Credit card processing FAQ
Last updated: . Published by Avendo.
Credit card processing fees typically cost 1.5% to 3.5% per transaction, and Avendo lowers them by routing each online sale to the processor with the best available rate.
What Avendo is
What is Avendo?
Avendo is a credit card processing platform for e-commerce businesses. It connects your checkout to multiple payment processors and automatically sends each transaction to the processor offering the best available rate at that moment. Merchants also get clearer pricing and processing reports. Avendo serves small businesses first and also works with larger organizations up to enterprise size.
Is Avendo a payment processor?
Avendo is a routing platform that sits between your checkout and several payment processors, rather than one processor that handles every payment itself. Each transaction is sent in real time to the connected processor offering the best available rate. Avendo works exclusively with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways, so every routed payment is handled by a compliant provider.
What does transaction routing mean in credit card processing?
Transaction routing means choosing which processor handles a given card payment. With a single processor, every payment goes to the same place at the same price. Avendo compares the processors connected to your checkout and routes each transaction to the one offering the best available rate in real time, without the merchant doing anything per sale.
Who is Avendo for?
Avendo is built for e-commerce businesses that take card payments online, with small businesses as its first priority. The same platform also serves growing companies and enterprise organizations. It fits merchants who want lower processing costs without rebuilding their checkout and who want clearer reporting on what they actually pay to accept cards.
Does Avendo work for in-person or retail counter payments?
Avendo describes its platform as credit card processing for e-commerce businesses, built to connect with online checkout pages. If most of your sales happen at a physical counter, contact Avendo to confirm whether your setup is supported before you plan around it. Online stores are the setup the platform is designed for.
Who publishes this website?
This website is published by Avendo. It explains how Avendo’s credit card processing platform works for e-commerce businesses, including transaction routing and pricing clarity. It is one of a small number of websites Avendo publishes. The main Avendo website is avendo.tech, where you can contact the team directly.
Pricing and fees
How much does Avendo cost?
Avendo says it does not bill or charge merchants directly. Its compensation is handled between Avendo and the payment processors it routes transactions to. Avendo’s homepage does not list a price, so ask the team how processing rates would look for your own volume and card mix before you decide to switch.
What are the processing fees for credit card payments?
Credit card processing fees typically cost a business 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction, according to NerdWallet’s 2026 guide. The total combines interchange paid to the card-issuing bank, assessments paid to the card networks, and the processor’s markup. Your actual cost depends on card type, sale size, and your pricing model.
What is the average credit card processing fee in 2026?
The most recent full-year figure is 2.36%. Beast Insights reports that the average Visa and Mastercard credit rate in 2025 was 2.36%, in a year when US merchants paid a record $198.25 billion in card fees. The Small Business Payments Alliance separately reports that retailers pay an average of 2.3% per credit card transaction.
What is the cheapest credit card processing fee?
There is no single cheapest fee, because the rate depends on the card, the sale, and the processor. MBNCard notes that the lowest realistic rates, often below 2%, are typically reserved for businesses processing very high volume. Avendo’s approach is to compare the processors connected to your checkout on every transaction and route to the best available rate.
Who has the lowest credit card processing fees?
No processor has the lowest fee on every transaction, because rates vary by card type, sale size, and business. That is the problem Avendo is built around: it connects your checkout to multiple processors and routes each payment to the one offering the best available rate in real time, instead of locking every sale to one price.
What is the difference between flat-rate and interchange-plus pricing?
Flat-rate pricing bundles every cost into one set amount, while interchange-plus passes through the card network costs and adds a consistent markup. NerdWallet gives 2.6% plus 10 cents as a flat-rate example and 0.4% plus 8 cents as an interchange-plus markup example. Neither model routes payments across several processors the way Avendo does.
What is an effective rate?
Your effective rate is total processing fees divided by total card volume over the same period. It is the one number that lets you compare quotes fairly, because it captures percentages, per-transaction fees, and monthly charges together. Clearly Payments recommends computing it for the last 90 days before changing anything. The calculator on our cost page does the math.
How much can a small cut in my processing rate save?
Small rate changes add up quickly at volume. Clearly Payments shows that a business with $1,000,000 a year in card volume saves $2,000 per year by cutting its effective rate by 0.20%. Homebase’s worked example for a business processing $20,000 a month arrives at $960 saved annually. Your result depends on your own volume and current rate.
How much do banks charge businesses for card transactions?
