Tacoma runs on tight margins. Your card fees shouldn't eat them.
We're payment brokers based in Federal Way, and we've negotiated processing for Puget Sound businesses since 2010. One statement gets you a free line-by-line read; if we can't beat your deal, we tell you to keep it.
In person at your counter, from Stadium District to South Tacoma Way. Since 2010.
Where we work in Tacoma
Tacoma isn't one market. The fee program and equipment that fit a 6th Ave bar are wrong for an auto shop on South Tacoma Way, and we configure for the difference.
6th Ave & Stadium District
Restaurants, bars and counter-service spots running tight margins on busy strips. Dual pricing hits hardest here: a 3% card cost on a $40 ticket is the difference between a good night and a flat one.
How we set this up →Proctor & Point Ruston
Boutiques, gift shops and waterfront retail. Inventory-aware POS with clean card pricing, sized for shops that don't need an enterprise system.
How we set this up →South Tacoma Way
The auto row. Repair shops and dealers taking large keyed and card-present tickets, where interchange plus pricing usually beats any flat rate by a wide margin.
How we set this up →Dome District & brewery row
Taprooms and event-adjacent food businesses with rush-hour spikes. Fast countertop and handheld terminals that keep lines moving during Dome events.
How we set this up →Lincoln District & Pacific Ave
Family-run restaurants, markets and salons, many cash-heavy already. Dual pricing formalizes what your regulars already expect, with compliant signage and receipts.
How we set this up →Somewhere else in Tacoma?
Hilltop, McKinley, Fern Hill, the Port, Fircrest line: if you take cards in the 253, the free statement read applies.
Get startedWhat a payment processing broker does for a Tacoma business
We're an independent merchant services broker, not a processor. We put banks and processors in competition for your Tacoma payment processing, so your credit card rates drop without changing how you take cards.
Processing is priced like used cars: published wholesale cost, invisible markup. A Proctor boutique and a Pacific Ave restaurant doing the same volume can be paying rates a full point apart and neither would know. We close that gap by making processors bid for your account, and the bid stays honest because we re-audit it.
Between Tacoma's B&O on gross receipts and what landlords charge on the business districts, the 2 to 3% card line is one of the few costs you can actually push back on. Dual pricing pushes it nearly to zero by showing a cash and a card price; a renegotiation shrinks it the traditional way. We run both programs and tell you which fits your counter.
The Tacoma setup, end to end
- Statement read, free
Your real effective rate and every junk fee, named. At your counter or by upload.
- Rates bid, not quoted
Multiple processors compete for your volume. You see the bids in plain language.
- Equipment placed free
Terminals and POS arrive programmed for your fee program. No lease line, ever.
- Programs configured compliant
Dual pricing signage, register flow and receipts done right the first time.
- Local support after
Something breaks on a Saturday, you text a person you've met, not a 1-800 queue.
Local to Tacoma
We're based in Federal Way and work with Tacoma businesses across the South Sound. Same broker, same number, whether we read your statement by text or in person.
Federal Way, WA 98003Call or text 253-799-0640
Serving Tacomaand the greater Seattle–Tacoma area since 2010.
Every review we have is five stars. All 79.
Read them all →“We've really appreciated having a local presence that we can interact with in person and get in person assistance... Very competitive rates. I absolutely recommend Northwest Payment Brokers!”
“Drew came out for the initial visit and helped with the setup, walking us through the entire process with ease. We're saving money with lower fees while getting top-notch service.”
“They made switching our payment processing incredibly easy. I needed a mobile solution that just works... It's rare to find a payment broker that actually cares about your bottom line.”
A Tacoma restaurant doing $60K a month at a 3% effective rate hands its processor $21,600 a year. On dual pricing, most of that stays in the till. That's a line cook's wages, found on one statement.
How dual pricing works →Tacoma questions, answered
Do you actually come to Tacoma, or is this remote?
We come to you. Our office is in Federal Way, about 15 minutes up I-5; statement reviews at your counter, installs at your site, and a broker you'll meet in person. Tacoma is home-turf coverage, not a territory on a map.
What should a Tacoma business be paying to take cards?
Total fees divided by card volume is your effective rate. Healthy merchants we audit land between 2 and 2.5% on traditional pricing, or near 0% card cost on dual pricing. Over 2.5%, your processor is overcharging you; we see it weekly on Tacoma statements.
Is dual pricing legal in Tacoma?
Yes. Displaying a cash price and a card price is legal in all 50 states, Washington included. We configure the signage, register flow and receipts so the program runs compliantly from day one.
Margins are already tight with Tacoma's B&O tax. How does this help?
Tacoma levies a local business & occupation tax on gross receipts on top of the state's, which is exactly why a 3%-ish card fee deserves scrutiny: it's another tax-shaped line on every sale. Dual pricing moves most of that cost off your books; a rate renegotiation shrinks it.
Which POS systems do you install in Tacoma?
Clover, Exatouch, KORONA and a dozen more, matched to your industry rather than whatever's on the truck. Equipment is placed free on accounts we open, with no lease line.
What does the rate analysis cost?
Nothing. One recent statement, read line by line: your real effective rate, the junk fees, and the number we'd bid for your volume. If your deal is already good, we say so.
It starts with one statement.
We just need to see one recent statement. Upload it right here, or we'll swing by your Tacoma business and grab it in person. One or the other, and the read is free.