Agency retainers are large, recurring and almost always paid on a company card — which is the most expensive card type to accept.
Comparisons
Every major processor's published rate in one table, with the effective rate at three ticket sizes.
What Payment Processing Costs Agencies
Starting from a $5,000 average transaction and the card mix typical for agencies.
%
Paydude surcharges Amex at +0.3%
%
Excluding Amex, counted above
%
Stripe surcharges these; Paydude does not
Take these shares from a real statement rather than estimating. Card mix moves the answer more than the headline rate does, which is the entire reason this calculator asks for it.
You would save$5,933a year versus Stripe, on this card mix
- Stripe
- $3,7573.13%
- Paydude (Growing)
- $3,2632.72%
- Difference per month
- $494
- Surcharged share
- 55%Amex + premium
Paydude is cheaper here at any card mix — even if every single transaction were on a surcharged card, the base rate difference would still cover it.
Annual saving at other Amex + premium shares
0% surcharged$8,309
10% surcharged$7,877
25% surcharged$7,229
50% surcharged$6,149
75% surcharged$5,069
Excludes chargeback and dispute fees, where Paydude charges $12 against a $15–$25 norm. Those depend on your dispute rate rather than your volume, so they are left out of the comparison above.
What a agency invoice really costs
Monthly retainers also mean the same fee recurs, so a fraction of a percent compounds across the life of every client.
| Fee | Effective rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ | $145.30 | 2.91% |
| Paydude 2.55% + 20¢ | $127.70 | 2.55% |
Retainers make small differences large
A $5,000 monthly retainer at 2.9% costs $1,740 a year in fees for one client. Across ten clients that is $17,400 — enough that a 0.3 point difference in rate is a real line in your P&L rather than a rounding error.
What to check on your own statement
- Your real average transaction. Total volume divided by transaction count.
- Your Amex and corporate card share. In this industry it is usually higher than people expect, and it moves the answer.
- Whether you are being charged for keyed entry. Manually entered card details cost more at most providers.
- Monthly, gateway and PCI fees, divided by your volume.
For what a rate difference is worth across a client base, use the overpayment calculator.
GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
What does payment processing cost for agencies?+
At a typical $5,000 transaction, a standard 2.9% + 30¢ rate works out at 2.91%. At that ticket the fixed fee is almost irrelevant — the percentage and your card mix decide the bill. Corporate and Amex cards, which are common in this industry, cost more to accept everywhere.
What is the best payment processor for agencies?+
Compare on percentage and on how corporate cards are priced. Also consider ACH for retainers — at $5,000 a month the saving against card fees is substantial and clients on a retainer rarely object.
Why do business and corporate cards cost more?+
Because their interchange is higher — the rewards and expense-management features those cards offer are funded from the fee the merchant pays. Some providers surcharge them explicitly; others fold the cost into a higher base rate that every merchant pays regardless of card mix.
Is it cheaper to take ACH or bank transfer instead?+
Frequently, at this ticket size. ACH is typically a flat fee of under a dollar rather than a percentage, so on a $5,000 payment it can cost a fraction of card processing. The trade is settlement speed and a longer dispute window.