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Guides to how credit card processing fees and pricing work, how to choose or switch a payment processor, PCI, and what the terms on your statement mean.
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Small Business Credit Card Processing: The Complete Guide
An overview of credit card processing for small businesses, linking to detailed guides on fees, pricing, choosing a provider, setup, PCI, switching, and the terms to know.
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How Credit Card Processing Fees Work in 2026
American merchants paid a record $198 billion in card processing fees in 2025, according to the Nilson Report. Once you see the three layers inside every swipe, your statement stops being a mystery.
Read the GuideFlat-Rate vs Interchange-Plus Pricing
Two processors can price the exact same service completely differently. We run one realistic month, $20,000 across 800 transactions, through both models to see which one costs less.
Read the GuideQuestions to Ask Before Choosing a Processor
Switching processors is a pain, so most owners only do it after being burned. Ask these ten questions up front instead. A good provider answers all of them plainly. A bad one dodges, and the dodging is the answer.
Read the GuidePCI Compliance for Small Business
What PCI compliance really asks of a small shop in 2026, in plain answers: for most businesses that don't store card data, it's a free annual questionnaire, not a costly project.
Read the GuideIn-Person, Online, or Mobile: Matching Payments to How You Sell
Countertop terminal, mobile reader, online checkout, or virtual terminal? A practical walk through which payment setup fits your business, by how you sell.
Read the GuideHow to Switch Processors Without Losing a Day of Sales
A clean, five-step sequence for changing credit card processors with zero downtime, and the exit fees to check before you leave.
Read the GuideCard Processing Terms Explained
A glossary of the card processing terms that show up on your statement and in sales pitches, from interchange and markup to chargebacks and gateways.
Read the GuideClover vs Square: Which One Fits Your Business
The real differences between Clover and Square for a small business: account model, hardware, who each suits, and the questions that decide it.
Read the GuideHow Honest Pricing Works
In an industry known for hidden fees and pushy contracts, here's what honest pricing has to stand for, and the one test almost no provider passes.
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