Already taking payments?
Send us a recent statement. We'll tell you what it actually says.
Merchant statements are designed to be hard to read. Share a recent one and we'll break it down line by line — what's a genuine cost, what's margin, and what you could stop paying.
Anatomy of a statement
Every line, in plain English.
Once you can name each charge, you can judge it. Here’s what shows up on a typical merchant statement — and which parts are cost versus margin.
- 01
Merchant service charge
The headline percentage taken on card turnover. It's the number everyone quotes — and the one that tells you least on its own, because what sits underneath it varies enormously.
- 02
Interchange
A genuine wholesale fee set by the card networks that goes to the customer's bank. No provider can waive it. On a transparent statement it's shown separately; on a blended one it's buried.
- 03
Scheme fees
Paid to Visa and Mastercard for use of their networks. Small per transaction, real in aggregate, and — like interchange — a pass-through cost rather than your provider's margin.
- 04
Acquirer margin
What your provider actually keeps. Interchange-plus pricing shows it as a clear, fixed number; blended pricing rolls it into the headline rate so you can't isolate it.
- 05
Authorisation fees
A small charge per authorisation request, separate from the percentage. Tiny individually, but it applies to every transaction — including your smallest ones.
- 06
PCI fees
A charge tied to data-security compliance — and a monthly “non-compliance” fee if the annual self-assessment lapses. Easy to trigger, easy to forget you're paying.
- 07
Minimum monthly service charge
A floor on what you pay each month regardless of turnover. Quiet months are charged up to the minimum, so seasonality can cost you more than the rate suggests.
- 08
Terminal rental
A separate agreement from processing, often on a longer term. It frequently outlives every other line on the statement — and is where a “cheap” deal stops being cheap.
Statement review
Get a straight read on what you pay.
Fill in a few details and we’ll be in touch by email to take a look. You’re welcome to send a recent statement across when we reply — there’s no obligation, and no sales call unless you ask for one.
- 01We read the statement and separate cost from margin.
- 02We tell you plainly whether there's room to do better.
- 03If there is, we quote it. If there isn't, we say so.