Savings Calculator

Most business owners are overpaying for credit card processing without realizing it. The reason is simple: the payment processing industry has historically lacked transparency. Processors use tiered pricing models, bundled rates, and misleading terminology to obscure the true cost of each transaction. Our savings calculator cuts through this complexity by breaking down exactly what you are paying now and what you would pay with Unison Payment Solutions' interchange-plus pricing.

Interchange-plus pricing separates the three components of every transaction fee: the interchange rate (set by Visa and Mastercard, non-negotiable), the assessment fee (charged by card networks, also non-negotiable), and the processor markup (what your payment processor charges, and the only component that is negotiable). With flat-rate pricing like Square's 2.6% + 10¢, all three components are blended into a single rate — which means you are often paying significantly more than the actual interchange cost, especially on debit card transactions that carry lower interchange rates.

The average business that switches from a flat-rate or tiered pricing processor to Unison's interchange-plus model saves between 20% and 40% on total processing costs. For a business processing $50,000 per month, that translates to $3,000 to $6,000 in annual savings. For higher-volume businesses, the savings can be even more dramatic. Our cash discount program goes further — it can eliminate 100% of your processing fees by passing the cost to card-paying customers through a compliant dual-pricing model.

To get the most accurate savings estimate, have a recent processing statement handy. It will show your effective rate (total fees divided by total volume), your monthly processing volume, and your average transaction size. If you do not have your statement available, you can use industry averages as a starting point. For the most precise analysis, contact our team for a free, no-obligation statement review — we will identify every fee on your statement and show you exactly where we can save you money.

The payment processing industry uses several different pricing models, and understanding the differences is crucial for making an informed decision about your processing partner. The pricing model you choose can mean the difference between paying 1.8% and 3.5% per transaction — which for a business processing $50,000 per month represents a difference of over $10,000 per year. Here is a detailed breakdown of the four most common pricing models and how they affect your bottom line.

Interchange-Plus (Cost-Plus) Pricing is the most transparent and typically the lowest-cost pricing model. With interchange-plus, you pay the actual interchange rate set by the card networks (which varies by card type and transaction method) plus a fixed per-transaction markup from your processor. For example, interchange-plus 0.30% + 10¢ means you pay the actual interchange rate plus 0.30% plus ten cents on every transaction. This model rewards businesses with a favorable card mix (more debit, fewer high-reward credit cards) and is the pricing model Unison Payment Solutions recommends for the vast majority of merchants.

Flat-Rate Pricing charges a single, uniform rate on every transaction regardless of card type. Square (2.6% + 10¢), Stripe (2.9% + 30¢), and PayPal (2.99% + 49¢) all use flat-rate pricing. While this model is simple to understand, it is almost always more expensive than interchange-plus because you pay the same high rate on debit card transactions (where interchange is as low as 0.05% + 22¢) as you do on premium rewards cards (where interchange can be 2.0% or more). Flat-rate pricing is most commonly used by small businesses processing very low volumes or by businesses that prioritize simplicity over savings.

Tiered Pricing categorizes transactions into qualified, mid-qualified, and non-qualified tiers, with each tier charged a different rate. This model appears transparent but is actually one of the least favorable for merchants because the processor decides which transactions fall into each tier — and the criteria are often opaque and subject to change. Many processors use tiered pricing because it allows them to classify profitable transactions as "non-qualified" and charge premium rates. Unison does not use tiered pricing.

Subscription (Membership) Pricing charges a flat monthly fee plus a small per-transaction markup (often just the interchange rate plus a few cents). This model can be cost-effective for high-volume businesses but typically requires monthly fees of $79 to $199+ that make it impractical for smaller merchants. The break-even point is usually around $25,000 to $50,000 in monthly volume, below which interchange-plus pricing is more economical.

Payment processing costs vary significantly by industry, and understanding the factors that drive your specific costs is essential for maximizing savings. The three biggest factors are your average transaction size, your card mix (the proportion of debit vs. credit vs. rewards cards your customers use), and your transaction method (card-present vs. card-not-present). Here is how these factors play out across different business types.

Restaurants and food service businesses typically process a high volume of relatively small transactions with a significant debit card mix. Because debit card interchange rates are substantially lower than credit card rates (often 0.05% + 22¢ for regulated debit versus 1.5% to 2.5% for credit), restaurants that switch from flat-rate pricing to interchange-plus often see the most dramatic savings — frequently 30 to 40 percent or more. Additionally, restaurants can benefit from our cash discount program, which eliminates processing fees entirely while maintaining competitive menu prices.

Retail and specialty shops benefit from card-present interchange rates, which are lower than eCommerce or keyed-in rates. The key savings driver for retail is moving from flat-rate or tiered pricing to interchange-plus, where the actual wholesale cost of each transaction is passed through transparently. For retail businesses processing $30,000 to $100,000 per month, the difference between flat-rate and interchange-plus pricing often ranges from $200 to $800 per month.

Service businesses — medical offices, salons, auto repair shops, contractors, and professional firms — often process a mix of in-person and invoiced payments. The in-person transactions qualify for lower card-present rates, while invoiced payments processed through a virtual terminal or payment link carry slightly higher card-not-present rates. Unison optimizes the setup for these businesses by ensuring card-present transactions are always processed through the POS terminal (not keyed in manually) and by offering ACH as a lower-cost alternative for large invoices and recurring payments.

eCommerce businesses pay higher interchange rates on card-not-present transactions, but the savings opportunity with interchange-plus pricing is still substantial. Online businesses that switch from Stripe (2.9% + 30¢) or PayPal (2.99% + 49¢) to Unison's interchange-plus model typically reduce their effective rate by 0.5% to 1.0% or more. For an eCommerce business processing $100,000 per month, that translates to $6,000 to $12,000 in annual savings. Our payment gateway also provides advanced fraud prevention tools that reduce chargebacks and protect your merchant account.