Risk & Rules
Payment gateway costs, explained
Card processing costs are built from a handful of components: interchange (paid to the customer’s bank), scheme fees (paid to Visa/Mastercard), the acquirer’s processing margin, gateway fees, and risk-related items — reserves and chargeback fees. Understanding the categories matters more than any headline rate, because the headline is rarely where the money goes.
The fee categories, named
Interchange is set by the schemes and varies by card type, region and channel — it is the largest component and no provider controls it. Scheme fees are the networks’ own charges. On top sit the acquirer’s margin (the part that is actually negotiable), per-transaction gateway fees, and fixed items like monthly fees or PCI compliance charges.
Risk pricing comes last and matters most in specialist sectors: rolling reserves (a percentage of takings held for a period, then released), chargeback fees per dispute, and — with some providers — sector surcharges that never appear on the headline rate.
How to compare providers honestly
Ask every provider the same question: name every fee category I will pay, including reserves and chargeback fees, in writing, before I sign. A provider who answers precisely is comparable; a provider who quotes one blended number and changes the subject is not.
This is also our own policy stated publicly: we don’t publish a rate card, because honest pricing depends on your sector and volumes — but every cost is named and explained before you commit, and there is no hidden risk premium.
Put it to work
Prefer a straight answer about your own case?
Tell us your sector and what you’re trying to set up — a specialist responds, typically within one business day.