Guide
What taking a card really costs.
The headline rate is one of four numbers. The other three are where the money goes.
In short
A card payment costs you interchange set by the card scheme, a scheme fee, and your provider's margin, usually quoted as one blended rate. On top sit terminal rental, PCI charges and any minimum monthly fee. Interchange on consumer debit and credit cards is capped by regulation in Europe, so a large gap between that cap and your rate is provider margin.
Updated 28 August 2026
The three parts of the rate
Interchange goes to the card issuer and is capped by regulation for consumer cards in Europe. Scheme fees go to Visa or Mastercard. The rest is your provider's margin. Blended pricing hides the split, which is convenient for the provider. Interchange-plus pricing shows it, which is why it tends to be cheaper for anybody who asks.
The costs that are not the rate
This is where legacy agreements get expensive, and where a low headline rate can still cost you more overall.
- Terminal rental, often on a multi-year contract
- PCI compliance charges, sometimes monthly
- Minimum monthly service fee if you fall under a threshold
- Authorisation fees per transaction
- Chargeback handling fees
Commercial and international cards cost more
The interchange caps apply to consumer cards issued in the region. Business cards and cards issued outside it are not capped and cost meaningfully more. If you are in a tourist area or do corporate catering, your blended rate will sit above the headline and that is not your provider overcharging you.
Questions worth asking before you sign
Ask for the effective rate on your actual mix, not the advertised one. Ask what the contract term is and what it costs to exit. Ask how quickly funds settle, because cash flow matters more than a fraction of a percent. And ask whether wallets are included, because Apple Pay and Google Pay meaningfully improve mobile conversion.
The honest limitation
Chasing a small rate difference is usually less valuable than it feels. On typical restaurant volumes, a fraction of a percent is a modest annual sum, while a terminal rental contract or a slow settlement can cost far more. Optimise the structure before optimising the rate.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Is it legal to surcharge card payments?
Surcharging consumer card payments is restricted in the EU and the UK. Assume you cannot pass card fees on to consumers and check the current rules for your market before considering it.
Should I still take cash?
Yes, and count its cost honestly: banking time, float management, shrinkage risk. Cash is not free, it is just billed in a different currency.
How fast should funds settle?
Next business day is common and worth having. Multi-day settlement is a cash flow cost that rarely shows up in a rate comparison.
Do I need a terminal at all?
Many restaurants now run on a tablet with a connected reader rather than a rented terminal, which removes the rental contract entirely. Worth pricing against your current agreement.
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