Last updated November 2026

Credit card processing cost, rates, and how Avendo is paid

Credit card processing typically costs retailers an average of 2.3% per credit card transaction, according to the Small Business Payments Alliance.

Avendo says it does not bill or charge merchants directly; its compensation is handled between Avendo and the payment processors. Card processing fees still apply to each sale. Avendo's role is to route every transaction to the connected processor offering the best available rate and to make pricing clearer in its reports.

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How much does credit card processing cost?

Across the market, retailers pay an average of 2.3% on each credit card transaction (Small Business Payments Alliance), and the average Visa and Mastercard credit rate was 2.36% in 2025 (Beast Insights). Your own cost depends on card types, transaction sizes, and which processor handles each sale.

Rates

What makes up the rates for credit card processing?

Every card fee has three main parts:

Interchange, paid to card issuers: 75 to 90 percent of total fees.
Processor markup: 10 to 25 percent of total fees.
Network assessments: generally 0.11% to 0.15%, not always flat.

Source: Revolution Payments. Because processors price the same transaction differently, routing each sale is one way to address cost.

Avendo

How is Avendo paid if merchants are not billed?

Avendo says it does not bill or charge merchants directly. Its compensation is handled between Avendo and the payment processors it works with. The Avendo homepage does not state a price, so there is no Avendo subscription or invoice to compare against here.

What you can compare is your total processing cost. Ask Avendo to review a recent statement and explain how the same activity would look with routing across multiple processors and in Avendo reporting.

What is the cheapest credit card processing for small business?

No single provider is cheapest for every business, because the lowest rate changes with card type, amount, and processor. A flat-rate aggregator offers predictable pricing; Verisave's example is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, or about $1,465 a month for a business processing $50,000 monthly. Avendo's approach is different: route each transaction to the best available rate among multiple connected processors.

Estimate your monthly processing fees

Use your own statement to compare two effective rates. The estimator multiplies your monthly card volume by each rate. It does not predict Avendo pricing.

Enter all three figures and select Estimate fees to see monthly and yearly totals.

Market fee figures, with sources

Published figures on what merchants pay. These are industry numbers, not Avendo results.

Card fee statistics with sources
Figure	What it measures	Source
2.3%	Average retailers pay on each credit card transaction to issuers, networks, and acquirers.Source: Small Business Payments Alliance, "Generating Value: The Benefits of Accepting Credit Cards"	Small Business Payments Alliance, "Generating Value: The Benefits of Accepting Credit Cards"
2.36%	Average Visa and Mastercard credit rate in 2025.Source: Beast Insights, "Payment Processing Statistics 2026"	Beast Insights, "Payment Processing Statistics 2026"
$198.25 billion	Record card fees paid by US merchants in 2025.Source: Beast Insights, "Payment Processing Statistics 2026"	Beast Insights, "Payment Processing Statistics 2026"
75% to 90%	Share of total credit card processing fees that comes from interchange, a component often left unexamined.Source: Revolution Payments, "Credit Card Processing Fees in 2026"	Revolution Payments, "Credit Card Processing Fees in 2026"
10% to 25%	Share of total credit card processing fees that is the processor markup, where most negotiation happens.Source: Revolution Payments, "Credit Card Processing Fees in 2026"	Revolution Payments, "Credit Card Processing Fees in 2026"
0.11% to 0.15%	Typical card network assessment, generally non-negotiable but not always flat.Source: Revolution Payments, "Credit Card Processing Fees in 2026"	Revolution Payments, "Credit Card Processing Fees in 2026"

New here? Read the Avendo credit card processing application guide for the full picture, from routing to registration.

Common questions

All questions in the FAQ

How much does Avendo cost?: Avendo says it does not bill or charge merchants directly. Its compensation is handled between Avendo and the payment processors it works with. Avendo’s homepage does not state a price. Card processing fees still apply to each transaction, so ask Avendo to walk through how fees will appear on your processing reports before you go live.
How does Avendo get paid if it does not charge merchants?: Avendo’s compensation is handled between Avendo and the payment processors, not billed to the merchant. That means you do not receive a separate Avendo invoice. Because the arrangement sits on the processor side, it is reasonable to ask Avendo how it works for your account, and Avendo’s pricing reports are designed to make the fees you pay clearer.
How much does credit card processing cost?: Retailers pay an average of 2.3% on each credit card transaction, according to the Small Business Payments Alliance. Beast Insights reports the average Visa and Mastercard credit rate was 2.36% in 2025. Your own cost depends on card types, transaction size, and the processor that handles each sale, which is the variable Avendo routing is built around.
What makes up the rates for credit card processing?: Rates have three main parts: interchange paid to card issuers, network assessments, and the processor markup. Revolution Payments reports interchange is 75 to 90 percent of total fees, the markup is 10 to 25 percent, and assessments are generally 0.11% to 0.15%. Different processors can price the same transaction differently, which is why per-transaction routing matters.
What is the cheapest credit card processing for small business?: There is no single cheapest option for every business, because the best rate changes with card type, amount, and processor. Avendo’s approach is to connect your checkout to multiple processors and route each transaction to the one offering the best available rate in real time, rather than betting every sale on one fixed price list.
Why are my credit card processing fees so high?: Fees are high across the market: Beast Insights reports US merchants paid a record $198.25 billion in card fees in 2025. Most of each fee is interchange, which Revolution Payments puts at 75 to 90 percent of the total. Avendo routes each sale to the connected processor with the best available rate and reports pricing more clearly.
Will Avendo lower my credit card processing fees?: Avendo is designed to route each transaction to the connected processor with the best available rate, so you are not tied to one processor’s pricing. Actual results depend on your sales mix and the processors connected, so this hub makes no savings promise. Ask Avendo to review your current statements and explain what routing could change.