How we calculate

US rates dataset date: October 20, 2026. Every number below is used by the calculator. Each one is marked primary (published by the card network or regulator), secondary (published by someone else) or assumption (our expert estimate). Secondary and assumed numbers are labeled estimate.

Why we compare against the top of the range

We build a fair cost range for a business like yours. The top of the range is a credible upper bound: a richer card mix, your primary card programs, high network fees and a full processor markup. It is normally not below a published interchange-plus price, and never above a published flat price. Possible savings are measured only against the top of that range and rounded down, so we never overstate what you could save.

The steps

1. We take your total fees and set aside chargeback fees, the PCI non-compliance fee (shown as avoidable), terminal rental (compared on its own line) and POS software (shown, not compared). Annual and one-time fees are spread over 12 months. If Amex bills you directly, Amex is left out of both sides.
2. All cards on the statement, debit included, are in one card rate.
3. We estimate whether you qualify for the Visa small merchant rate and use it at the low end only, because enrollment depends on your processor.
4. We blend Visa and Mastercard credit rates for your card mix, add regulated and exempt debit, business cards, Discover and Amex OptBlue.
5. At the top of the range we try more than one debit mix and keep the most expensive, because at small sale sizes more debit can cost more.
6. We add card network fees (approximate, see below), a fair processor markup and fixed monthly fees.
7. The top of the range is the higher of that build and a published interchange-plus price, but never more than a published flat price.
8. Possible savings are your cost minus the top of the range, rounded down to the nearest $5 a month and $50 a year, and hidden under $100 a year.

Visa consumer credit rates

Small merchant limit: $280,000.00 or less in Visa consumer credit sales, over the 12 months ending September 30, 2024 (the window in Visa's April 2026 schedule). primary Visa USA interchange reimbursement fees (PDF)

Mastercard consumer credit rates

Mastercard U.S. interchange rates, 2026 to 2027 (PDF)

Debit

Regulated debit: 0.05% + $0.21 at the low end and 0.05% + $0.22 at the high end (the 1 cent fraud-prevention adjustment). primary Regulation II, 12 CFR 235.3

About 60.7% of debit transactions were regulated in 2024 (Federal Reserve, Regulation II average interchange fees (2024 data)). We use that share at the low end and also try 50% at the top of the range. Exempt debit uses the network schedules; at the top of the range every exempt dollar is priced at the dearer of the Visa and Mastercard rows.

Regulation II status, checked October 19, 2026: The federal debit cap (21 cents plus 0.05%, plus 1 cent for issuers that meet fraud-prevention standards) is in force. A court challenge to it (Corner Post v. Federal Reserve) is still on appeal, and we have not seen a final decision. a payments industry update on Regulation II litigation

Discover

Discover does not publish its rates. We use 1.56% at the low end and 2.40% + $0.10 at the high end. assumptionestimate

Amex OptBlue

• restaurant: under $5.00 2.00% + $0.02; under $15.00 1.60% + $0.04; under $25.00 1.85% + $0.10; under $150.00 2.50% + $0.10; over 2.85% + $0.10
• retail: under $75.00 1.45% + $0.10; under $1,000.00 2.05% + $0.10; over 2.50% + $0.10
• services: under $5.00 2.00% + $0.02; under $15.00 1.60% + $0.04; under $250.00 1.60% + $0.10; under $3,000.00 2.10% + $0.10; over 2.50% + $0.10
• internet: under $150.00 1.70% + $0.10; under $3,000.00 2.05% + $0.10; over 2.50% + $0.10

secondaryestimate a published table of Amex OptBlue US wholesale rates

Card network fees (approximate)

Published sources disagree, and the best source is from 2023, so every network fee is an estimate and the lower value is used at the low end and the higher at the top.

Visa fixed acquirer network fee: on in-person sales, nothing under $200 of monthly Visa sales and 0.15% up to $1,249.99, then a monthly fee per location that depends on how many locations share your taxpayer ID, charged on Visa sales across that ID (the tiers run up to more than 4,000 locations), plus a monthly table on online sales. The schedule is an acquirer's pass-through document, not Visa's own. a US acquirer's pass-through fee schedule, Spring 2026 (PDF)

Card mix by type of business

assumptionestimate You can change any of these with Adjust assumptions on the calculator.

Fair processor markup

• Under $10,000: in person 0.25% + $0.08 to 0.50% + $0.10; online 0.30% + $0.15 to 0.60% + $0.30
• $10,000 to $50,000: in person 0.20% + $0.07 to 0.40% + $0.10; online 0.25% + $0.15 to 0.50% + $0.25
• Over $50,000 to $150,000: in person 0.15% + $0.05 to 0.35% + $0.08; online 0.20% + $0.10 to 0.45% + $0.20
• Over $150,000: in person 0.10% + $0.05 to 0.25% + $0.08; online 0.15% + $0.10 to 0.35% + $0.20

assumptionestimate The markup bands and allowances are not editable.

Floor and cap

Floor: a published US interchange-plus price list, up to $50,000.00 0.40% + $0.08 in person; up to $100,000.00 0.35% + $0.07 in person; above 0.25% + $0.07 in person. secondaryestimate Plus $10.00 a month, our own allowance for statement-level fees. It is not a price the processor publishes. estimate

Cap: published US flat prices (Square), 2.60% + $0.15 in person, 2.90% + $0.30 online, 3.50% + $0.15 keyed. The online price is also Stripe's (Stripe published US pricing); Square's free plan charges more online. secondaryestimate

Allowances

Fixed monthly fees $10.00 to $35.00 (plus $25.00 for an online gateway when more than 20% of sales are online). Terminal rental $15.00 to $39.00 per terminal a month. assumptionestimate

Verdicts

Within the fair range: at or under the top of the range, or less than $25 a month or 0.10 points above it. Above: 0.10 to 0.50 points above. Well above: more than 0.50 points and at least $75 a month above.