How do I read my credit card processing statement?

Your monthly processing statement shows what accepting cards really costs, but the numbers are spread across several pages. Layouts vary by processor, but the costs underneath follow the same logic. Here's what to look for, how to separate the three cost layers and how to calculate your effective rate.

What should I look for first on my statement?

Find four things first: your total card sales, your deposits, your card-type mix and your fees. Names, order and detail vary by processor, so use whatever your statement calls them.

• Totals: the month's card sales, refunds and fees. You'll need sales and fees for your effective rate.
• Deposits and batches: a batch is the group of transactions you submit together. Match each deposit to its batch, and note anything taken out.
• Card-type mix: how much volume came from debit, credit, rewards and business cards, if your statement breaks it out.
• Fees: every fee line, including monthly and one-time charges.

Give chargebacks their own look. Disputed charges can turn into chargebacks, which require refunds and bring additional fees.

Also check when and how fees are collected, so deposits make sense next to sales. Ask your processor which days it funds. BP Global Merchant Services funds through Elavon 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays. For more on timing, see merchant funding times explained.

What are the three layers of processing costs?

Every card sale carries three layers of cost: interchange, network fees and your processor's markup. Only the markup is set by your processor.

Interchange is paid by your acquiring bank to the bank that issued your customer's card. The card networks set the rates. Visa states that "merchants do not pay interchange reimbursement fees." They negotiate and pay a "merchant discount" to their financial institution instead. Mastercard calls interchange one component of that merchant discount rate.

Network fees, often called assessments or card-brand fees, go to the card networks. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) describes them as generally fixed per-transaction fees that each network sets.

Processor markup is the rest. GAO says processor or acquirer fees make up the remainder of the merchant discount. It can be one discount rate or separate fees for each service, such as authorizations and statements. Mastercard says it has no involvement in acquirer and merchant pricing, so this layer comes from your agreement.

How do I tell the three cost layers apart on my statement?

Read the labels: each layer tends to use its own names. On interchange-plus pricing, processors pass through interchange and network fees, then add their own fees. On flat-rate and tiered pricing, interchange is usually folded into the processor's rates, so you can't see it line by line.

One caution: "discount" often means your whole bundled rate, not just the processor's share.

How do I calculate my effective rate?

Divide your total fees by your total card sales, then multiply by 100. That's your effective rate, and it's the simplest way to compare months or quotes.

Include every fee, including monthly and one-time charges, and take both totals from the same statement.

Worked example (illustrative numbers only, not real rates or merchant data):

In this example, interchange and network fees total $780, or 1.95% of sales. The processor's share is $180, or 0.45% of sales. That $180 is the part your processor sets.

Per-transaction fees weigh more on small tickets. For example, a 10-cent fee is 2% of a $5 sale but only 0.1% of a $100 sale. Your effective rate also moves with your card mix, so compare a few months before drawing conclusions.

How do flat-rate, tiered and interchange-plus pricing look on a statement?

Flat-rate statements show one blended rate, tiered statements show the processor's own rate tiers, and interchange-plus statements show pass-through costs plus the processor's fees. The descriptions below follow GAO's definitions.

If your statement shows a few rate categories instead of interchange for each card type, ask your processor which model you're on.

Dual pricing works differently: posted prices are card prices, and cash customers get a discount. For example, a $100.00 card price pairs with a $96.15 cash price, a 3.85% cash discount. See our guide to dual pricing, surcharging and cash discounts and our pricing options.

Why does my card mix change what I pay?

Interchange varies by card type and by how the card was accepted, so two months with identical sales can cost different amounts.

Visa's U.S. interchange table, with rates effective October 24, 2026, has separate sections for debit, prepaid, consumer credit and business cards. For how debit pricing works, see our fees guide. Within consumer credit, Visa lists separate rate columns for products such as Visa Infinite, Visa Signature and traditional rewards cards. It also has separate card-present and card-not-present programs.

Mastercard says each of its rates has requirements that must all be met. Those include merchant category, the time between authorization and clearing, magnetic stripe data, enhanced transaction data and sales volume. That's one reason to close out batches promptly.

Track your card mix month to month. The tables change, too: Mastercard says its interchange rates are typically updated twice a year.

Which fees are worth questioning?

The fees worth a closer look are the ones your processor sets. The OCC, a federal bank regulator, says the merchant agreement should disclose all fees, so check each one against yours.

• PCI non-compliance fees: acquirers and merchant services providers can levy charges for PCI non-compliance. Validation is an annual, point-in-time declaration, often a self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ). The PCI Security Standards Council says enforcement belongs to the card brands and acquiring banks, not the Council. It tells merchants to ask their acquirer which SAQ, if any, applies.
• Statement fees: banks may charge separately for statement preparation.
• Authorization and batch costs: when pricing is unbundled, a fee can be charged for each service, including authorizations. Processing fees can also vary with how many transactions you submit per batch. Multiply each per-item fee by your monthly count to see its real cost.
• Chargeback fees: chargebacks require refunds and can bring additional fees.
• Termination fees: a merchant-account contract may require a termination fee. Before switching, check the term, any renewal language and how the fee is calculated.

Where do Visa and Mastercard publish interchange and network fees?

Visa and Mastercard both post their U.S. interchange tables online, but those documents don't list the networks' own fees.

• Visa posts the Visa USA Interchange Reimbursement Fees on its U.S. site. That version lists rates effective October 24, 2026.
• Mastercard posts its "2026–2027 U.S. Region Interchange Programs and Rates" on its interchange rates page. That document is effective April 17, 2026.

Network fees reach you through your processor, so ask for its current network fee schedule. If you're on interchange-plus, you can check your interchange lines against these tables.

What should I send for a statement review?

Send your most recent full monthly statement, every page. Fees and card-type details can sit on different pages. If you have them, add:

• Two or three recent months if your sales are seasonal
• A statement for each location or merchant ID
• Your merchant agreement or fee schedule, for term and termination details
• The names of your POS system, terminals and any online gateway or integration

BP Global's free statement review breaks down your interchange, assessments and markup. Then it shows in writing what you pay now and what you'd pay with us. We match the POS, terminal or gateway to your business. We work with businesses in hospitality, medical and dental, automotive, retail and more.

When BP Global Merchant Services fits

BP Global Merchant Services is a Dallas-based, independent merchant services provider and Elavon Payments MSP. Our interchange-plus pricing itemizes each cost with a fixed markup and no tiered buckets. Most of our merchants run on dual pricing instead, where posted prices are card prices and cash customers get a discount. To see your interchange, assessments and markup broken down, start with the Free Statement Review.