Pricing without the squint
In-person cards run 2.50% plus $0.10. Keyed and online run 2.90% plus $0.25. Or hand the fee to the cardholder and pay 0% yourself. No monthly fee, no setup fee, no statement fee, no PCI fee, and no long-term contract holding it up.
What are the card processing rates?
Three ways to price the same counter. Most stores start on the first one.
In person
2.50% + $0.10
Cards swiped, dipped or tapped at your counter. The rate most corner store volume lands on.
Keyed and online
2.90% + $0.25
Card numbers typed in by hand, phone orders and anything you sell online.
Zero cost processing
0% you pay
The cardholder covers 3.95% at checkout instead. State law and card-network and acquirer rules vary. We confirm the written program terms with you before setup.
For a like-for-like comparison, Square's US fees page (retrieved 2026-09-11 from squareup.com/us/en/payments/our-fees) lists tap, dip or swipe at 2.6% + 15¢, 2.5% + 15¢ or 2.4% + 15¢ by plan, online at 3.3% + 30¢ or 2.9% + 30¢, and keyed at 3.5% + 15¢. Those are Square's published figures that day. Ours, above, are 2.50% + $0.10 in person and 2.90% + $0.25 keyed. Type both into the fee calculator on your own volume. Sample pricing applies to new accounts applying directly; pricing is subject to underwriting, MCC and the merchant agreement; rates may differ and are subject to change.
What are the monthly fees?
This is the part that usually hides in a statement. Here it is as a list of zeros.
- Monthly fee $0.00
- Annual fee $0.00
- Setup fee $0.00
- Statement fee $0.00
- PCI fee $0.00
- Customer service fee $0.00
- Batch fee $0.00
The three that are not always zero, stated plainly:
- There is no early termination fee. If you rent equipment and do not return it, that carries a $395 fee.
- A monthly minimum of up to $25.00 applies only to idle or barely used accounts. Once your processing charges pass $25 in a month, it is waived.
- A PCI non-compliance fee of up to $79.00 applies only if the PCI compliance checklist is not completed. Complete it and it is waived.
What does the hardware cost?
- Tap to Pay Included with every merchant account
- Handheld smart terminal $199.00 to buy, or $24.95 a month to rent. One free per location
- All-in-one terminal $399.00 to buy, or $49.95 a month to rent
Deposits land in your bank the next business day. Disputes cost $25.00 each, and $25.00 per representment if you fight one. American Express may carry additional terms.
Can these rates come down?
Interchange-plus pricing passes through the applicable network and issuer costs and adds the processor's markup. Whether it costs less than a flat rate depends on your card mix, volume and the full fee schedule. High-volume stores may also qualify for different pricing. We run both against your own statement instead of guessing, including for liquor store setups where the mix skews heavily toward credit.
The fine print, in full
The rates above are sample pricing for new accounts applying directly through this site. Your pricing is subject to underwriting, your business category, and your merchant agreement. Rates can differ from the samples here and are subject to change. Nothing on this page is an approval, a quote, or a guarantee. We put your store's real numbers in writing before you sign anything, and if a line does not make sense we explain it until it does or it comes out.
Get your numbers in writing
Send us your last processing statement and we come back with your real effective rate and what it would be with us, line by line.