Credit Card Processing, Explained Without the Sales Pitch
How fees work, how to read your statement, and how the options compare. Written by people who set this up every week.
Your effective rate is the only number that matters. Take total fees for the month, divide by total card volume. Everything a sales rep quotes you is a piece of that number, not the number itself.
There are three ways to stop paying processing fees, and they are not interchangeable: dual pricing, surcharging and cash discount. Only one of them is clean under both card brand rules and California law.
Point of sale hardware and payment processing are sold together but priced separately. The hardware is a one-time cost. The processing is forever, which is where the money actually is.
Read Your Own Statement First
Before comparing anyone's offer, find out what you pay today. Every other decision on this page depends on that one number.
Dual Pricing, Surcharging and What California Allows
These three programs get used as synonyms by sales reps. They are not the same thing, they carry different card brand rules, and one of them is restricted in California.
Dual Pricing vs Surcharging vs Cash Discount: What Each One Is and Which One to Run
The three ways to stop absorbing card fees, compared on disclosure, debit cards, the 3% cap, state rules, receipts and customer reaction. With a decision table.
Is Dual Pricing Legal in California? What the Surcharge Ban, SB 478 and Card Rules Actually Require
California restricts card surcharges and, since July 2024, bans advertised prices that omit mandatory fees. Dual pricing with both prices shown is the model that fits.
What the Software Layer Actually Costs
Gateway fees, invoicing fees and platform markups sit on top of processing. On a low-volume account they can cost more than the interchange does.
QuickBooks Payments Fees in 2026, and How to Cut Them Without Leaving QuickBooks
QuickBooks Payments charges 2.99% invoiced, 2.5% in person, 3.5% keyed, 1% ACH, 1.75% instant deposit. What it costs on real volume and the cheaper options that sync.
Payment Gateway Pricing in 2026: What Each Gateway Charges and What It Adds Up To
Monthly, per-item and processing fees for Authorize.net, NMI, accept.blue, Fluidpay, Stripe, Braintree, Helcim and Shopify, with all-in cost at three volumes.
What a Payment Gateway Is, What It Is Not, and Whether You Need One
A gateway captures the card at checkout and sends it for authorization. The processor and merchant account move the money. How the three fit and what each costs.
Choosing and Buying a POS Without Getting Locked In
Where you buy the same hardware changes what you pay for years. So does what the contract says about cancellation and who the equipment is locked to.
Clover POS Pricing in 2026: What Each Device, Plan and Rate Actually Costs
Clover Station Duo, Solo, Mini, Flex and Go prices, monthly software plans by business type, the 2.3% + 10ยข processing rate, and how dealer pricing changes the total.
Clover Reseller vs clover.com: Where to Buy Clover Without Getting Burned
Clover is sold direct by Fiserv and by thousands of dealers. What each charges, what a good dealer adds, the contract traps to avoid, and eight questions to ask first.
Clover vs Square vs Toast: Which One, for Which Business, at What Cost
Clover, Square and Toast side by side on processing and lock-in, hardware, plans, restaurant depth, contracts and support, with a decision by business type and.
Clover Contracts and Cancellation: What You Actually Sign, and the Fees That Only Come From Dealers
Clover.com's own terms are month to month; the multi-year contracts, $295 to $595 ETFs, leases and junk fees come from resellers. How to cancel and what to check first.
Skip the reading and send the statement
Every guide here ends the same way: send a statement, get the effective rate and a written quote in 24 hours.