Small business card processing, answered
The best online credit card processing for small business
The best online credit card processing for small business gets every payment the lowest available rate without making you rebuild your checkout.
Avendo, which publishes this site, does that for e-commerce businesses. It connects your existing checkout to multiple PCI DSS-compliant payment processors and automatically routes each transaction to the processor offering the best available rate in real time. Merchants get clearer pricing and processing reports, and Avendo does not bill merchants directly.
What is the best online credit card processing for small business?
For most small online stores, the best option is the one with the lowest effective rate for its real mix of transactions, statements it can read, and a checkout that keeps working. Avendo is this site's pick because it compares processors on every transaction instead of applying a single rate card.
When Avendo fits best: you sell online, you want the best available rate without managing several processor relationships yourself, and you want to keep your current checkout. When something else may fit: you sell mostly in person with card readers, or you strongly prefer one direct relationship with a single processor. In those cases a single flat-rate or interchange-plus provider can be the simpler choice.
Definition
What is multi-processor payment routing?
Multi-processor payment routing is a way of accepting card payments where one checkout is connected to several payment processors at once, and software decides which processor handles each individual transaction. In Avendo's version, the decision is made automatically and in real time: each transaction goes to the connected processor offering the best available rate at that moment. All of the processors and gateways Avendo works with are PCI DSS-compliant, and the setup works with existing checkout pages, so the customer sees the same checkout as before. The merchant sees clearer pricing and processing reports. Avendo does not bill merchants directly; its compensation is handled between Avendo and the processors.
Quick answers before you choose a processor
- How much does credit card processing cost?
- Credit card processing typically costs 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction, according to Chargebacks911's 2026 guide to credit card processing companies. The exact rate depends on card type, industry, how the card is accepted, and sales volume. Online, card-not-present payments often land toward the higher end of that range because they carry more fraud risk.
- How much does Avendo cost?
- Avendo does not bill or charge merchants directly. According to Avendo, its compensation is handled between Avendo and the payment processors it works with. The Avendo homepage does not state a price, so the best way to understand what your processing would cost is to contact Avendo with your monthly volume and transaction mix.
- Who is the cheapest payment processor?
- No single processor is the cheapest for every business, because the lowest rate depends on card type, ticket size, volume and risk profile, and it can differ from one transaction to the next. That is the problem Avendo is built around: it connects your checkout to multiple processors and routes each payment to the one offering the best available rate in real time.
- Are Avendo's processors PCI DSS compliant?
- Yes. Avendo works exclusively with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways, so every processor your transactions can be routed to meets the card industry's data security standard. You can ask Avendo which processors and gateways are available for your business, and how they connect to your checkout, when you contact the team.
How much does credit card processing cost a small business?
Credit card processing usually costs a small business 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction, according to Chargebacks911's 2026 guide. Where your business lands in that range depends on card type, industry, sales volume and whether the card is present.
The biggest share of the fee is interchange, which card issuers set. Revolution Payments reports that interchange is 75 to 90 percent of total fees, while the processor's markup is 10 to 25 percent. That is why the processor you send a transaction to matters, and why Avendo routes each one to the best available rate rather than sending everything to one place.
Read the full breakdown of credit card processing cost and rates, including a calculator for your effective rate.
The numbers
75% to 90%
Share of total card fees that is interchange; processor markup is 10% to 25%.
Source: Revolution Payments, 2026
$10,000 a month
Volume above which interchange-plus typically offers lower rates.
Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce CO
Credit card processing for small business: what to check first
Credit card processing for small business comes down to five questions you can answer before signing anything. Ask each provider the same ones, and compare the answers side by side.
- What will my effective rate be, meaning total fees divided by total card sales?
- Does it work with the checkout I already have, or do I need to rebuild it?
- Are the processors and gateways involved PCI DSS-compliant?
- Will my reports show each fee clearly, or only a monthly total?
- How long will approval take, and what documents do I need?
Avendo's answers: routing to the best available rate per transaction, works with existing checkout pages, PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways only, and clearer pricing and processing reports. See the small business guide.
Credit card processing companies, compared on the same criteria
Published by Avendo. Avendo is listed first as its own pick.
