What does a card payment
really cost?

Published July 2026 · 5 min read

When a customer pays 50 € by card, you don't receive 50 €. Between the terminal, the customer's bank, the card schemes and your payment provider, several players take their share along the way. This guide explains where that money goes — and how to compare offers that never present their prices the same way.

The three layers of a payment fee

Almost every card payment fee breaks down into three layers, however your provider chooses to present them:

• Interchange — the share paid to the customer's bank. It is capped by EU regulation for consumer cards: 0.2 % for a debit card, 0.3 % for a credit card issued in the EU. It's the biggest layer, and the least understood.
• Scheme fees — the share taken by the card schemes, a few hundredths of a percent per transaction.
• The provider's margin — what your payment provider actually earns. It's the only negotiable layer, and the only one that genuinely varies from one offer to the next.

An "all-in flat rate" adds these three layers into a single number. It's easy to read, but it also means you pay the same rate for a local debit card (interchange 0.2 %) as for a far more expensive foreign credit card — and the difference feeds the provider's margin. To understand the alternative, read our guide on Interchange++.

Fixed fee vs percentage: why your average basket changes everything

Most price lists combine a fixed fee per transaction (a few cents) and a percentage of the amount. The smaller your basket, the heavier that fixed fee weighs:

• On a 3 € coffee, a 0.25 € fixed fee already amounts to 8.3 % of the amount — before the percentage even kicks in;
• On an 80 € basket, the same fixed fee is only 0.3 %.

The practical takeaway: always compare offers on your real average basket, not on the headline rate. A price list with a low fixed fee and a slightly higher percentage can be far better for a café — and the opposite for a jeweller.

The costs that aren't in the rate

The per-transaction rate is only part of the bill. Before you sign, check:

• The monthly subscription — and what it actually includes;
• The hardware — is the terminal bought or rented? A 20 €/month rental costs 720 € over three years, far more than buying;
• Payout fees — some providers charge for every transfer to your account;
• The contract's hidden fees — inactivity fees, termination fees, chargeback fees, monthly commission minimums;
• The payout delay — not a direct cost, but 5 days of cash tied up has a real price for a business.

The five questions to ask before you sign

• What is the total monthly cost on my volume and my average basket, all included?
• Is the rate the same for every card? If not, what's the typical debit / credit / foreign card split in my business?
• Is the hardware bought or rented, and what happens if I cancel?
• When does the money reach my bank account?
• Is there a fixed-term commitment, and how much does leaving cost?

At Nextepay, the answer to the first question is computed online: our price list is published with a calculator that turns your numbers into a real monthly cost. No sales meeting needed to find out the price.