01
Find the card turnover
Take the value of card payments processed in the period covered by the bill. Do not use your bank settlement total if it includes other income or has already had fees removed.
Statement walkthrough
How to calculate your true card processing rate.
The rate on a sales quote is only one ingredient. Your effective overall rate is what your business actually paid for accepting cards during the same period.
02
Add every relevant fee
Use the total charged for that same period. Include processing fees, per-transaction charges, terminal rental, PCI fees and other monthly charges if you want the total cost of accepting cards.
03
Divide, then multiply by 100
Divide the total fees by card turnover and multiply by 100. The result is an effective percentage that includes fixed charges.
04
Check the basis before comparing
Use the same billing period, sales volume, transaction count and VAT basis for a second provider. If one quote excludes rental or PCI fees, add them before comparing.
Start with the figures you have
Three ways to get to your real rate.
Choose the mode that matches your paperwork. These are estimates, but they include the fixed costs that headline rates leave out.
Quick effective rate
From my bill
Enter one period's card turnover and all the fees paid for that same period.
Work backwards from your bill
Use the statement total for the same period.
Known fixed charges are a subset of the bill, so do not add them twice.
Detailed merchant fee estimate
Advanced
Enter the card mix by value of sales. Put all monthly fixed charges into the relevant boxes. Leave unused fees at zero.
Compare another provider
Compare alternative rates and fees
Use identical turnover, card mix and transaction count for both providers.
How the figures work
Effective overall rate = all fees ÷ card turnover × 100. This includes fixed charges. In advanced mode, each card category's fee is its share of turnover multiplied by its rate; transaction charges and monthly fees are then added. The alternative uses the same turnover and transaction count.
These are estimates, not a quote. Card type by sales value may differ from card type by transaction count. Refunds, chargebacks, international cards, minimum charges, tiered pricing, interchange-plus structures, VAT treatment and billing dates can change an actual statement. Check your contract and statement before switching.
What to watch for
A fair comparison needs more than a headline percentage.
Fixed charges
A small monthly fee has more impact when turnover is low. Leave it out and your real rate looks artificially cheap.
Card mix
Debit, credit and commercial cards can be priced differently. A quoted debit rate does not describe every sale.
Statement timing
Quarterly bills need to be compared with the turnover for that quarter, or divided consistently before you compare.
Refunds, chargebacks, international cards, minimum charges, tiered pricing, interchange-plus structures, VAT treatment and billing dates can change an actual statement. Card Fee Check gives estimates, not financial advice or a provider quote.