How we calculate and compare card fees

Where prices come from

Every fee we use comes from the provider's own UK pricing page or published terms. For each figure we store the value, the page we took it from and the date we checked it, and the site shows that date beside the figure. A figure we haven't checked can't appear on a published page: the site won't build if it does. We aim to recheck every provider at least every 90 days.

We compare each provider's standard published plan for small businesses. Negotiated or promotional rates aren't included unless they're openly available to any new customer. Providers that only price individually are listed as "quote-based" and never ranked.

The main fees calculator

From your inputs we work out:

• Sales per month = monthly takings ÷ average sale.
• In-person takings = takings × in-person share; online takings = the rest.
• Processing cost = for each channel, (channel takings × that channel's percentage) + (channel sales × fixed fee per sale). If you enter an Amex/business-card share, that share of each channel is charged at the provider's Amex rate where it has a separate one.
• Monthly cost = monthly fee + reader rental + processing cost.
• Cost over the period = months × monthly cost + one-off reader price (left out if you already own that provider's reader).
• Effective rate = monthly cost ÷ takings.

Providers are sorted by cost over the period, lowest first. Ties are sorted alphabetically. Providers that don't offer online payments are left out when you enter any online share. Commission never affects the order.

The chart plots monthly cost against takings from £500 to £50,000, holding your average sale and payment mix constant. Because each provider's cost is a straight line in takings (fixed fees plus a constant rate per pound), the point where two lines cross is calculated exactly: fixed-fee difference ÷ rate difference.

The comparison table uses a default profile: £3,000 a month, £20 average sale, all in person, over 12 months.

The other calculators

• Break-even sale: fee = price × rate + fixed fee; smallest qualifying price = fixed fee ÷ (limit × margin − rate).
• Flat rate vs monthly plan: break-even takings = monthly fee ÷ (flat marginal rate − plan marginal rate), where marginal rate = percentage + fixed fee ÷ average sale.
• Pricing to cover fees: price = (amount to keep + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − rate).
• Contract exit: net saving = monthly saving × months − exit cost; exit cost defaults to months left × rental.

Limits

Results are estimates. They don't include chargebacks, refunds, currency conversion, PCI or account fees that aren't on the provider's main pricing page, or VAT on hardware unless the provider includes it in the headline price. Your real statement may differ. Always check a provider's current terms before signing.

The calculators are built and maintained by Oliver Burton (about us). The calculation code is unit-tested against worked examples every time the site is built.