Research

Credit card processing by the numbers

Small businesses typically pay 1.5% to 3.5% per card transaction, and interchange makes up 75 to 90 percent of that fee.

The Avendo checkout routing guide collected these published statistics on card volume, fees, fee structure, pricing thresholds and setup times. Every figure links to the page it came from. None of them are Avendo's own results.

Last updated: November 2026

What are the key credit card processing statistics for small business?

The numbers show that card payments dominate retail and that fees depend on structure, order size and volume. That is the case for comparing processors per sale, the approach behind Avendo's real-time payment routing.

How big is card payment volume?

$6.5 trillionU.S. credit card purchase volume in 2024.Source: Small Business Payments Alliance
608 millionOpen general purpose card accounts by year-end 2024, a 35% increase since 2018.Source: Small Business Payments Alliance
Nearly three-quartersIndustry estimate of the share of nationwide retail sales that come from credit card transactions.Source: Small Business Payments Alliance
Almost $2.0 trillionGlobal payments revenue in 2025, per Boston Consulting Group.Source: Beast Insights
40%Share of global ecommerce cited for credit cards.Source: Stripe

What do card fees cost a small business?

1.5% to 3.5%Typical total fees per transaction.Source: Chargebacks911
2.3%Average retailers pay on each credit card transaction.Source: Small Business Payments Alliance
2.9% plus 30 centsExample per-transaction rate for online store purchases.Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce
5.9% vs 3.2%Effective cost of a $10 payment versus a $100 payment under the same fees.Source: Swipesum
$4 to $20Bank of America estimate of what a business check can cost, including staff time.Source: Small Business Payments Alliance

Where does the fee money go?

75 to 90 percentShare of total card fees made up by interchange.Source: Revolution Payments
10 to 25 percentShare of total fees that is the processor's markup.Source: Revolution Payments
0.11% to 0.15%Typical card network assessments, which are generally non-negotiable.Source: Revolution Payments

When does the pricing model change the cost?

$10,000 a monthAbove this, interchange-plus typically offers lower rates.Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce
$50,000 a monthRoughly where interchange-plus usually beats flat-rate on total cost.Source: JIM

How long does setup take?

15 minutesFastest aggregator approval.Source: Chargebacks911
Up to 7 business daysUnderwriting after a 30 to 60 minute merchant account application.Source: Chargebacks911
41%US small businesses that experienced a cyberattack in 2023, a reason security matters.Source: Stripe

See what these figures mean for your own store in the credit card processing cost guide, or return to the online credit card processing for small business guide.

Common questions

Short answers here. Every question links to the full credit card processing FAQ.

How much does it cost a small business to process credit cards?

Most small businesses pay between 1.5% and 3.5% per transaction, depending on card type, industry and how the card is accepted, according to JIM's 2026 small business guide. A common flat-rate example is 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction, cited in Stripe's guide. Your effective rate is total fees divided by total card sales.

What are typical rates for credit card processing?

Typical rates for credit card processing total 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction, according to Chargebacks911. The Small Business Payments Alliance reports that retailers pay an average of 2.3% per credit card transaction. Revolution Payments puts network assessments at generally 0.11% to 0.15%. Your own rate depends on card mix, industry and monthly volume.

What is the difference between flat-rate, interchange-plus and tiered pricing?

Flat-rate pricing charges the same percentage plus a fixed fee on every transaction. Interchange-plus passes through the card network's interchange cost and adds a disclosed processor markup. Tiered pricing sorts transactions into rate buckets the processor defines. Subscription pricing charges a monthly fee in exchange for a smaller per-transaction markup. Avendo routes across processors rather than fixing one model.

How do I calculate my effective processing rate?

Divide your total processing fees by your total card sales for the same period, then multiply by 100. Swipesum gives the example of $2,300 in fees on $100,000 in card sales, which equals a 2.3% effective rate. The cost page on this site includes a simple calculator that does this math for you.

Why are businesses charging 3% to use a credit card?

Many businesses add a surcharge to offset processing costs, which typically total 1.5% to 3.5% per transaction according to Chargebacks911. A 3% surcharge sits near the upper part of that range. Lowering what you pay per transaction, for example by routing each one to the best available rate, is an alternative to passing the cost to customers.