Card fee calculator

Put in your monthly card sales, your average sale, and the rates from your statement or quote. You will see what the bill should come to, and what that works out to as a single percentage.

Your numbers

The boxes start with example numbers so you can see how it works. Replace them with the ones from your own statement or quote. These are not typical rates and they are not a recommendation.

Everything you take on cards in a normal month.
Monthly card sales divided by the number of card sales.
How are you priced?
Statement fee, PCI fee, gateway, terminal rental, minimum charges. Add them up.

Estimated monthly cost

—

  • Sales per month —
  • Percentage fees —
  • Per-sale fees —
  • Fixed monthly fees —
  • Total —

Your effective rate: —

Fill in the form and the numbers appear here.

An estimate, worked out in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.

How the maths works

Every card bill is built from the same three pieces. This tool just adds them up.

  1. Sales per month. Your monthly card sales divided by your average sale. If you take $20,000 a month and your average sale is $40, that is 500 sales.
  2. Percentage fees. Your rate times your monthly sales. On $20,000 at 2.65%, that is $530.
  3. Per-sale fees. The few cents charged on every single sale, times the number of sales. At 10 cents on 500 sales, that is $50.
  4. Fixed monthly fees. The charges that arrive whether you sell anything or not. Statement fees, PCI fees, gateway fees, terminal rental.

Add those together and you have the bill. Divide the bill by your monthly sales and you have your effective rate, which is the one number worth comparing between providers.

Why the pricing model changes the answer

The same business can get three very different bills depending on how it is priced. Flat rate is simple and predictable. Interchange plus shows you exactly what the card networks charge and what your processor adds on top. Tiered hides the split, because the processor decides which sales land in the expensive buckets.

If you are not sure which one you are on, the statement decoder will help you work it out from the line items.

What this tool cannot tell you

It cannot tell you whether your rate is fair, because that depends on your industry, your card mix and how long you have been trading. That is what the free review is for: a person reads your actual statement and tells you.

Common questions

Where do I find these numbers?

On your monthly statement or on the quote a salesperson gave you. Look for a percentage rate, a per-transaction fee in cents, and a list of fixed monthly charges near the bottom.

Why does it not fill in typical rates for me?

Because any number we filled in would be a guess, and a guess about your money is worse than no number at all. Your own statement has the real figures on it.

What is an average ticket?

Your average sale. Divide your monthly card sales by the number of card sales. A coffee shop might be $8. A dentist might be $400. It matters because per-transaction fees hurt far more when your sales are small.

Is the answer exact?

No. It is an estimate based on what you typed in. Real bills move around with the mix of cards your customers use. Treat it as a close guide, not a quote.

Does this send my numbers anywhere?

No. The whole calculation runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored.

We're a referral service, not a payment processor. We may be paid when you use our free review. Details.