Per-Transaction Fee
A per-transaction fee refers to a charge merchants pay every time a transaction is successfully processed. Per-transaction fees are paid by all merchants who accept card payments and are typically expressed as a percentage of the sale amount, plus a flat rate (e.g. 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction).
Assessment fees are one example. These depend on the transaction volume in a month and are paid to card networks. Visa, for instance, charges $0.0195 for each credit card transaction and an additional 0.14% of the transaction volume. Meanwhile, Mastercard charges $0.0195 for each credit card transaction, plus 0.1275% for transactions below $1,000 and 0.1475% for transactions above $1,000.
Other types of per-transaction fees include:
- Interchange fees, which are levied by card networks and paid to the issuing bank. These fees are calculated as a percentage of the transaction amount, plus a fixed fee.
- Terminal fees, which are paid to maintain the payment equipment at the store.
- Chargeback fees, which range between $20 to $100 for dispute received.
- Payment processor fees, which are levied as a monthly fee, flat rate, or a percentage of every transaction.
