Guides
Understand card fees, statement by statement.
50 plain-English guides with worked examples, charts and checklists. Written for payment consultants, ISO agents and the business owners they talk to.
Find your country
Fees, caps and surcharge rules differ by country. Start with yours.
United Kingdom
Australia
South Africa
Reading statements
Line by line, what every part of a merchant statement means.
How to read a merchant statement, line by line
A plain-English walkthrough of every part of a merchant statement, with a worked example, the effective rate formula and a checklist for missing fees.
Read the guide →Reading statementsEffective rate explained: the one number that compares any two providers
What the effective rate is, how to calculate it from any statement, and why a lower headline rate can still cost more. Includes worked examples and charts.
Read the guide →Reading statementsHidden fees on a merchant statement: 14 charges to look for
The card machine and statement fees that are easy to miss, where each one hides and what to ask your provider. Includes a worked example and a checklist.
Read the guide →Reading statementsMonthly fees on a card machine bill: what each one is for
A clear guide to the fixed monthly charges on a card machine bill, including rental, gateway, PCI and statement fees, and how they weigh on small turnover.
Read the guide →Reading statementsMinimum monthly service charge: how the top-up works and how to avoid it
What a minimum monthly service charge on a card account is, how the top-up is calculated, why it hits seasonal businesses and how to negotiate it away.
Read the guide →Reading statementsHow to work out a missing rate, turnover or fee from a merchant statement
Statements often leave out the rate, turnover or fee. Learn the simple maths that recovers the missing figure, with worked examples and traps to avoid.
Read the guide →Reading statementsRefunds, chargebacks and turnover: the real cost to your card fees
How refunds and chargebacks affect turnover, fees and your effective rate, what a chargeback really costs you and how to read them on your statement.
Read the guide →Reading statementsThe bill check: why your statement total differs from what you paid
Compare the total on a merchant statement with what left your bank. Learn the five usual causes of a gap and how to chase each one with your provider.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing models
Interchange, scheme fees, markups and the pricing models built on them.
Interchange fees explained: who gets paid, how much and why it varies
A plain-English guide to interchange fees: who gets them, why rates differ by card type, how caps work in the UK, US and Australia, and how to spot them.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsScheme fees explained: what Visa and Mastercard charge and who passes it on
What scheme fees and assessments are, how they differ from interchange and provider markup, how they show on a statement and how much of a bill they are.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsInterchange plus vs blended vs flat rate: which pricing model costs less?
Compare interchange plus, blended and flat-rate pricing: how each shows on a statement, what the same month costs on each and which suits which business.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsTiered pricing explained: qualified, mid-qualified and non-qualified rates
How tiered pricing works, how a payment lands in the qualified, mid-qualified or non-qualified tier, what it costs against interchange plus and spotting.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsFlat rate vs interchange plus: where the break-even point sits
Work out when interchange plus beats a flat rate. A worked break-even calculation, a chart across turnovers and a table of how average sale size moves it.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsDebit, credit and commercial cards: why the same payment costs more
Why debit, credit, commercial and international cards cost different amounts to accept, how regulation caps some and what your card mix does to your rate.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsPCI compliance fees explained: what you pay and how to stop paying twice
What PCI compliance and non-compliance fees are, why providers charge them, how to complete the questionnaire and how to get the extra fee removed.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsAuthorisation and per-transaction fees: the small charges that add up
How per-transaction and authorisation fees work, why they hit small sales hardest, how declines are charged and how to cost them for your business.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsAcquirer markup explained: the part of your bill your provider controls
How to find your provider's markup on any card statement, what it is made of, how to judge if it is fair and how to compare markups between quotes.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsHow much does a card machine cost? Buy, rent, lease or pay-as-you-go
What a card machine really costs once you add the terminal, monthly fees, per-payment charges and contract. Buying, renting, leasing and pay-as-you-go.
Read the guide →Fees and pricing modelsSurcharging, cash discounts and dual pricing: what is allowed where
Card surcharging, cash discounts and dual pricing explained, with the rules in the UK, Australia and the US as of late 2026 and what each choice costs you.
Read the guide →Contracts and switching
Terms, exit fees, notice periods and how to move provider without a nasty surprise.
How to cancel a card machine contract without getting caught out
A step-by-step guide to cancelling a card machine contract: check the term, give written notice, sort out the terminal and avoid traps that add extra fees.
Read the guide →Contracts and switchingEarly termination fees on card machines: how they work and how to cut them
How early termination fees on card machine contracts are calculated, what they cost, why terminal charges add to them and how to reduce or avoid the bill.
Read the guide →Contracts and switchingContract length, auto-renewal and notice periods on card machine contracts
How contract terms, automatic renewal and notice periods work on card machine agreements, and a simple diary system so you never get locked in again.
Read the guide →Contracts and switchingHow to switch card machine provider: a step-by-step plan
A practical plan for switching card machine provider without losing sales: what to gather, how to compare quotes, how long it takes and what to check.
Read the guide →Contracts and switchingIs switching card machine provider worth it? The break-even calculation
Work out if switching card machine provider pays off: add the monthly saving, subtract exit and set-up costs, find the payback month and test a bad month.
Read the guide →Contracts and switchingDouble contracts: when your terminal lease and card processing are separate
Many firms have one contract for card processing and another for the terminal. See how double contracts work, the lease risks and how to untangle them.
Read the guide →Contracts and switchingCard machine rental vs buying: which costs less over the contract
Compare renting and buying a card machine over one to five years, with a worked example, when rental wins and the traps of locked terminals and long terms.