The card-issuing bank’s share, called interchange, is the largest piece of most card fees. The Small Business Payments Alliance reports that retailers pay an average of 2.3% on each credit card transaction, split among card issuers, payment networks, and acquirers. NerdWallet puts total processing fees at 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction.
How routing works
How does Avendo choose which processor handles my payment?
Avendo looks at the processors connected to your checkout and routes each transaction to the one offering the best available rate at that moment. The decision happens automatically and in real time, so you do not have to compare rates or switch providers yourself. Your processing reports then show what each transaction cost.
Do I need to rebuild my checkout to use Avendo?
No. Avendo works with existing checkout pages, connecting your current checkout to multiple payment processors. Customers keep the checkout experience they already know while routing happens behind it. Ask the Avendo team which checkout setups are supported for your store so you know exactly what the connection involves.
Will my customers notice anything different at checkout?
Avendo works with your existing checkout page, so customers keep paying the way they already do. Routing decisions happen behind the checkout as each transaction is processed, and work on your processing cost rather than adding a customer fee. If you plan any visible change to your checkout, confirm the details with Avendo first.
Why use more than one payment processor?
Using more than one processor lets each payment go to whichever offers the better rate for that transaction. With a single processor, every sale is billed at that provider’s price regardless of card type or order size. Avendo connects your checkout to multiple processors so each transaction can be routed to the best available rate in real time.
What reports does Avendo provide?
Avendo provides merchants with clearer pricing and processing reports. The aim is to make it easy to see what you pay to accept cards and where that money goes, which many merchants find hard to read on traditional statements. Contact Avendo to see what the reports include for an account like yours.
Is real-time routing only useful for big companies?
No. Avendo serves small businesses first, and the same real-time routing applies whatever your size. Small merchants often have the least time to shop around for processors, so automatic routing removes a job they would otherwise skip. Every transaction is still routed to the best available rate among the connected processors.
Who it is for: small businesses
What is the best credit card processing for a small business?
The best credit card processing for a small business is the option with the lowest total cost on its own sales, a statement it can read, and a checkout that keeps working. For online sellers, Avendo is our pick because it routes each transaction across multiple processors and works with existing checkout pages. Avendo publishes this site.
What is the cheapest way to accept card payments?
For an online store, the cheapest way is the one with the lowest effective rate across your actual transactions. Flat rates are simple but price every sale the same way, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes interchange-plus can be lower above $10,000 a month. Avendo routes each payment to the best available rate among multiple processors.
Should I accept credit card payments as an LLC?
Most LLCs that sell online accept credit cards, because cards carry most consumer spending. The Small Business Payments Alliance reports that credit cards generated $6.5 trillion in purchase volume in 2024 and that, by industry estimates, nearly three-quarters of retail sales come from credit card transactions. Expect to provide business details during setup.
Can I write off credit card processing fees for my business?
In the United States, card processing fees are generally treated as an ordinary business expense. Rules depend on your situation, so confirm with an accountant or tax professional before filing. Clear processing reports, like the ones Avendo provides, make it easier to total exactly what you paid in fees over the year.
How much does credit card processing cost a small business each month?
Multiply your monthly card volume by your effective rate. At NerdWallet’s typical range of 1.5% to 3.5%, a store processing $20,000 a month would pay roughly $300 to $700 in fees, and a store processing $5,000 a month roughly $75 to $175. Monthly account fees, if any, add to that.
Can a new small business use Avendo?
Avendo serves businesses from small companies through enterprise organizations, and small businesses are its first priority. Specific approval requirements are handled during the application process, so contact Avendo with details about your store. Having your business registration details and expected card volume ready makes the conversation faster.
Compared to alternatives
How is Avendo different from Stripe?
Stripe is a payment processor with a published flat rate: according to Homebase, Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful domestic card transaction. Avendo is a routing platform that connects your checkout to multiple processors and sends each payment to the best available rate in real time. Avendo also says it does not bill merchants directly.
How is Avendo different from passing card fees to customers?
Fee-passing programs move the cost of card processing onto the customer, while Avendo works to lower the cost itself. Helcim’s Fee Saver page, for example, advertises accepting credit cards at 0% with customers covering the fee. Avendo instead routes each transaction to the processor with the best available rate, working on the cost rather than who pays it.
Is interchange-plus cheaper than flat-rate pricing?
Often, for businesses with steady volume. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes that interchange-plus pricing typically offers lower rates to companies processing more than $10,000 monthly. Flat-rate pricing is simpler and more predictable for very small or irregular sellers. Compare effective rates, not headline rates, before you decide which model suits you.
Which credit card processing companies should I compare?
