
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.
See an illustrative monthly cost range for each pricing model at your sales volume.
This estimator gives an illustrative monthly cost range for the major pricing models at the sales volume you enter. Pick a pricing model from the menu and the low and high effective cost per $1,000 of sales fill in automatically. You can overwrite them with numbers from real quotes.
Formula. Monthly cost equals thousands of dollars of sales multiplied by the cost per $1,000, plus fixed monthly fees. Dividing the cost per $1,000 by 10 gives the effective rate in percent, so $25 per $1,000 is 2.5%.
Worked example. At $25,000 in monthly sales (enter 25), a model costing $22 to $30 per $1,000 produces $550 to $750 before fixed fees. With $30 in fixed fees the range is $580 to $780 per month.
Important limits. The per-$1,000 ranges built into the menu are teaching examples, not market data or quotes from any provider. Actual cost depends on your average ticket, card mix, card-present share and contract. Surcharge programs shift fees to customers and are restricted by card-network rules and by some state laws, so read the surcharging guide before relying on that line.

Pricing and Comparison
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
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
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.