Card processing fees by the numbers
What is the average credit card processing fee in 2026?
Typical credit card processing fees run 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction in 2026, according to NerdWallet.
The Small Business Payments Alliance puts the retail average at 2.3% per credit card transaction. The Avendo Rate Guide collects these and other published figures below, each attributed to its original source. None of them are Avendo's own measurements.
Statistics
Which numbers matter most for merchant costs?
Read the first four as cost benchmarks and the rest as reasons card acceptance matters. Each figure links to the page it comes from.
- 1.5% to 3.5%Typical credit card processing fee as a share of each transactionSource: NerdWallet
- 2.3%Average retailers pay on each credit card transaction to issuers, networks, and acquirersSource: Small Business Payments Alliance
- $10,000Monthly volume above which interchange-plus typically offers lower ratesSource: U.S. Chamber of Commerce CO
- $2,000Yearly savings from cutting the effective rate by 0.20% on $1,000,000 of annual card volumeSource: Clearly Payments
- 608 millionOpen general purpose card accounts by year-end 2024, a 35% increase since 2018Source: Small Business Payments Alliance
- $6.5 trillionCredit card purchase volume in 2024Source: Small Business Payments Alliance
- $4 to $20Bank of America estimate of what one business check costs, including staff timeSource: Small Business Payments Alliance
- 2.9% + 30¢Stripe price per successful domestic card transactionSource: Homebase
What it means
What do these numbers mean for a small online business?
The range between 1.5% and 3.5% is wide, and where a business lands is mostly set by its card mix and its processor markup. Because small changes compound, a fraction of a percentage point matters: Clearly Payments shows a 0.20% cut in effective rate is worth $2,000 a year on $1,000,000 of card volume.
Card acceptance is also hard to skip. With 608 million open general purpose card accounts and $6.5 trillion in 2024 credit card purchase volume reported by the Small Business Payments Alliance, the practical question is not whether to accept cards but how to pay less for each transaction. That is the question Avendo routing is built around.
Back to the full guide: credit card processing rates and fees explained.
FAQ
Common questions
- What is the average credit card processing fee in 2026?
NerdWallet, in its 2026 guide, puts typical credit card processing fees at 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction. The Small Business Payments Alliance separately reports that retailers pay an average of 2.3% on each credit card transaction to card issuers, payment networks, and acquirers combined.
More in the FAQ- What are the processing fees for credit card payments?
Processing fees for credit card payments generally fall between 1.5% and 3.5% of the transaction, according to NerdWallet. Where you land depends on the card type, whether the sale is online or in person, your pricing model, and your processor markup. Online, card-not-present sales usually sit toward the higher end.
More in the FAQ- How much do banks charge businesses for card transactions?
The issuing bank collects interchange, which is the largest share of each card fee, while the network and processor take the rest. The Small Business Payments Alliance reports that retailers pay an average of 2.3% per credit card transaction to issuers, networks, and acquirers together. Your own figure depends on your card mix.
More in the FAQ- Should I accept credit card payments as an LLC?
For most online businesses, yes. The Small Business Payments Alliance reports 608 million open general purpose card accounts by year-end 2024 and industry estimates that nearly three-quarters of US retail sales come from credit cards. Your LLC can open a merchant account in its own name like any business.
More in the FAQ- How can a small business lower credit card processing costs?
Start with your effective rate. Then compare pricing models, ask for itemized interchange-plus statements, and remove fees you do not use. Clearly Payments shows that cutting an effective rate by 0.20% saves $2,000 a year on $1,000,000 in card volume. Avendo adds per-transaction routing to the best available processor rate.
More in the FAQ
Turn benchmarks into savings
Avendo routes each transaction to the processor offering the best available rate, behind your existing checkout.