus $10 a month PCI	Payment Depot fees
Merchant One	Qualified rates advertised	0.29% to 1.55% qualified swiped rate, $13.95 a month, three-year term	Merchant One fees

Published rates checked September and October 2026 against each company’s own pricing pages or, where noted on the linked page, reported pricing. Figures for quoted processors are as described on each linked page.

Mystery charges, explained

Some of the most-searched processing charges are not rates at all. They are names on a bank or card statement that nobody explains:

Elavon service fee: the charge people see after paying a government agency, school or utility.
BANKCARD MTOT DISC: the monthly debit for card processing on a business bank statement.
Business Track: Fiserv’s merchant portal, now called Commerce Control Center.

How to compare processors properly

The rate is not the price. Processors know merchants compare the headline rate, so that is the number they compete on, and the margin moves into fees, inflated network charges and setup. Read who has the best credit card processing rates before you compare quotes, and see interchange-plus pricing for what a fair markup looks like.

Work out your effective rate from three recent statements: total fees divided by total card sales. The fee calculator does it in seconds.
Ask every processor the same four questions: the markup over interchange, every fixed fee, the contract term and the cost to leave.
Check the setup: the right merchant category code, daily settlement and full data on business cards.
Get it in writing, then check your statements against it.

Common questions

Which credit card processor has the lowest fees?

None of them, in the sense people mean. Every processor pays the same interchange for the same card, and interchange is 80 to 90 percent of the cost. What differs is the markup and the fees on top, which depend on how the account is priced and who sold it.

Is flat-rate or interchange-plus pricing cheaper?

For most businesses above a few thousand dollars a month in card sales, interchange-plus with a small, stated markup is cheaper, because you pay the real cost of each card. Flat rates charge every card the same price, so the savings on cheaper cards stay with the processor.

Why do some processors not publish their prices?

Because their pricing is set account by account, often by the salesperson. That is why two businesses on the same processor can pay very different amounts, and why a published comparison can only show the structure for those processors, not your price.

How do I compare processors for my own business?

Work out your effective rate, total fees divided by total card sales, from three recent statements. Then compare quotes on the markup over interchange and every fixed fee, not on the headline rate.

Are these fees current?

The published rates were checked in September and October 2026 against each company’s own pricing pages or reported pricing. Processors change prices, so check the linked breakdown and your own statement.

Skip the comparison. Send us your statement.

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weAudit is processor-neutral and receives no revenue share, referral payment or other financial tie from any processor or ISO, and does not recommend one processor over another. Company names are trademarks of their respective owners.