Payment Method Cost Comparison

A payment method cost comparison calculator helps businesses compare the true cost of accepting different payment methods. Each method has a different fee structure: cash has handling and depositing costs (~$0.15/tx + overhead),credit cards charge a percentage plus flat fee (2.5% + $0.10),debit cards are regulated (0.65% + $0.15), ACH charges a flat per-transaction fee ($0.50), wire transfers charge a higher flat fee ($25/tx), and digital wallets add surcharges on top of card fees (2.9% + $0.30). This calculator factors in all components - percentage fees, flat fees, monthly fixed costs, and additional handling costs - to give you a complete picture of what each payment method truly costs your business. All calculations run locally in your browser with no data uploaded to any server.

Enter your monthly transaction volume (total dollar amount processed per month) and average ticket size (average amount per transaction). Select which payment methods you want to compare by toggling the method buttons - choose from cash, credit cards, debit cards, ACH/E-Check, wire transfers, and digital wallets. The tool evenly splits your monthly volume across selected methods for a fair comparison. Click Compare Costs to see a ranked cost comparison table sorted from cheapest to most expensive, with monthly cost, cost per transaction, effective fee rate, annual cost, and savings vs average. The visual bar chart shows relative costs at a glance with color-coded bars (green for low, amber for medium, red for high effective rates). The detailed breakdown table shows every cost component: percentage fees, flat per-transaction fees, monthly fixed costs, and other costs.

Each payment method has a unique cost structure. Credit cards use interchange-plus pricing: the card-issuing bank charges an interchange fee (1-3% depending on card type - rewards cards cost more), plus the processor adds a markup and per-transaction fee. Debit cards are regulated under the Durbin Amendment for banks over $10B in assets, capping interchange at ~0.65% + $0.15. ACH payments are typically charged as a flat per-transaction fee ($0.20-$1.50) plus a monthly gateway fee.Wire transfers have high flat fees ($15-$35 domestic, $25-$50 international) but are fast and guaranteed. Cash has hidden costs: counting time, verification, depositing fees, theft risk, and shrinkage - typically $0.10-$0.25 per transaction plus monthly overhead. Digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal) generally add 0.3-0.5% on top of the underlying card processing cost.

This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only. Actual payment processing costs depend on your specific merchant account terms, processor contract, card mix (rewards cards vs basic cards), average ticket size, industry, and negotiated rates. Cash handling costs vary significantly by business type and volume. This tool does not constitute financial advice. Your data privacy is protected - all calculations are processed locally in your browser using JavaScript. No data is ever sent to any server, stored in any database, or tracked across sessions. There is no signup, no account creation, and no usage limits.