Credit card processing fees
Pricing.
Credit card processing fees come in layers. See how SU Payments prices them, then estimate what you pay today and compare typical published ranges.
Get pricing for your businessSU Payments pricing.
Every rate is set after a review of your statement, on one of four pricing models, with a monthly platform fee.
Get pricing for your businessCard pricing models
How SU Payments pricing works.
Card payments are priced on one of four models. Interchange is the fee paid to the bank that issued the card.
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Interchange-plus
Card cost + markup
The card’s own cost, plus a set markup on top of it.
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Tiered
Markup by card type
A markup that varies with the type of card used.
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Flat rate
One percentage
One percentage, set after we review your statement.
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Flat rate plus fee
Percentage + per-transaction fee
One percentage, plus a fee on every transaction.
Plus a monthly platform fee for the software and payment platform.
Worked example
Interchange-plus, worked through.
On a $100 sale, a card costing 1.9% + 10¢ with a 0.50% markup costs 2.4% + 10¢.
That is $2.50 in all: $2.00 for the card and $0.50 for the markup.
Illustration only, not SU Payments pricing.
Sample data, an illustration only: interchange-plus on a $100 sale. The card costs 1.9% + 10¢, or $2.00, and a 0.50% markup adds $0.50: 2.4% + 10¢, or $2.50 in all.
Included and terms
What’s included, and the terms.
Six tools come at no added fee. Here are the agreement, setup and bank payment (ACH) terms.
Included at no added fee
Agreement and setup
- Agreement
- One year
- Early termination fee
- $35
- Setup fee
- None for most businessesLarger implementations are quoted upfront, before you sign.
Bank payments (ACH)
- ACH pricing
- A flat fee per transaction, or a percentageNo per-transaction caps or minimums.
- ACH return fee
- $15
- ACH limits
- Set when your account is approvedThey can be raised with a good payment history.
Who can apply
US-registered businesses accepting US card payments.
Enterprise accounts
Custom pricing for high monthly volume.
Your volume and mix
Pricing built on your volume and your transaction mix.
A dedicated contact
One dedicated contact for your setup and your review.
Know your payment costs
What are payments
costing you today?
What to have ready
A recent statement, with your monthly volume, number of payments and the fees you paid.
What it estimates
Your current monthly processing cost, the same cost over a year, and your effective rate.
What the effective rate shows
Your total fees as a share of your volume, so per-payment fees count as well as the rate.
What happens next
The “Review these numbers with us” button carries these five values into the request form.
Put your numbers in perspective.
Your payment snapshotBased on your inputs and a constant monthly volume. This is a cost illustration, not a savings estimate or pricing quote.
Review these numbers with usIndustry context
Card and ACH fees across the industry.
Typical published industry ranges, which change over time. Your own statement shows what you actually pay; none of these figures is SU Payments pricing.
Three layers make up the cost of a card payment
Interchange, network fees and a provider’s markup
Interchange is the fee paid to the bank that issued the card. Together with network fees and a provider’s markup, it makes up what a business pays.
- Interchange
- Paid to the card’s issuing bank, at rates the card networks set. It is the main part, and varies by card and sale.
- Network fees
- Paid to the card networks, which set them. Like interchange, they leave a business little or no room to negotiate.
- Provider markup
- Set by your payment provider, and often the one layer open to negotiation. How it is quoted depends on the pricing model.
- All-in cost of a card payment
- About 1.5% to 3.5% of the sale $1.50 to $3.50 on a $100 sale, depending on the card and how it is used.
- Network fees
- About 0.13% to 0.165% of the sale
Four ways a rate can be quoted
Flat rate, interchange-plus, tiered and subscription
Providers package the same layers in different ways. Compare how each model treats online and keyed payments, not only the headline rate.
- Flat rateOne percentage, often plus a fixed fee, for every card. Online and keyed payments usually carry a separate, higher rate.
- Typically 2.6% to 2.9% plus 10¢ to 30¢
- Interchange-plusInterchange and network fees passed through at cost, plus a fixed markup. In one published example, the markup is higher online.
- Example markups: 0.40% + 8¢ in person, 0.50% + 25¢ online
- TieredEach payment falls into a qualified, mid-qualified or non-qualified tier. The provider decides which cards and payments go where.
- The advertised rate usually covers only non-rewards debit cards in person
- SubscriptionA monthly fee, plus interchange and a small fee for each payment. In published examples, the per-payment fee is higher online.
- About 5¢ to 15¢ per payment, plus the monthly fee; one published plan is $99 a month
A typical flat-rate online processor
The online, keyed and international rates such plans publish
Flat-rate providers publish their rates. These are typical of the online plans that independent guides summarize.
- The rate published most often for online card payments
- 2.9% + 30¢
- Published online rates across plans; the low end needs a higher-priced monthly plan
- 2.5–3.5% + 25–49¢
- Payments keyed in by hand, as over the phone
- 3.4–3.5% + 9–30¢
- International cards on one published plan
- 4.4% + 30¢
A fixed fee weighs more on small payments. At 2.9% + 30¢, a $10 sale costs 59¢ (5.9%) and a $100 sale costs $3.20 (3.2%).