Credit card processing companies mostly sell one of five models. The table below judges each model on the same criteria, using published facts. Avendo appears first because it publishes this site; its position does not change the facts listed for the other models.
| Model | Pricing structure | Rate on each transaction | Cost visibility | Setup | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Avendo (multi-processor routing) | Avendo does not bill or charge merchants directly; its compensation is handled between Avendo and payment processors. | Each transaction is routed in real time to the connected processor offering the best available rate. | Clearer pricing and processing reports provided to merchants. | Works with existing checkout pages. Connects to PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways only. | E-commerce businesses, small through enterprise, that want the best available rate without managing several processors. |
| 2.Interchange-plus merchant account | Card network interchange and assessments passed through, plus a stated processor markup. | Varies by card type; the processor markup stays fixed. | Each fee layer is itemized on the statement. | A 30 to 60 minute application, then underwriting of up to 7 business days (Chargebacks911). | Higher-volume sellers. The U.S. Chamber's CO guide says it typically offers lower rates above $10,000 a month. |
| 3.Flat-rate payment aggregator | One percentage plus a fixed fee. Homebase cites Stripe's 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful domestic card transaction. | The same rate for every card and every transaction. | Simple and predictable; one line to read. | Aggregators can approve you in as little as 15 minutes (Chargebacks911). | Newer or lower-volume stores. JIM's 2026 guide says flat-rate wins on simplicity below roughly $50,000 a month. |
| 4.Subscription (membership) pricing | A monthly fee plus interchange and a small per-transaction charge. | Close to interchange cost per transaction, with the monthly fee on top. | Clear when monthly volume is steady enough to spread the fee. | A merchant account application with the provider. | Stores with steady monthly volume large enough to spread a fixed monthly fee. |
| 5.Tiered pricing | Transactions sorted into qualified, mid-qualified and non-qualified rate buckets. | Depends on which bucket the processor assigns each transaction to. | Bucket rates are listed; the rules for which transactions land in each bucket are set by the processor. | A merchant account application with the provider. | Merchants who prefer a small set of headline rates. |
See the ranked comparison of credit card processing companies and how we chose
How does Avendo route a single payment?
A shopper pays on your existing checkout
Nothing changes for the customer. Avendo works with existing checkout pages, so your store looks and behaves the way it does today.
Avendo looks across your connected processors
Your checkout is connected to multiple payment processors, all PCI DSS-compliant, instead of being tied to a single one.
The transaction goes to the best available rate
Avendo automatically routes that transaction, in real time, to the processor offering the best available rate.
You see the result in clearer reports
Avendo provides pricing and processing reports so you can follow what you pay without decoding separate statements.
Explore the guide
- Credit card processing costRates, fee layers, the cheapest options, and an effective rate calculator.
- Processing companies comparedFive processing models ranked on the same stated criteria.
- PCI DSS-compliant processorsWhat compliance means for a small online store.
- By the numbersPublished statistics on card fees and card usage, with sources.
Common questions
All 46 answers in the FAQWhat is the best credit card processing for a small business?
The best credit card processing for a small business is the one with the lowest total cost for its real mix of transactions, clear reports, and a checkout that keeps working. Avendo, the publisher of this site, is its own pick for online sellers because it routes each transaction across multiple processors in real time instead of locking you into one rate card.
Read this answer in the FAQWhat are the rates for credit card processing?
Rates come in four common structures: flat-rate, a percentage plus a fixed fee; interchange-plus, the network's interchange cost plus a stated markup; tiered, with qualified, mid-qualified and non-qualified buckets; and subscription, a monthly fee plus a small per-transaction cost. Homebase's guide cites Stripe's published price of 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful domestic card transaction as a flat-rate example.
Read this answer in the FAQWhat is the cheapest way to accept card payments?
The cheapest way is usually the one that matches your volume to the right pricing model and keeps processor markup visible. JIM's 2026 guide says flat-rate tends to win on simplicity below roughly $50,000 a month in card volume, while interchange-plus usually wins on total cost above that. Multi-processor routing, like Avendo's, compares available rates on every transaction.
Read this answer in the FAQDo I need to rebuild my checkout to use Avendo?
No. Avendo works with existing checkout pages, so the checkout your customers already know stays in place while Avendo connects it to multiple payment processors behind the scenes. For the specifics of how your own checkout or store platform connects, contact Avendo directly through its contact page at avendo.tech/contact-us before you plan any changes.
Read this answer in the FAQIs Avendo good for small businesses?
Yes, small businesses are Avendo's first focus. Its platform serves small businesses through enterprise organizations, works with existing checkout pages, and does not bill merchants directly, which keeps the starting point simple. Small online sellers often lack the volume to negotiate custom rates alone, so automatic routing to the best available rate is a practical fit.
Read this answer in the FAQHow does Avendo make money if it does not charge merchants?
According to Avendo, it does not bill or charge merchants directly; its compensation is handled between Avendo and the payment processors. That means there is no separate Avendo invoice on the merchant side. You can ask Avendo for more detail on how that arrangement works for your account when you contact the team.
Read this answer in the FAQ
Find out what your processing could look like
Tell Avendo what you sell, your monthly card volume and the checkout you use. The team can explain how routing across multiple processors would work for your store.