Restaurants and cafes
High transaction counts, small tickets, and tip adjustments that settle above the authorised amount. The per-transaction line is what decides your month, not the percentage.
Restaurant pricingThat is the whole markup. Written where you can read it.
5 basis points plus 5¢ a transaction over interchange, and no monthly, PCI, gateway or early-termination fee. Interchange itself passes through untouched, exactly as it does with every provider. What is left is the only number anyone was ever negotiating — so we print it.
Qualifying merchants add a free Clover Mini or Flex.Under the Clover Advantage program the device carries no equipment cost. Eligibility and terms are the program’s decision, not ours — ask for it by name when you apply.
Target markup, not a quoted rate · Approval and final pricing set by the processor · No obligation to apply
Three numbers make up your bill. Two of them are not ours.
Every merchant statement is the same stack underneath the formatting. Once it is separated out, there is very little left to argue about.
Interchange
Set by Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Goes to the bank that issued your customer's card. Identical for every provider on earth, including us.
Card-brand assessments
The networks' own cut. Also fixed, also identical everywhere, also not ours.
Processor markup
The only part anybody actually sets, and therefore the only part worth comparing. This is where monthly fees, PCI fees, gateway fees and statement fees hide.
A provider quoting you "2.6% and 10¢" is quoting all three added together, which is why two such quotes can never be compared. Ask any provider for their markup over interchange. The reluctance is the answer.
What the account carries
5 bps
Target markup over interchange
5¢
Per transaction
$0
Monthly, PCI, gateway and statement fees
$0
Early-termination fee
Every figure here is markup only. Your all-in effective rate will be higher, because interchange sits underneath it — and it sits underneath everyone else's number too.
The same volume, priced by the four interchange-plus providers we model
These are published rate cards, recomputed against the same transaction count. Nothing here is a quote; it is arithmetic you can repeat.
| Monthly card volume | This account | Closest competitor | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000avg ticket $25 | $13 | $24Dharma · $0/mo + 15 bps + 8¢/txn | 46.8% |
| $20,000avg ticket $45 | $32 | $66Dharma · $0/mo + 15 bps + 8¢/txn | 50.9% |
| $75,000avg ticket $60 | $100 | $213Dharma · $0/mo + 15 bps + 8¢/txn | 52.9% |
| $250,000avg ticket $120 | $229 | $366Stax · $199/mo + 0 bps + 8¢/txn | 37.3% |
Across every band above, the narrowest gap is 37.3%. That is the floor of this table, not a best case — and not a promise about your account, because your rate is assigned by underwriting, not by us.
This compares processor markup and monthly fees only. Interchange and card-brand assessments are set by the card networks, apply equally to all providers, and are not included.
Run your own numbersWhere a thin markup actually changes the month
Basis points matter on large tickets; per-transaction pricing matters on small ones. Which of the two is quietly costing you depends entirely on what you sell.
Retail
Card-present interchange is the cheapest tier there is, which makes an inflated markup on top of it that much harder to justify. Returns and exchanges have their own arithmetic.
Retail pricingSalons, barbers and service trades
Deposits and split payments mean one appointment can be charged twice. A 30¢ fixed fee penalises you for enforcing a no-show policy; 5¢ does not.
Service pricingAuto repair, tire and body shops
A four-figure repair invoice is where basis points stop being a rounding error. On a $4,000 job the difference between 5 bps and 30 bps is real money, every time.
Auto pricingE-commerce
Card-not-present interchange is materially worse for everyone, and chargeback exposure is genuinely higher. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.
E-commerce pricingProfessional services
Retainers arrive as single large transactions, frequently on commercial cards. A percentage-led model is structurally wrong for the way your firm bills.
Professional pricingHow an application actually goes
Three steps, and the second one is the only one that decides anything. We have written it out including the parts that are not in our favour.
1 You apply
Business details, ownership, bank account and recent processing statements if you have them. Ten minutes, and no obligation attaches to submitting it.
2 Underwriting decides
The processor's underwriting department reviews your risk profile and assigns your rate. We submit at the target markup; strong profiles land at or near it, weaker ones land above it, and some applications are declined. This is their decision and we cannot override it.
3 You are set up and funded
Equipment or gateway is configured, and funding runs on the processor's schedule directly to your bank. From that point your relationship on money movement is with them, not with us.
What we are, and what we are not
We are an independent referral partner. We introduce you to North American Bancard / CardConnect CoPilot, we submit your application at the target markup, and we are paid by the provider for the referral. That is the whole business model, and you should know it before you read another word of ours.
We are not a payment processor, an acquiring bank, or a financial institution. We do not underwrite, we do not hold funds, we do not set your final rate, and we cannot release a hold on your money. Any provider blurring that line is one you should ask harder questions of.
Who actually processes your payments
Processing partner
Hardware partner
Your merchant account is held with North (North American Bancard) or CardConnect CoPilot, and their acquiring sponsor bank moves your money. Pcnaid is an independent referral partner — we submit your application at the markup we publish and the processor decides it. We are not the processor, the bank, or an agent authorised to speak for either. The Clover Official Partner badge is displayed under our reseller agreement with Clover; Clover, North and Payanywhere are their owners’ trademarks, not ours.
The free device, for merchants who qualify
Merchants who qualify put a free Clover Mini or Flex on the counter under the Clover Advantage program — on the same account that already carries no monthly fee. Eligibility and program terms are the provider’s decision, and the way to get the device is to ask for it by name when you apply.
The Payanywhere range below is the other path, photographed as the real devices they are — PAX terminals, because that is what the programme actually ships. Which device suits you is a question about your counter, not about your rate.
Smart Terminal
Countertop and handheld. Full touchscreen, built-in printer, chip, swipe and tap.
Smart Terminal Mini
A smaller countertop unit with the same checkout, for a till with no room to spare.
3-in-1 card reader
Chip, swipe and contactless, paired to a phone. For the market stall and the callout.
Equipment is issued by the processor on approval, and terms depend on the programme you are placed in. Any lease you already hold with another company is a separate agreement that switching processor does not end — ask us before you sign anything that says otherwise.
Asked before you ask it
Is the target markup guaranteed?
No. It is the pricing we submit your application at, and it is never a promise. The processor’s underwriting department sets your final rate from your business profile, processing history and credit. Anyone guaranteeing you a rate before underwriting has looked at you is guessing.
Does this mean my all-in rate is 0.05%?
No, and this is the single most important line on the site. Interchange and card-brand assessments sit underneath the markup and are far larger than it. Your effective rate will be a couple of percent, as it is with every provider — the markup is the part that differs.
Are the comparison figures a quote?
No. They are published competitor rate cards recomputed against an identical transaction count. Your own rates from any of these providers, including us, depend on underwriting.
Who do I call when something goes wrong?
Our support front line is an AI voice agent that triages and routes. We do not claim a human answers the phone. Anything touching funding, holds or your account balance belongs to the processor, and we will route you there because they are the only ones who can act on it.
See the markup before you commit to anything.
The calculator uses the same figures as this page, because it is the same code. Applying is free and carries no obligation.
Applying carries no obligation. Underwriting, approval and final rates are determined by the processor.
Not sure this is the right account? See every way to apply →