Processor fees and pricing

Merchant One Fees: The Qualified Rate and the Three-Year Term

Merchant One advertises rates from 0.29% and a monthly fee from about $13.95. The small print says those are qualified rates, and the agreement behind them runs three years with a termination fee. Here is what the advertised price 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.

What to know: Merchant One scores 44 out of 100

44/100

Merchant One’s score on the weAudit Processor Scoreboard. It is a Miami sales organization reselling Fiserv and Clover processing.

A three-year term that merchants say nobody mentioned.
A termination fee of $295 to $875, despite marketing that has shown $0.
Qualified rates. The advertised rate applies only to sales that qualify for the lowest tier.

Read the full Merchant One rating

Merchant One fees

Fee	As advertised or reported
Monthly fee	From about $13.95 (earlier $6.95)
Swiped rate	0.29% to 1.55%, qualified rates
Keyed rate	0.29% to 1.99%, qualified rates
Contract	Three years; some with a non-cancellable equipment lease
Early termination fee	Greater of $295 or $25 per remaining month; complaints report up to $750
Chargebacks	Reported $25 to $150
PCI	Compliance and monthly non-compliance fees reported

Sources: Merchant One’s advertising and its qualified-rate disclaimer, and terms as reported by independent reviewers including Forbes Advisor, US News, CardPaymentOptions and PaymentPop, credited by name. Your agreement shows what applies to you.

Why the qualified rate is not your rate

A qualified rate is the bottom tier of tiered pricing. It applies only to sales that meet every condition, usually a swiped consumer debit or basic credit card. Rewards cards, business cards, keyed and many online sales fall into mid-qualified and non-qualified tiers at higher rates, and on most statements that is the majority of sales. Merchant One’s own disclaimer says its advertised rates are for qualifying transactions and points to the merchant agreement for full rates and fees. See how a merchant can have the lowest rate and the worst deal.

Before you cancel, find your agreement and work out the termination fee: the greater of $295 or $25 for each month left. Then compare it with what an audit says you are overpaying. Leaving can still be the cheaper choice.

Common questions

What are Merchant One’s fees?

Merchant One advertises a monthly fee from about $13.95 and qualified rates of 0.29% to 1.55% swiped and 0.29% to 1.99% keyed. Those are qualified rates only; sales that do not qualify cost more, and the full rates and fees are in the merchant processing agreement.

What is Merchant One’s early termination fee?

Reviewers report the greater of $295 or $25 for each month left on a three-year term, which can reach about $875, and complainants report fees as high as $750, despite marketing that has shown a $0 early termination fee.

Does Merchant One require a contract?

Reviewers consistently report a three-year agreement, and some include a non-cancellable equipment lease for the same term.

What does qualified rate mean?

It is the lowest tier of tiered pricing, applied only to sales that meet every condition. Rewards cards, business cards, keyed sales and many online sales fall into higher tiers, so the advertised rate is usually not the rate you pay on most of your sales.

Does Merchant One charge PCI fees?

Complainants report PCI compliance fees and monthly non-compliance fees, including after they believed they were compliant. Check your PCI status and statement.

How does weAudit rate Merchant One?

Merchant One scores 44 out of 100 on the weAudit Processor Scoreboard.

Send us the statement. We will tell you what is in it.

Our first audit is free and takes about five minutes of your time. We show you what share of your sales really clear at the qualified rate, every fee on top, and whether leaving pays even after the termination fee. If there is nothing to find, you will know that too.

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weAudit is not affiliated with Merchant One. Merchant One is a name of its owner. See also Clover fees.