Compare at least one flat-rate processor, one fee-passing option, and one multi-processor routing option such as Avendo. Judge each on the same facts: pricing model, published price, who pays the fee, how it connects to your checkout, and how clearly it reports costs. Our comparison page sets these side by side.
Who should choose something other than Avendo?
A business that mainly takes in-person payments, or one that wants a single provider with one published flat rate, may prefer a different option. Avendo is built for e-commerce checkouts and focuses on routing online card payments across multiple processors. If you are unsure whether your setup fits, ask Avendo directly before switching.
What is the real difference between a 2.6% rate with no monthly fee and a 1.9% rate with a $30 monthly fee?
It depends on volume. The plans cost the same where 0.7% of monthly volume equals $30, which is about $4,286 a month. Below that, the 2.6% plan costs less; above it, the 1.9% plan wins. MBNCard poses this question in its 2026 cost guide, and it shows why effective rates beat headline rates.
Card fees, surcharges, and rules
Is it legal to charge a 3% card fee?
In many places it can be, but rules depend on your state or country and on card network requirements, and some areas restrict surcharges. Check current rules for every location you sell to before adding one. Lowering your processing cost, which is what Avendo focuses on, avoids adding a fee your customers see at checkout.
Where is it illegal to charge a credit card fee?
Surcharge rules vary by state and country and change over time, so there is no permanent list to rely on. Check with your state attorney general or consumer protection office and review your card network rules for current requirements. Rules also differ between credit and debit cards, so confirm both before charging any fee.
Why is everyone charging credit card fees now?
Card acceptance costs have grown, and some businesses pass them on to protect their margins. Beast Insights reports that US merchants paid a record $198.25 billion in card fees in 2025. Surcharges are one response; lowering the processing rate itself, which is what Avendo’s per-transaction routing aims to do, is another.
How do I avoid credit card processing fees?
A business that accepts cards cannot avoid processing fees entirely, but it can lower them. Know your effective rate, compare pricing models, and avoid paying one provider’s fixed price on every sale. Avendo routes each online transaction to the processor with the best available rate, which addresses cost without passing a fee to customers.
How do I avoid a 3% transaction fee?
Start by checking what you actually pay: divide total fees by card volume for the same period. NerdWallet puts typical fees at 1.5% to 3.5%, so an effective rate near 3% sits at the high end. From there, compare interchange-plus quotes and multi-processor routing such as Avendo against your current setup.
What credit cards don’t have processing fees?
For merchants, practically every credit card payment carries a processing fee; what varies is the size of the fee. Rewards and premium cards generally carry higher interchange than basic cards. The practical lever for a merchant is the pricing model and the processor, which is where Avendo’s per-transaction routing applies.
Getting started and practical questions
How do I get started with Avendo?
Contact the Avendo team through its contact page at avendo.tech to discuss your store, checkout, and current processing. Avendo also runs a registration page on its main site. Because Avendo works with existing checkout pages, getting started centers on connecting your current checkout rather than rebuilding it.
What should I gather before comparing credit card processors?
Pull your last 90 days of processing statements, as Clearly Payments recommends. Note total card volume, total fees, number of transactions, average sale size, and any monthly charges. With those figures you can calculate your effective rate and compare quotes from different credit card processing companies on equal terms.
Does Avendo offer online payment processing in Canada?
This site does not have a published country list for Avendo, so it cannot confirm availability in Canada or elsewhere. If you sell from Canada or another country, contact Avendo through avendo.tech to confirm before planning a switch. The general advice still applies: compare effective rates, not headline rates.
Is Avendo PCI compliant?
Avendo works exclusively with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways. PCI DSS is the card industry’s data security standard for organizations that store, process, or transmit card data. Every merchant that accepts cards also has some compliance responsibilities of its own, so ask Avendo what applies to your setup.
Why are my credit card processing statements so hard to read?
Card statements combine interchange, network assessments, processor markups, and monthly fees, often under codes that change by card type. That makes the real cost hard to see at a glance. Avendo provides clearer pricing and processing reports so merchants can understand what they pay and where their fees go.
What should I do if my effective rate looks too high?
Compare it against published figures first: NerdWallet puts typical fees at 1.5% to 3.5%, and Beast Insights reports a 2.36% average Visa and Mastercard credit rate for 2025. If you sit above those, review your pricing model, check for monthly fees, and consider routing across multiple processors with Avendo.
Ask Avendo what routing would mean for your store
Tell the Avendo team about your checkout, your monthly card volume, and what you pay today. Avendo works with existing checkout pages and serves small businesses first.