Pay the real cost, plus one markup you can see.
Every card has a true wholesale cost set by the networks, called interchange. Interchange plus passes that cost through untouched and adds one small, fixed markup on top. No bundles, no tiers, nowhere for fees to hide. Our job as your broker is making that markup as small as possible.
Get a free rate analysisHow this actually works
Interchange is the wholesale price of accepting a card, set by Visa, Mastercard and the issuing banks, and it's the same for every processor in the country. A basic debit card might cost well under 1%. A corporate rewards card costs more, because someone has to fund those points. No processor controls interchange, and any processor claiming to discount it is playing games with words.
What processors do control is everything stacked on top. Flat-rate plans like 2.9% bundle the wholesale cost and the processor's margin into one number, which sounds simple and quietly overcharges you on every cheap card. Tiered plans are worse: the processor decides which tier each transaction lands in, and the tiers exist to move your volume toward the expensive one. In both cases the actual margin is invisible by design.
Interchange plus unbundles it. Your statement shows the true wholesale cost passed through at cost, plus one fixed, visible markup, quoted in writing. When your customers use cheap cards, you pay less that month. Rate creep has nowhere to hide because the markup is a contract number, not a moving target. The only question left is how small the markup is, and that's a negotiation, which is precisely the job you hire a broker for.
Flat rate vs. interchange plus
Illustrative with a typical card mix; actual interchange varies by the cards your customers carry. The point is structural: the flat rate was hiding roughly $550 of monthly margin, and the visible markup is a fraction of it.
Getting set up
We read your current pricing
Most merchants are on tiered or flat-rate plans where the processor's margin is invisible. We show you what you're really paying above wholesale.
We negotiate the markup
Processors compete for your business through us. The winning bid is interchange plus a small, fixed margin, in writing.
Every statement stays honest
Your statement shows the wholesale cost and the markup separately, so rate creep has nowhere to hide. We review it with you any time.
Interchange plus is the honest version of absorbing your own fees, and it's what we recommend when posting two prices doesn't fit your business. The catch is that the markup is whatever you fail to negotiate. Processors quote big markups to merchants who walk in alone. They quote small ones to brokers who bring them deals every week. That's the entire pitch.
- Businesses that prefer to absorb card fees rather than post two prices
- B2B companies and professional services
- Higher-volume merchants where a small markup difference is real money
- Owners who want to see exactly what every transaction costs
The three models, side by side
NWPB offers three ways to handle card fees. The free analysis tells you which one wins with your real numbers.
Dual pricing
Cash price and card price posted side by side. The customer picks, you keep 100%.
Best when most sales happen at a counter or table and you want fees gone entirely.
Surcharging
The card cost is added to credit card transactions only, with disclosure and caps.
Best when most of your volume is credit cards, like B2B and professional services.
Interchange plus
You absorb the fees, but pay true wholesale cost plus one small visible markup.
Best when you prefer one posted price and want the lowest possible absorbed cost.
Fair questions
What exactly is interchange?
The wholesale cost of accepting a card, set by the networks and issuing banks. It's identical for every processor, which is why the only number worth negotiating is the markup above it.
How is this different from flat-rate pricing?
A flat rate like 2.9% bundles wholesale cost and processor margin into one number, and the margin is usually generous. Interchange plus unbundles them so the margin is visible, fixed and negotiable.
Why do flat rates overcharge?
Because most everyday cards cost far less than the flat rate to accept. The processor pockets the difference on every cheap card, and you never see it happen.
Is interchange plus better than dual pricing?
Different goals. Dual pricing moves the cost to the card-paying customer. Interchange plus keeps the cost on you but shrinks it and makes it transparent. Plenty of our clients run one location on each.
What markup should I expect?
It depends on volume and risk profile, which is exactly why brokers exist. Send a statement and we'll tell you what the market will actually bid for your business.
Will my statement get more complicated?
It gets longer but honest: wholesale cost shown at cost, markup shown separately. We walk you through the first one, and after that, rate creep has nowhere to hide.
What does the analysis cost?
Nothing. One recent statement, a plain-English answer within 24 hours, no obligation.