Pricing and Comparison
Credit Card Processing Fees: 2026 Price Guide and Averages
What U.S. merchants pay to accept cards, how the fee is built from interchange, assessments and markup, and how to calculate your own effective rate.
Pricing and Comparison
What card acceptance costs, why rates differ and how the main pricing models stack up.
This section explains where every cent of a card-processing fee goes. You will see how interchange, card-network assessments and processor markup combine into your effective rate, why a debit card and a premium rewards card cost you different amounts, and how flat-rate, interchange-plus, tiered, subscription and cash-discount pricing compare.
Start with the overview guide if you are new to the topic, then move to the pricing-model comparison and the guide on lowering fees. Use the calculators to plug in your own monthly sales and see ranges before you talk to any sales representative.
All numbers in these guides are illustrative unless a source is named. Card-network rates change twice a year and processors set their own markups, so always verify against your own statement and the provider's written pricing schedule.
Guides in this topic
Pricing and Comparison
How to Lower Your Credit Card Processing Fees: 10 Practical Steps
Practical steps to reduce card processing costs, from reading your statement and negotiating markup to avoiding downgrades, using debit routing and surcharging legally.
Pricing and Comparison
Interchange, Assessments and Markup: Who Gets Each Part of the Fee
A clear breakdown of interchange, card-network assessments and processor markup, with a worked $100 sale showing where each cent goes.
Pricing and Comparison
Flat-Rate vs Interchange-Plus vs Tiered Pricing: Processing Models Compared
Compare flat-rate, interchange-plus, tiered, subscription and dual pricing, with arithmetic showing which model tends to fit which kind of business.
Pricing and Comparison
Credit Card Surcharging and Cash Discount Rules for U.S. Merchants
How surcharging, cash discounts and dual pricing differ, what card-network rules and state laws generally require, and how to avoid a violation.
Pricing and Comparison
What Affects Credit Card Processing Fees? 9 Factors That Move Your Rate
Card type, card-present vs online, average ticket, industry risk, data quality and contract terms all change what you pay. Here is how each factor works.