How Avendo routes each card transaction
Last updated: . Published by Avendo.
Avendo routes each online card transaction to whichever connected payment processor offers the best available rate at that moment, automatically and in real time.
Avendo connects an e-commerce checkout to multiple PCI DSS-compliant payment processors and gateways. Instead of every sale going to one provider at one price, Avendo makes a routing decision for each payment and records it in clearer pricing and processing reports. It works with existing checkout pages, so customers keep paying the way they already do.
How does transaction routing lower credit card processing fees?
Routing lowers fees by refusing to accept one price for every sale. Card processing costs vary with the card, the order size, and the pricing model, so the provider that is cheapest for one payment is not always cheapest for the next. Avendo compares the processors connected to your checkout on every transaction and sends it to the best available rate.
What happens during a routed payment
- A customer completes a purchase on your existing checkout page. Nothing about the page has to change.
- Avendo receives the transaction and considers the payment processors connected to your account.
- Avendo routes the transaction, in real time, to the processor offering the best available rate.
- The selected processor, always a PCI DSS-compliant provider, handles the authorization and settlement.
- The transaction and its cost appear in your Avendo pricing and processing reports.
Why one processor is rarely cheapest for every sale
Fixed per-transaction fees weigh much more on small orders than on large ones. Take the flat rate that Homebase reports for Stripe, 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful domestic card transaction. The arithmetic below shows how the same published rate becomes a very different share of each sale.
| Sale amount | Fee at 2.9% plus 30 cents | Fee as share of sale |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.59 | 5.9% |
| $50 | $1.75 | 3.5% |
| $200 | $6.10 | 3.05% |
That is why Clearly Payments singles out businesses with lots of sub-$50 tickets in its 2026 guide to lowering fees. Different processors price these differences differently, and routing lets each sale land where its cost is lowest among your connected options.
Working with your existing checkout
Avendo works with existing checkout pages. The routing happens behind the checkout, so you keep the design, flow, and customer experience you have already built. Routing works on what processing costs you, rather than shifting a fee onto the buyer.
Security: PCI DSS-compliant processors only
Avendo works exclusively with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways. PCI DSS is the payment card industry’s data security standard for organizations that store, process, or transmit card data. Merchants still carry some compliance responsibilities of their own, so ask Avendo what applies to your setup.
Return to the guide to the lowest credit card processing fees
Common questions
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.
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.
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.
Keep reading
- Guide to the lowest credit card processing fees
The main guide to lowering card fees with multi-processor routing.
- Pricing clarity: how Avendo is paid
How Avendo is compensated and what its reports show.
- Credit card processing for small business
What small online stores pay and how to choose a processor.
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.