Card processing
Credit card processing for small business, rates up front
Rates from 2.79% + $0.10 in person and 2.89% + $0.30 online, and Esplanda software costs the same on any processor.
The rate card
| In personStarting rate. Tap, dip or swipe at the counter | 2.79% + $0.10 |
|---|---|
| OnlineStarting rate. Website orders and other card-not-present payments | 2.89% + $0.30 |
| Your final rateIn writing before you sign | Set from your current statement |
| Esplanda POSThe register. Every software price is the same whether or not you process with us. See Esplanda pricing. | Free |
| Phone supportThe line you call about your own account, per location per month | $0 while you process with us, otherwise $129 |
| Statement reviewNo obligation | Free |
Your rate is set when First American approves your account, from your current statement. Esplanda resells processing for First American Payment Systems, which underwrites, approves, funds and owns your merchant account. Processing is optional. For working capital, small business financing shows the total repaid in dollars before you sign.
Bring your last full statement to the demo, or work out your effective rate first.
Average sale
Your average sale sets the comparison
The per-transaction part of a card fee doesn't shrink when the sale does, so your average sale matters more than your volume. Work out your average sale from one statement.
Under $20
Compare on the per-transaction fee
At small tickets, the fixed fee on each sale carries the most weight.
$20 to $25
Run the full comparison
Your card mix and your monthly fees decide it.
Over $25
Compare on the percentage
The percentage carries more weight than the per-transaction fee.
Mostly online
Compare on the online rate
Card-not-present payments are priced differently from the counter.
Setting up
How to set up card processing with Esplanda
A free statement review comes first, in about two days: your effective rate today and the same month on our rate card, in writing.
Bring your last full statement
Every page, including the fee summary most owners never open.
We split pass-through from markup
What the banks and card networks took, and what your processor took.
We price your real card mix
Your cards and your tickets on our rate card, in writing, with every input beside it.
You decide, with the numbers in hand
Your effective rate beside our price for the same month. The review is free, with no obligation.
First American approves the account
First American reviews and approves your merchant account, and your rate is set at approval, from your current statement.
Take cards on your register
Keep the register you have, or use ours: our free POS system with inventory management, or your Square, Clover, Lightspeed or KORONA register through our POS integrations. Terminals and pin pads are on POS hardware. Thinking of leaving Square? See Esplanda vs Square.
Processing is optional; every software price is the same either way. Refund requests always come to you, never to an automated reply. Read why Esplanda is safe to trust.
Merchant services
Three costs inside every card fee
Every card payment carries three costs: two set by the banks and card networks, and one set by the processor.
- Issuing bank
Interchange
Kept by the bank that issued the card. It changes with the type of card and how it was taken.
- Card networks
Card brand assessments
Kept by Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. They move for every processor at once.
- Processor
Markup and fees
Everything above those two, including monthly, batch and PCI fees. Esplanda won't change its part quietly: if a card network raises a rate, you're told what moved.
Your effective rate is every card cost on the statement divided by your card sales for the month. Work yours out with the credit card processing fee calculator.
Choosing a processor
How to choose credit card processing for a small business
The best credit card processing for a small business is the one that costs least on your own statement and fits the way you sell. Six things to check before you sign with anyone.
Rates you can read first
A published rate card before any sales call. Esplanda's starts at 2.79% + $0.10 in person and 2.89% + $0.30 online.
Your month, priced in writing
Every quote priced on the same month of your own statement, so the effective rates line up. Ours is free, with every input beside it.
The three costs shown apart
Interchange, assessments and markup on separate lines, so you can see which part a quote really changes. Flat rate, interchange-plus or tiered: see how card processing fees are calculated.
Notice when a rate moves
When a card network changes a rate, you're told what moved and by how much, never a quiet change on the statement.
Counter and online together
Tap, dip or swipe at the counter, and card payments on website orders from your POS with online ordering, at the online rate.
No change to your software price
Every Esplanda line runs in full on the processor you already have, at the same price, so the choice is yours to make on the numbers.
Register and payments
Card fees next to the sale that caused them
When Esplanda runs the register and the processing, each fee lands on the same item record that ordering and pricing use.
