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Payments 101

What is a merchant statement?

If you take cards, you get one every month — and it's the single best place to find out whether you're overpaying. Here's what it actually is, in plain English.

The short version

A merchant statement is the monthly bill from your payment processor for accepting credit and debit cards. It summarizes how much you ran in card sales, and every fee that was taken out before the money reached your bank account. Think of it as the receipt for the cost of getting paid.

What the savings fund

Cutting your card fees is step one. Here is what the savings fund.

Lowering what you pay to accept a card frees up money every month with no extra work and no new customers.

What's on it

  • Total card volumeThe dollar amount of card sales you processed that month.
  • Interchange & card-brand feesThe real network cost set by Visa, Mastercard, etc. — this part nobody can remove.
  • Your processor's markupWhat the processor charges on top — this is where deals differ wildly.
  • Add-on feesPCI, statement, batch, "regulatory," monthly minimum, annual — some real, many padding.
  • Your net & depositsWhat actually landed in your account.

Why it matters

Most statements are written to be confusing — that's not an accident. But it's the only document that tells you your true cost of accepting cards. Once you can read it, you can spot padding, compare offers honestly, and decide whether zero-cost processing is right for you. Next up: how to actually read one, line by line.

Free, no-obligation read

Send me your statement and I'll break down your real effective rate and which fees are padding — in plain English. If your current deal is already good, I'll tell you. See how processing works.

What the savings fund

Cutting your card fees is step one. Here is what the savings fund.

Lowering what you pay to accept a card frees up money every month with no extra work and no new customers. The businesses that grow from there spend it on the three things that actually bring customers in: answering every call, a site that converts, and showing up on Google.

Find out what you're really paying.

A free 15-minute review of your statement shows your true cost — and what you could save.

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