Your processor raised your rates. Here is what to do.

Processing costs rarely jump in one obvious move. They creep. A new monthly fee here, a small change to the markup there, each one announced in a way that is technically disclosed and practically invisible. By the time an owner notices that the fees feel higher, the change is often months old.

How the increase actually arrives

Most merchant agreements allow the provider to change fees as long as they give notice. That notice is usually a short message printed on the statement, often on the last page, saying that a fee is being introduced or adjusted from a certain date. It does not come as a phone call, and it rarely comes as a separate letter.

So step one is simply to read the message section on your last few statements, all the way to the end.

Not every increase is your provider's doing

It is worth being fair here. The card brands adjust interchange and their own network fees from time to time, and on some pricing models those changes pass straight through to you. That is a real cost change, and your provider is not the one making it.

The question is which kind of change you are looking at. A useful test: on interchange plus pricing, card brand costs show up in the interchange section, while your provider's markup and monthly fees are listed separately. If the increase is in the markup or in a monthly fee, it came from your provider. On flat rate or tiered pricing you cannot see the difference, which is one of the reasons those models are harder to hold anyone to.

Check whether it actually cost you anything

Work out your effective rate, total fees divided by total card sales, for the three months before the notice date and the three months after. If it rose while your sales and the kinds of cards your customers use stayed roughly the same, the increase is real and it is costing you money.

Then make the call

1. Ask what changed, exactly. Which fee, by how much, and from what date.
2. Ask whether it is a card brand change or theirs. Ask them to name the card network if they say it is a pass-through.
3. Ask for it to be removed or reversed. Providers do not advertise it, but they do adjust fees for merchants who ask and are prepared to leave.
4. Check your agreement for a way out. Some agreements let you terminate without penalty after a fee change. Many do not. Know which you have before the call.
5. Write down who you spoke to and what they agreed. Then check the next statement to make sure it actually happened.

When to get a second opinion

If the answers are vague, if the fee comes back a few months later, or if you cannot tell which kind of change you are looking at, that is the point to have someone else look at the numbers. Sometimes the honest answer is that the increase was a card brand change and your provider is still priced fairly. Sometimes it is not.

Related reading

• How to audit your own statement for junk charges
• Five things a processing rep will not tell you
• Flat rate or interchange plus

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Luis Your Money Man is an Independent Sales Organization. This page carries no affiliate links. Product features and pricing change often, so treat this as a starting point and confirm current details with the provider before you decide. Last reviewed September 2026.