The Critical Canadian Merchant Services Guide – Part 7

September 26, 2008 by Admin · Leave a Comment 

Become a seasoned Pro at understanding how credit card processing fees work through real life case studies.

Case Study One:

Company A:

  • Debit Transaction at 0.12 cents
  • 576 Debit Transactions that month
  • Total Monthly Debit Business Volume: $13,876.00
  • Average Ticket: $23.56
  • 0.12 cents x 576 = $69.12 in monthly Debit Fees

Company B:

  • Debit Transaction at 0.05 cents + 0.0025%
  • 576 Debit Transactions that month
  • Total Monthly Debit Business Volume: $13,876.00
  • Average Ticket: 23.56
  • 0.05 cents x 576 = $28.80
  • $13,876.00 x 0.0025% = $46.94
  • $28.80 + 46.94 = $75.74 in monthly Debit Fees

You can see that Example 1 is cheaper by $6.62 even though it may initially look like Example Two would have been less expensive. Typically, it is always better to have a flat Debit Fee only on your Debit Merchant Account.

The only time the lower Debit Fee + % works in your favor on Debit Merchant Accounts is if you have very high Debit transactions with a very low average Debit ticket price.

Case Study Two

Company A:

  • Credit Card Discount Rate: 2.65%
  • No Transaction Fee: 0.00
  • 327 Transactions
  • $18,267.00 in Credit Card Sales that month
  • Average Ticket Price: $55.86
  • 2.65% X $18,267.00 = $484.07 in Credit Card Processing Fees that month

Company B:

  • Credit Card Discount Rate: 1.89%
  • Transaction Fee: 0.10 cents
  • 327 Transactions
  • $18,267.00 in Credit Card Sales that month
  • Average Ticket Price: $55.86
  • 327 Transactions X 0.10 cents = $32.70
  • 1.89% X $18,267.00 = $345.24
  • $32.70 + $345.24 = $377.94 in Credit Card Processing Fees that month

It is obvious in this Example that example two is the better Merchant Account to go with, even though you are paying a transaction fee on top of your Discount Rate for credit card transactions.

Click here for 3 Insider Money Saving Tips for Merchant Accounts

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