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Work out exactly what Authorize.net costs you at your volume and average transaction size.
Authorize.net's all-in-one plan combines a monthly fee with per-transaction pricing. Drag both sliders — ticket size changes the answer as much as volume does, because the fixed per-transaction fee is a much bigger share of a small sale.
Ticket size matters as much as volume: the fixed per-transaction fee is what makes small payments expensive.
At $25, the flat $0.30 adds 1.20% on top of the 2.90% headline rate — which is why the effective rate is 4.11%, not 2.90%.
Authorize.net effective rate by ticket size
For comparison
Authorize.net offers two models: an all-in-one plan bundling gateway and processing for a monthly fee plus a flat per-transaction rate, and a gateway-only plan where you bring your own merchant account. The figures here reflect the all-in-one plan.
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Percentage of each transaction | 2.9% |
| Fixed fee per transaction | 30¢ |
| Monthly platform fee | $25.00 |
A percentage takes the same share of every sale. A fixed fee does not — 30¢ is the same amount on a $5 charge as on a $500 one, so it costs a hundred times more of the small one proportionally.
| Average transaction | Fee | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| $5 | $.45 | 8.90% |
| $10 | $.59 | 5.90% |
| $25 | $1.03 | 4.10% |
| $50 | $1.75 | 3.50% |
| $100 | $3.20 | 3.20% |
| $250 | $7.55 | 3.02% |
Authorize.net suits established businesses that already have a merchant account and want a mature, widely-supported gateway rather than an all-in-one modern platform.
For your real blended number across all of those, run one month of statements through the effective rate calculator. To see every provider side by side, use the payment processor fee comparison.
GOOD QUESTIONS
Authorize.net advertises 2.9%, plus a $25.00 monthly fee for standard domestic card payments. What you actually pay is higher, because the fixed fee is a larger share of small transactions — at a $10 ticket the effective rate is 5.90%.
Because of the fixed 30¢ per transaction. The percentage is the same on every sale, but the flat fee is a much bigger proportion of a small one. Divide your total monthly fees by your total volume to see the real figure.
Yes — $25.00 a month on the plan priced here, on top of the per-transaction cost. Factor it in at low volume, where it can outweigh the transaction fees entirely.
Compare effective rates at your own average ticket size, not headline percentages. A provider with a lower percentage and a higher fixed fee can easily cost more if your transactions are small. The payment processor fee comparison table puts every provider side by side at three ticket sizes.