About

Card Processing Calculator is a free calculator that compares flat-rate and interchange-plus card processing costs using your own monthly volume, average ticket size, and card mix — not a published one-size-fits-all number.

Why it exists

Comparing card processing plans is a real, recurring decision for a small business: a new processor pitches a lower rate, or fees quietly creep up over time, and there's no easy way to check whether a claim is actually true for your specific transactions. Most calculators built for this comparison are run by a processor with a reason to steer the answer. This one isn't — see why we don't recommend a processor for the full explanation.

How it works, and how it's built

The arithmetic is plain: a flat-rate plan's cost is a percentage of volume plus a fixed fee per transaction; an interchange-plus plan's cost is a representative blended interchange rate plus the processor's own markup, also a percentage plus a fixed fee. Both are computed the same way, on the same inputs, and shown side by side. See flat rate vs. interchange-plus for the full explanation, and reading a processing statement for how to check the result against a real bill.

How it's paid for

This site is supported by advertising, not by referral fees from payment processors. It doesn't collect your business details, and nothing you type into the calculator is sent anywhere — the arithmetic runs in your browser.

Corrections

The representative interchange rates behind the interchange-plus side of the calculator are sourced and dated, not a live feed, and card network schedules do change. If something here looks wrong, or you spot a stale figure, get in touch.