Not every card costs the same
Typical interchange by card, and online against in person
Interchange depends on the card. Rewards and business cards cost more to accept than debit cards, and online payments cost more than in-person ones.
- Regulated debitCards from banks that, with their affiliates, have $10 billion or more in assets
- Capped at 21¢ + 0.05%, plus 1¢ for eligible fraud prevention The federal rule behind it is subject to ongoing litigation. Check the current rule before relying on this figure.
- Unregulated debitCards from smaller banks
- 0.80% to 1.10% + 15¢ to 16¢ in person, in published rates
- Standard credit
- 1.43% to 1.95%, plus a small fixed fee
- Rewards credit
- 2.00% to 2.30%, plus a fixed fee, in person
- Premium rewards credit
- 2.50% to 2.65%, plus a fixed fee, in person
- Business and commercial cards
- Often higher than consumer credit; no neutral published range Across the industry, sending more order detail (Level 2 and Level 3 data) can lower the rate on business-to-business payments.
- Online and keyed payments
- One provider’s all-in averages: 2.31% + 25¢ online or keyed, against 1.79% + 8¢ in person These averages include the provider’s markup. Card-not-present interchange is higher because the fraud risk is higher.
Bank payments are priced differently
ACH flat fees, percentages, caps and limits
ACH (Automated Clearing House) payments move money between bank accounts. Many providers charge a flat fee or a capped percentage, so the cost need not grow with the invoice.
- By card at 2.9% + 30¢
- $145.30
- By bank at a flat 50¢ fee
- $0.50
An illustration at public rates. It is not SU Payments pricing.
- Flat fee per payment
- Commonly $0.20 to $1.50
- Percentage pricing
- Typically 0.5% to 1.5%; about 1% is common
- Cap on percentage pricing
- Commonly $5 to $6 per payment, with examples up to $10 Not every plan has a cap.
- Same Day ACH limit in the ACH rules
- $1 million per payment Scheduled to rise to $10 million.
Fees to look for on your statement
Monthly, gateway, compliance, chargeback and other fees
Beyond the rate, a statement can carry fixed and per-event fees. A chargeback is a card payment the cardholder’s bank reverses after a dispute.
- Monthly or account fee
- $5 to $25; some premium services up to $50 Flat-rate plans typically have none.
- Payment gateway fee
- $15 to $30 a month, plus 5¢ to 15¢ per payment Some providers include it.
- PCI compliance feeFor the card-data security standard
- About $79 to $120 a year Many providers charge none.
- PCI non-compliance fee
- $10 to $100 a month
- Chargeback fee
- Usually $0 to $50, and up to $100 or more If the business loses the dispute, it also loses the sale amount; some providers refund the fee when the business wins.
- Refund handling
- Ask whether the original fee comes back on a refund, and whether a refund fee applies Practice varies by provider; there is no typical figure to quote.
- Monthly minimum
- $10 to $25 in processing fees The shortfall is charged when fees fall below the minimum.
- Batch fee
- 10¢ to 30¢ per daily batch
Referral partners
Introduce a business. We take it from there.
For consultants, agencies, bookkeepers, software providers and advisors whose clients take payments.
Make an introduction.
Tell us about a business you serve that takes payments and could use a review.
We handle the rest.
We take care of the business’s payment review, its setup and its support.
Share in the revenue.
Your revenue share depends on how involved you want to be and how many you refer.
Good questions. Clear answers.
Pricing questions.
How does SU Payments price card payments?
SU Payments offers interchange-plus, tiered and flat-rate pricing, or a flat rate plus a per-transaction fee. A monthly platform fee applies for the software and payment platform. Every rate is set after a review of your statement.
Is there a contract, and what does it cost to cancel?
Yes. SU Payments accounts use a one-year agreement. If you end it early, the early termination fee is $35.
Is there a setup fee?
Most businesses pay no setup fee. Larger implementations are quoted upfront, before you sign.
How much do ACH payments cost?
ACH payments are priced as a flat fee per transaction or as a percentage, set after a review of your statement. There are no per-transaction caps or minimums. The ACH return fee is $15.
What is included at no added fee?
Invoicing, hosted payment pages and payment links, email payment requests, recurring billing and the virtual terminal are included at no added fee. So are reporting and the dashboard. A monthly platform fee applies for the software and payment platform.
Which businesses can apply?
US-registered businesses accepting US card payments can apply for an SU Payments account.
Is there pricing for high-volume businesses?
Yes. Enterprise accounts are for businesses with high monthly volume. Pricing is built on your volume and transaction mix, with a dedicated contact for setup and review.
How does the referral partner program work?
Consultants, agencies, bookkeepers, software providers and advisors introduce businesses that take payments. SU Payments handles the review, setup and support. The revenue share depends on how involved the partner wants to be and how many businesses they refer.