Read the guide →Countries and rules
How cards cost and behave in the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Europe.
UK card machine fees: what small businesses pay and how to compare offers
What UK card machine fees include, the three types of provider, how cost changes with turnover and a checklist for finding the cheapest card machine.
Read the guide →Countries and rulesUK interchange caps and the PSR review of UK to EEA card payments
What the UK interchange caps cover, why UK to EEA online card payments cost more since Brexit, what the PSR proposed and what it means for merchants.
Read the guide →Countries and rulesUS credit card processing fees: what you pay and how to check it
A US guide to credit card processing fees: interchange, assessments, markup and monthly charges, plus the Durbin cap, surcharge rules and a checklist.
Read the guide →Countries and rulesAustralia's 2026 card changes: surcharge ban and lower interchange
What the RBA's March 2026 decision means for Australian merchants: the surcharging ban from 1 October 2026, lower interchange and what to ask providers.
Read the guide →Countries and rulesEFTPOS machine costs and merchant fees in Australia: a plain guide
What an EFTPOS machine costs in Australia, how merchant service fees work, the main types of provider and how to compare offers on the all-in rate.
Read the guide →Countries and rulesNew Zealand merchant fees: interchange caps, surcharging and your statement
How New Zealand card fees work after the Commerce Commission's interchange caps, what is still unsettled on surcharging and how to check your savings.
Read the guide →Countries and rulesSouth Africa card machine fees: how they work and what to compare
How card machine fees work in South Africa: regulated interchange, the merchant service fee, VAT, monthly costs and how to compare providers on your sales.
Read the guide →Countries and rulesYoco vs iKhokha vs SnapScan vs Paystack: how to compare the fees
A fair way to compare Yoco, iKhokha, SnapScan and Paystack fees on your own sales, using published rates, and what to check before you choose a provider.
Read the guide →Countries and rulesBank card machine quotes in South Africa: what to ask before you sign
How to read and compare a bank card machine quote in South Africa, the questions to ask the major banks and how to test a quote on your own sales.
Read the guide →Countries and rulesEurope's interchange caps: what the EU rules mean for your card fees
How the EU Interchange Fee Regulation caps consumer interchange at 0.2% and 0.3%, what is not capped, how unblended pricing works and what to check.
Read the guide →Selling and savings quotes
For payment consultants and ISO agents: analysis, proposals and honest selling.
Merchant statement analysis in five minutes: a repeatable method
A repeatable five-minute method for analysing a merchant statement and finding the most defensible saving without overclaiming. For consultants and agents.
Read the guide →Selling and savings quotesHow to ask a merchant for their statement and get a yes
Practical ways to get a merchant statement: where statements live, what to ask for, scripts for calls and visits, and what to do when a merchant says no.
Read the guide →Selling and savings quotesBuilding a savings quote merchants trust: what goes in, what stays out
What goes into a merchant savings quote that gets signed: the headline, side-by-side, ten-year view, assumptions and honest caveats, with a worked example.
Read the guide →Selling and savings quotesHow to win a card machine switch: from first call to signed paperwork
A practical guide for payment consultants to win a card machine switch: timing, trust, the bill check, exit fees, paperwork and follow-up after the sale.
Read the guide →Selling and savings quotesHandling "I'm happy with my provider": responses that respect the merchant
How consultants can answer "I am happy with my provider" and other merchant objections, with scripts, the reasons behind them and when to walk away.
Read the guide →Selling and savings quotesHonest comparisons in merchant services: claims that hold up
How to make savings claims in merchant services that are accurate, fair and defensible: what counts as misleading, a claims checklist and safe wording.
Read the guide →Selling and savings quotesISOs, agents and residuals: how merchant services sales pays
How ISO agents and consultants earn in merchant services: residuals, upfront payments and equipment margins, with a worked example and conflicts to manage.
Read the guide →Selling and savings quotesYour first 90 days as a payment consultant: a practical plan
A week-by-week plan for your first 90 days in merchant services: what to learn, how to practise on real statements, find merchants and what to track.
Read the guide →Selling and savings quotesA merchant services sales pipeline built on contract end dates
How to build a merchant services pipeline around contract end dates and notice windows: the stages, what to record, follow-up timing and numbers to track.
Read the guide →How payments work
The players, the flows and the tools behind a card payment.
How a card payment works: authorisation, clearing and settlement
How a card payment moves from tap to bank account: authorisation, clearing and settlement, who gets paid what and why money arrives a day or two later.
Read the guide →How payments workAcquirer, ISO, payfac and gateway: who does what in payments
A plain guide to acquirers, ISOs, payment facilitators, gateways and PSPs: what each does, how each charges and how to tell which you deal with.
Read the guide →How payments workCard payments glossary: 79 terms in plain English
A plain-English glossary of 79 card payment and merchant statement terms, grouped by topic: players, fees, pricing, statements, contracts and security.
Read the guide →How payments workCan AI read your merchant statement? What works and how to check
What AI and OCR tools can and cannot do with merchant statements: extracting figures, error and privacy risks, and a workflow to verify the results safely.
Read the guide →How payments workExcel or a web calculator for merchant statements: how to choose
An honest comparison of spreadsheets and web calculators for merchant statements: accuracy, speed, quotes, sharing and when each is the right tool.
Read the guide →Put the guides to work.
Enter any merchant statement and see the real cost, the effective rate and what is missing.