A headline rate of 2.9% + 30¢ tells you almost nothing on its own, because what the fixed fee costs you depends entirely on your average transaction size.

Working it out

Take one month's statement and divide total fees by total volume. For the full breakdown of where those fees go, see credit card processing fees, explained.

Calculate yours

$

The gross amount of card payments on the statement, before fees.

$

Every line: discount rate, per-item fees, monthly, PCI, statement and gateway charges.

%

Paydude adds 0.3% on these. Leave it at 25% if you are not sure — a typical mix.

Take all three figures from a single monthly statement so the period matches. Totals include every fee line, not just the headline discount rate — that is what makes the result comparable.

You would keep$2,550a year, on this statement, at Paydude's published rates
Your effective rate
4.10%$2,050 in fees
Paydude (Starter)
3.67%$1,838 on the same month
Average transaction
$25.00
Cost per transaction
$1.03 → $0.92
Transactions
2,000

Paydude comes out cheaper at every card mix here — even with all of your volume on surcharged cards you would still keep $1,200 a year.

Yearly difference by share of surcharged cards

0%$3,000
10%$2,820
25%$2,550
40%$2,280
60%$1,920
80%$1,560
100%$1,200
  • Effective rate is total fees divided by total volume — the one figure comparable across processors.
  • Paydude figure uses published tier pricing plus the 0.3% premium-card surcharge.
  • Excludes dispute fees on both sides.

GOOD QUESTIONS

Frequently asked

How do I calculate it?+

Take one month's statement, divide total fees by total volume, and multiply by 100.