: If you sell online, you may pay a separate fee to the payment gateway that secures the digital transaction. The "High-Risk" Premium
: Charged to ensure your business meets security standards for handling card data.
Businesses in certain industries (luxury goods, travel, or high-volume e-commerce) are often flagged as high-risk . This designation significantly impacts costs: : Processing fees can jump to 3.5%–5.5% . merchant account cost
Every time a customer swipes or clicks "buy," several fees are triggered simultaneously:
: Penalties applied when a customer disputes a transaction, typically ranging from $15 to $50 per instance. : If you sell online, you may pay
: Transactions are categorized as "qualified," "mid-qualified," or "non-qualified." While common for high-risk merchants , it is often the least transparent and most expensive option. Direct Transactional Expenses
: Set by card networks (Visa, Mastercard) and paid to the card-issuing bank. Direct Transactional Expenses : Set by card networks
Maintaining an account often involves recurring "hidden" or incidental charges: