PayTrace built its business on one idea before it was common: B2B merchants overpay interchange on commercial cards, and a gateway that fills in Level 2 and 3 data fixes it. That is still true, and PayTrace still does it well. This page describes the product, what merchants report paying, and how to compare it fairly.
What PayTrace is
Founded in 2004 in the Pacific Northwest and now owned by North (North American Bancard), PayTrace describes itself as a B2B payment platform. From its site as of September 2026:
- Virtual terminal for keyed and card-present payments.
- Level II and III interchange optimization, with the company stating that more than half of its 2023 volume received Level II and III discounts.
- Trace AR: accounts receivable automation.
- Trace ACH: bank payments.
- Credit card surcharging.
- Payment links for e-invoicing.
- Hosted payment fields (“Protect”) for PCI scope reduction.
- API with pre-built integrations into accounting and ERP systems.
- Sold direct, through sales partners, and through integration partners.
Scale: $46 billion settled in 2023, more than 40,000 merchants, stated uptime of 99.98%.
What it costs
No published rate card. Ranges reported by third-party pricing guides and merchant agreements in 2026:
| Line | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Gateway monthly | $15 to $35 (some plans cited up to $75) |
| Per transaction | 10¢ to 30¢ |
| Processing margin over interchange | 0.20% to 0.40% |
| Chargeback | $25 to $35 |
| Annual PCI fee | $80 to $150 on some agreements |
| Monthly minimum | $25 to $100 on some agreements |
| Effective B2B rate with Level 3 | About 1.7% to 2.2% all-in |
Treat these as indicative. Your agreement is the source. The annual PCI fee and monthly minimum are the two lines most often missing from the initial quote.
Who PayTrace fits
Wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers, industrial and medical suppliers, and any business where commercial cards are a large share of volume and the accounting team wants AR automation tied to payments. If that is you and you are on a flat-rate provider today, PayTrace or any Level 3 gateway on interchange-plus is a clear improvement. The mechanics are on the Level 3 processing page.
How to compare it
- Pull your PayTrace gateway invoice and the processing statement. Total them. Divide by volume. That is your effective rate.
- Note the commercial card share from the interchange detail.
- Get a competing quote for a Level 3 gateway on interchange-plus with gateway fee, per-item, margin, PCI, minimums and term on one page.
- Apply both to last month.
The margin over interchange is where the difference usually sits. A 0.40% margin and a 0.20% margin on $100,000 a month is $200 a month; the gateway fee difference is a rounding error.
PayTrace vs accept.blue vs EBizCharge
| PayTrace | accept.blue | EBizCharge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 and 3 | Yes, core feature | Yes, enhanced | Yes |
| AR automation | Trace AR | Invoicing suite | Deep ERP and accounting integration |
| ACH | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Surcharging | Yes | Via provider | Via provider |
| Sold by | Direct and partners | ISOs only | Direct and partners |
| Published pricing | No | No (provider-set) | Flat-rate options advertised, rates not published |
| Terms | Per agreement | Provider-set; month to month through us | Per agreement |
EBizCharge is covered on its own page. All three do the B2B job; the deciding factors are the accounting system you run, the margin, and the term.
What we do
Place accept.blue with Level 3 enabled on interchange-plus, month to month, one bill, with virtual terminal fields and integration set up for your invoicing system. If your PayTrace agreement is competitive, we tell you and you keep it.