Example A, larger sales
- Card sales
- $120,000
- Transactions
- 3,000
- Average sale
- $40.00
- Total fees on the statement
- $4,140
- Effective rate
- 3.45%
What we'd say: worth a full statement review.
Illustrative example
Card fee calculator
Credit card processing fee calculator: see your real rate
Enter three numbers for your effective rate now, or send one month's statement and we price it on the Esplanda rate card.
Free to use. No figure without the inputs that produced it. The calculator below runs in your browser; your numbers stay private unless you send them with a statement review.
Work out your effective rate
Your result
Use the formulas below with any calculator; they are exactly what this tool does.
Enter your three numbers to see your effective rate.
Your effective rate
- Average sale
- Fees per transaction
- Fees over a year at this pace
Your average sale is under $20. At that size the per-transaction fee carries the most weight, so compare every quote on that fee first.
Next step: request a free statement review and we'll put the comparison in writing, or book a demo and bring this statement.
How the math works
- Effective rate = total fees ÷ card sales × 100
- Average sale = card sales ÷ number of transactions
- Fees per transaction = total fees ÷ number of transactions
Effective rate
What your effective rate tells you
Every card fee on your statement divided by your card sales for the month: the one number that compares fairly across processors.
It catches the extras
Monthly, statement, PCI, batch and gateway fees never show in a headline rate.
It reflects your card mix
Rewards, business and keyed-in cards usually cost more to accept than debit at the counter.
It moves with your sale size
A per-transaction fee is a bigger share of a small sale than a large one.
Two processors quoting the same headline rate can end up half a point apart. Esplanda's own rates are on credit card processing for small business.
Fee math
How credit card processing fees are calculated
A card fee is a percentage of the sale plus a fixed amount per transaction, and the monthly fees on the statement come on top. How a processor sets those numbers depends on its pricing model.
| Pricing model | How a sale's fee is worked out | What to check on the statement |
|---|---|---|
| Flat rate | One percentage plus a fixed fee on every sale, whatever the card | Whether keyed-in or online payments carry a higher rate |
| Interchange-plus | The card's interchange and assessments, passed through, plus the processor's set markup | The markup line, the one part the processor sets |
| Tiered | Each sale sorted into qualified, mid-qualified or non-qualified, each tier at its own rate | How many sales land in the costlier tiers |
| Subscription | A monthly membership fee, plus interchange and a small per-transaction charge | Whether your card volume covers the monthly fee |
One sale, worked out
Fee on one sale = sale × percentage rate + per-transaction fee. The same rate weighs very differently on a large sale and a small one:
| Sale | Percentage part | Per-transaction part | Fee, and its share of the sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| A $40.00 sale | $40.00 × 2.5% = $1.00 | $0.10 | $1.10, or 2.75% of the sale |
| A $10.00 sale | $10.00 × 2.5% = $0.25 | $0.10 | $0.35, or 3.50% of the sale |
Worked examples
Two examples, every input shown
Two hypothetical stores, for illustration: one month's statement figures and the effective rate they give.
Example B, small sales
- Card sales
- $30,000
- Transactions
- 3,000
- Average sale
- $10.00
- Total fees on the statement
- $1,080
- Effective rate
- 3.60%
What we'd say: compare every quote on the per-transaction fee. At a $10 average sale, that fixed fee is a big share of each sale.
Illustrative example
Four ways to read your result
- Run two or three months if you're seasonal. A holiday rush or a slow February moves the number, so an average of several statements reads truer.
- Run it both ways when your mix changes. Start or stop selling online and your effective rate moves with it.
- See card fees next to item margin. With Esplanda running the register and the processing, each card fee lands beside the item's margin, in business reporting software and a POS system with inventory management.
- Under a $20 average sale, compare on the per-transaction fee first, whatever the percentages say.
Merchant statement analysis
How to read your merchant statement in six steps
Merchant statement analysis, done the way a processor should before quoting you: one statement and a calculator.
Get the full statement
Every page for one month, including the fee summary near the back.
Find sales and transactions
Both are on the summary page: total volume and the transaction count. Use one month for everything.
Add up every fee
Processing fees by card type, plus monthly, statement, PCI, batch and gateway charges.
Split pass-through from markup
Interchange and assessments go to the card's bank and the networks. Everything else is the processor's.
Work out your effective rate
Total fees divided by card sales. The calculator above does it.
Compare like for like
Price the same month, sales and card mix on any quote you're given.
Questions
Card fee questions owners ask
How do I calculate my credit card processing fees?
Add up every fee on one monthly statement, including processing, monthly, statement, PCI, batch and gateway fees. Divide that total by your card sales for the month and multiply by 100 to get your effective rate. This calculator does the math from three numbers: card sales, number of transactions and total fees.
What is the transaction fee on a credit card sale?
It is the fixed amount a processor charges on every card sale on top of the percentage, such as the $0.10 in Esplanda's 2.79% + $0.10 starting rate in person. Because it stays the same whatever the sale, it weighs most on small tickets: on a $10 sale, $0.10 is a full point of the sale.
What is a good effective rate for credit card processing?
The right number is the one measured on your own statement, because card mix, average sale and online share all move it. Compare your effective rate with what the same month costs on another rate card. For reference, Esplanda's starting rate card is 2.79% + $0.10 in person and 2.89% + $0.30 online, and your rate is set when First American approves your account, from your current statement.
Why is my effective rate higher than the rate I was quoted?
A quoted rate usually covers one type of card taken one way. Your statement also carries monthly, statement, PCI, batch and gateway fees, plus costlier cards such as rewards cards and keyed-in payments. The effective rate includes all of it, which is why it's the number to compare.
Where do I find these numbers on my merchant statement?
Card sales and the number of transactions are on the summary page, usually near the top. Fees can be spread over several pages: processing fees by card type, then a fee summary with monthly, PCI, batch and statement charges. Add every fee line for the same month.
How do I compare my rate with Esplanda's rate card?
Request a statement review: we read the full statement, price the same month on Esplanda's rate card and put the comparison in writing, with every input beside it. This calculator shows your own fees and your effective rate, straight from your statement.
Is the information I enter saved or sent anywhere?
Only if you ask for a statement review. The calculator runs in your browser, stores nothing, and your numbers are gone when you close the page. When you send the statement review form on this page, the numbers you entered go with it, so your review starts from them.
Can someone check my statement for me?
Yes. Request a free statement review with the form on this page, or book a demo and bring your last full statement, every page. We'll pull out the seven inputs, split what the card networks took from what your processor took, and put the comparison in writing in about two days, with every input beside the figure and no obligation.
Statement review
Want it checked line by line?
Request a free statement review. We pull the seven inputs out of your statement, split network costs from processor markup and price the same month on the Esplanda rate card in about two days, with every input printed beside the figure and no obligation.
Rather talk it through? Book a demo and bring the statement. Card processing through Esplanda is optional, and every software price is the same on any processor: see the rates on credit card processing for small business and what the software costs on Esplanda pricing. Or get your free price check.
Add your last full statement if you have it to hand. If not, we'll email you for it.
We use these details to arrange your statement review and follow up about it, and we never sell them. Read our privacy policy.
