Credit Card Fee

Credit Card Fee Calculator Estimate merchant processing fees, balance transfer costs, cash advance charges, and foreign t...

Credit Card Fee Calculator

Estimate merchant processing fees, balance transfer costs, cash advance charges, and foreign transaction fees — with industry benchmarks and savings tips.

Merchant Fees

Balance Transfer

Cash Advance

Foreign Transaction

Monthly Sales ($)

Avg. Ticket ($)

Card Type Visa/MC (Swiped) Amex (Direct) Keyed/Online

Your Processor Rate

Discount Rate (%)

Per-Transaction Fee ($)

Monthly Fees ($)

Transfer Amount ($)

BT Fee (%)

Min Fee ($)

Cash Advance ($)

Fee (%)

Min Fee ($)

Transaction Amount ($)

FX Fee (%)

$0

Total Fee

0.00%

Effective Rate

$0.00

Per Transaction

$0

Industry Avg.

Fee Breakdown

How Merchant Fees Work

Credit card processing fees have **three components**:

• Interchange (1.5–2.5%): Paid to issuing bank (e.g., Chase, Citi). Set by card networks (Visa/MC).
• Assessment (0.1–0.17%): Paid to card network (Visa/MC/Amex).
• Markup (0.2–1.0%): Kept by your processor (e.g., Square, Stripe, local ISO).

Pricing Models:

• IC++ (Interchange Plus): Transparent — e.g., Interchange + 0.20% + $0.10
• Tiered**: Bundled — “Qualified”, “Mid-Qualified”, “Non-Qualified” (often misleading)
• Flat-Rate**: e.g., Square: 2.6% + $0.10 (simple, but expensive for high-volume)

2025 Avg. Effective Rates: Swiped: 2.4%; Keyed: 3.5%; Amex Direct: 2.9–3.5%.

Hidden & Red Flag Fees

⚠️ Watch for these common traps:

• PCI Compliance Fee ($10–$30/mo) — often avoidable with proper security
• Monthly Minimum Fee — e.g., $25/mo; if you pay $20 in fees, you owe $5 more
• Termination Fee ($200–$600) — charged if you cancel early
• “No Contract” processors — often have 90-day auto-renewals with steep exit fees
• Teaser rates — low intro rate, then jumps after 6 months

✅ Pro Tip: Ask for a **fee audit** — 83% of businesses overpay by ≥15% (NerdWallet).

How to Lower Your Fees

✅ **Negotiate**: Get 3 quotes from ISOs (not just Square/Stripe). Use your current statement as leverage.

✅ **Optimize**: Swipe > chip > contactless > keyed. Avoid “non-qualified” transactions.

✅ **Switch pricing**: Move from tiered to IC++ if volume > $5K/mo.

✅ **Batch daily**: Settle transactions once/day to avoid per-batch fees.

✅ **Use Amex Direct**: If you process >$10K/mo Amex, enroll in Amex OptBlue or Direct to cut fees by 0.5–1.0%.

Case Study: Boutique retailer reduced fees from 3.2% → 2.4% → saved $960/year on $10K/mo sales.

How to Use This Calculator

➡️ Merchant Fees

Enter monthly volume, avg. ticket, and your current processor rate to see effective cost.

➡️ Balance Transfer

Calculate fee on a card transfer (e.g., $5K × 3% = $150).

➡️ Cash Advance

See upfront cost + higher APR impact (often 27–30% from day 1).

➡️ Foreign Transaction

Estimate cost of overseas spending (3% is common; some cards waive it).

Note: For merchant fees, assumes 200 transactions/mo (volume ÷ avg. ticket).