Originally published August 2016. Updated September 2019.

Accepting credit cards is a necessary component of nearly any modern small business. To do so, you must work with a credit card processing company, and picking the best can be a bit intimidating with so many options out there.

After some time, you might begin to wonder if you made the right choice. The good news is that you don’t have to be stuck with the same credit card processing provider forever. In fact, switching providers is an excellent way to save money on this invaluable service, and even extract more value from that spend.

Accepting credit cards swiftly and securely is a critical part of running virtually any business. Some companies, however, have needs that extend beyond the typical transaction. One such additional function required by many operations is the sale and printing of tickets. 

More and more consumers are making purchases with credit and debit cards. Thus, accepting these at your business is quickly becoming a necessity. This requires the proper equipment, however. Credit card processing machines provide a wide range of capabilities, with many varieties to choose from. 

Accepting credit card payments is necessary for any business, but comes at an expense. Merchants are charged various credit card processing fees, and given the tremendous volume of card transactions the average business tallies these days, they can add up.

“What are the average fees for processing credit cards?” is therefore a common question among merchants. The full answer encompasses more than simply a range of numbers, however—and some credit card processing companies are reluctant to share.

MerchantPro Express (MPX), on the other hand, educates business owners on what goes into their total costs, so they can make the best decisions for their bottom lines.

MerchantPro Express has been providing first-rate merchant services to thousands of businesses across the country for more than 10 years. But at MPX, our clients are more than just numbers in our system or sales in our spreadsheets. We are committed to providing them with individualized attention so that we can help each business in a truly unique way. One such individual, whose story we’d like to share, is Ashley Lyons, owner of Old Soul Vintage Jewelry.

If you run a business, you’re always on the hunt for ways to maximize your profits. One way to do so, of course, is to reduce business expenses—a task easier said than done. Some costs, such as those for supplies, employee wages and utilities, are simply unavoidable. Another necessity for most businesses is credit card processing, which enables customers to pay in the most convenient way possible. This doesn’t mean there aren't ways of reducing these associated costs, however.

As anyone who runs a business knows, whenever a customer swipes a credit card, the business is charged a fee to process that payment. In an increasingly cashless world, this means more and more would-be revenue going toward these fees every year, leading many merchants to wonder if they should be passing on that expense to their customers by charging a credit card processing fee, called a surcharge.

But is charging a credit card processing fee legal?

Originally published January 13, 2016. Republished May 6, 2019.

Whatever type of business you manage, there will always be various expenses to keep your doors open. From employee salaries and merchant services to utilities and inventory, the list can seem never-ending. There is, however, a way to keep certain costs down—specifically when it comes to your credit card processing account.