Identify Your Monthly Profit Leak.
Compare your current rates against major processors and uncover the exact dollars leaving your bottom line every month.
Square vs. Stripe vs. Toast vs. Interchange-Plus: At-a-Glance
Published rates for the most common processors business owners benchmark against. Use the presets in the calculator above to plug your real volume into each pricing model.
| Processor / Plan | Published Rate | Monthly Fee | Contract | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | 2.6% + $0.15 | $0 | None | Tiny ticket, low volume, mobile-first Flat pricing — predictable but expensive at scale. |
| Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 | $0 | None | Online + subscription billing Great APIs, costly for card-present retail. |
| Toast | 2.49% + $0.15 (card-present) | $69+ (software) | 1–3 year hardware lease | Restaurants on Toast hardware Bundled software fees stack on top of processing. |
| Interchange-Plus / Dual Pricing (Processing Bros) | Interchange + 0.10%–0.30% or ~0% with dual pricing | $0–$15 | Month-to-month, no cancellation fee | Any business doing $10k+/mo in card volume Eliminates 90–95% of fees when set up compliantly. |
Processing Fee Questions, Answered
How do I calculate my effective processing rate?
Divide your total monthly processing fees by your total monthly card volume, then multiply by 100. Example: $1,450 in fees on $50,000 in volume = 2.9% effective rate. Anything over 2.5% for card-present retail or restaurants usually means you are overpaying.
Is 2.6% + $0.15 a good rate (the standard Square rate)?
It is simple, not cheap. On $50,000 in monthly volume with a $45 average ticket that is about $1,467 per month, or roughly 2.93% effective. A properly priced interchange-plus or dual-pricing program on the same business typically lands between 0.10% and 1.99%.
Why is my effective rate higher than the rate I was quoted?
Most quoted rates only apply to basic debit cards. Rewards cards, corporate cards, keyed-in transactions, and card-not-present sales get downgraded into mid-qualified or non-qualified buckets that can hit 3% or more. Add monthly fees, PCI fees, and statement fees and the real number rises fast.
What is a good effective rate for a restaurant?
On interchange-plus, a full-service restaurant should target a 2.0% to 2.4% effective rate after tips. With a compliant dual-pricing program, the merchant-paid portion can drop under 0.50%. Anything over 2.8% on a high-ticket restaurant deserves a statement audit.
How does dual pricing actually eliminate processing fees?
Dual pricing shows two posted prices: a lower cash price and a slightly higher card price. The card price includes a non-cash adjustment that offsets the processor's cost. The merchant nets the cash price on every sale, which removes 90% to 95% of monthly processing fees while staying compliant with Visa and Mastercard rules.
What does this calculator do that Square's or Stripe's calculator does not?
It compares you against Square, Stripe, Toast, and tiered-pricing setups side by side, then projects 12 months of savings using real interchange-plus and dual-pricing rates instead of a single processor's published number. The competitor presets above auto-fill the standard published rates so you can benchmark in one click.
How Much Are You Really Paying?
Your statement shows line items; your effective rate shows the truth. Enter your monthly volume and total fees to see the percentage you actually pay. Most businesses are surprised by how much small surcharges and outdated plans add up — our average client saves $347 per month after optimization.
Average Savings by Industry
- Full-service restaurants: ~0.5–0.8% reduction in effective rate
- Quick service: ~0.4–0.6% reduction with contactless-optimized flows
- Retail: ~0.3–0.6% reduction via interchange optimization
- Service businesses: ~0.4–0.7% with invoicing and AVS/CVV tuning
Hidden Fees to Watch For
- PCI non-compliance and "regulatory" fees
- Statement, batch, and gateway access fees
- Non-qualified and mid-qualified surcharges
- Equipment contracts extending beyond device value
Next Steps After Your Calculation
Use your results to start a conversation with our local team. We will provide a side-by-side statement comparison and a simple plan to reduce your costs — no long-term contracts or cancellation fees.