- Margin you can trust. A category running on small, card-heavy tickets shows it in this month's report. See our business reporting software.
- Deposits matched to the day's sales. You know whether yesterday's money arrived.
- Works with your register. Tap, dip or swipe on Esplanda POS or alongside your own register, and card payments on website orders at the online rate. See the POS system with inventory management.
- Selling through an outage. Esplanda POS keeps ringing sales when the internet drops, and card approvals follow your terminal's own offline rules.
Running a liquor or wine store? See our liquor store software.
Illustrative example
Processing and support
What processing changes elsewhere on your bill
Two things: phone support, the line you call about your own Esplanda account, and the charge for each extra location. Every other software price stays the same whoever processes your cards.
-
Processing elsewhere
$129 per location per month
Phone support for your Esplanda account. Email and chat support stay free either way.
-
Processing with Esplanda
$0 per location per month
The same phone support. If processing stops, it returns to $129 at the next billing date, with 30 days' notice.
More locations: multi-location software is free on every location that processes with Esplanda, and $49 a month on a location that does not.
AI Phone, the receptionist that answers your customers' calls, is a separate line at $149 per location per month whoever processes your cards, with 500 answered minutes, then 20¢ a minute. See what the AI receptionist answers, and what it hands to a person.
Processing stays optional. Every other Esplanda line runs in full on the processor you already have, at the same price. Work out your own effective rate with the credit card processing fee calculator and compare it with every input beside the result, and see every line on Esplanda pricing.
Questions
Card processing questions owners ask
How much does credit card processing cost for a small business?
With Esplanda, the starting rate card is 2.79% + $0.10 for card payments in person and 2.89% + $0.30 online. Your own rate is set when First American approves your account, from your current statement: card mix, average sale, monthly volume and risk all shape it. To compare processors fairly, use your effective rate: every card cost on the statement divided by your card sales.
What is the best credit card processing for a small business?
The one that costs least on your own statement, for your card mix and average sale, and runs on the register you use. Compare effective rates for the same month rather than headline rates. Esplanda's rate card starts at 2.79% + $0.10 in person and 2.89% + $0.30 online, and a free statement review prices your month in writing.
Who processes card payments for Esplanda?
Esplanda processes card payments as a reseller for First American Payment Systems, a Deluxe company. First American reviews, approves, funds and owns your merchant account, and your settlement runs through First American.
What are merchant services?
Merchant services are everything a business needs to accept card payments: a merchant account, a processor that moves the money, a terminal or online checkout, and a monthly statement. With Esplanda, the merchant account comes from First American Payment Systems, and payments run through the same system as your register, stock and reports.
What is the difference between interchange, assessments and markup?
Interchange is kept by the bank that issued the card, and card brand assessments by Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Everything above those two, including monthly and batch fees, is what the processor charges for itself. A comparison that doesn't show the three separately gives you a number you can't check.
Can my rate change after I sign?
Interchange and card brand assessments are set by Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express, and they move for every processor when the card networks update them. What Esplanda quotes is the markup over those costs, and it won't change quietly: if a card network raises a rate, you're told what moved and by how much.
How does my average sale affect my card processing cost?
The per-transaction part of the cost stays the same whatever the sale, so your average sale decides what to compare: under a $20 average sale, the per-transaction fee; between $20 and $25, the full comparison on your card mix and monthly fees; above $25, the percentage. Bring one statement and Esplanda prices the same month on its rate card, in writing, with every input beside it.
Do I have to change my register or my processor?
No. Card processing is optional, and every software price is the same either way. Keep the register you have, or use ours: processing works with the free Esplanda POS, or alongside a Square, Clover, Lightspeed or KORONA register connected to Esplanda. Two things change when you process with Esplanda: phone support for your account is $0 instead of $129 per location per month, and multi-location software is free on that location instead of $49 a month. AI Phone for your customers is a separate line at $149 per location per month either way, with 500 answered minutes, then 20¢ a minute.
Statement review
Get your statement read before you decide
Book a demo and bring your last full statement. We'll show you your effective rate and what the same month costs on our rate card, in writing and free.
Card processing is optional. Esplanda POS and your website are free to start, with no card needed. Add paid tools only when you want them.
