Credit Card Transaction Fees for Small Businesses

Some third party merchant processors charge as much as 15 percent of each transaction. These third party accounts are geared towards small businesses that cannot qualify for a merchant account on

Each card issuer charges a different percentage rate. Visa and Mastercard usually charge the least, while Discover and American Express typically charge a higher percentage.

This is something to consider, not only when setting prices for your products, but also when deciding which cards you are going to accept. Visa and Mastercard are the most popular cards, so it behooves you to accept at least one of these two. It will be up to you to decide whether you need to add American Express and Discover.

In addition to the percentage rate, there are also transaction fees. This transaction fee is charged on each and every purchase processed through your merchant account provider, and is typically from $0.25 to $0.50 per transaction.