Your processor is charging fees you never agreed to.

Cash discounting is a pricing model where you set a standard price that includes the cost of card processing, then offer a small discount to customers who pay with cash or check. It's legal in all 50 states and compliant with Visa and Mastercard rules — as long as it's implemented with proper signage and disclosure, which we handle entirely.

For many merchants, a properly structured cash discount program brings monthly processing costs close to zero. Run the calculator above to see what that looks like for your volume.

Surcharging adds a fee (up to 4%) to credit card transactions at the time of sale. Cash discounting gives a discount to customers who pay with cash — the economic outcome is similar, but the legal and compliance framework is different. Surcharging is permitted in most states but has specific disclosure requirements set by Visa and Mastercard. Cash discounting works everywhere.

We'll recommend the right approach based on your state, your customer base, and your volume. Either way, the goal is the same: your processing costs go down, legally.

The fastest way: run our free calculator. Enter your monthly card volume and your current effective rate — if you're above 2.5%, you're almost certainly overpaying.

Common red flags on your statement: PCI non-compliance fees ($20–$125/month), "regulatory" or "technology" or "network access" fees ($5–$50/month), statement fees, annual fees, and batch fees of $0.10–$0.25 per daily terminal close. Most merchants we audit are paying 1–3% more than they should — often without knowing any of these line items exist.

Interchange-plus (cost-plus) pricing passes the actual card network cost to you — what Visa or Mastercard charges — plus a fixed markup. It's transparent. You can see every line item.

Tiered pricing bundles transactions into "qualified," "mid-qualified," and "non-qualified" buckets at different rates. The processor decides which tier each transaction falls into — and routinely pushes the majority into the expensive tiers. Worldpay advertises 1.9%. Most merchants end up paying 4–5% because 80% of their transactions hit mid/non-qualified rates. It's designed to obscure what you actually pay.

Our flat 2.5% pricing has none of that complexity. Your rate is your rate, on every transaction.

Pull your last statement and look for these line items:

• PCI Non-Compliance Fee — $20–$125/month for not completing a security questionnaire most merchants never knew they needed
• "Regulatory," "Network Access," or "Technology" Fee — $5–$50/month, entirely fabricated, goes straight to processor profit
• Statement Fee — $10–$25/month to generate a PDF
• Batch Fee — $0.10–$0.25 every time you close your terminal, adds up if you batch daily
• Annual Fee — $50–$300/year, usually buried in contract fine print
• Minimum Monthly Fee — charged if you don't hit a volume threshold, even in slow months

If your processor can't clearly explain what any fee is for, it shouldn't be there. Submit for a free audit and we'll go through it line by line.

It depends on your contract. Many processors include early termination fees (ETFs) of $300–$500, or "liquidated damages" clauses that charge the equivalent of remaining monthly fees through the end of your term. Check your agreement for "early termination," "ETF," or "liquidated damages" language.

If you're locked in, we can help you evaluate whether the long-term savings justify the exit cost (they usually do), and sometimes negotiate a waiver directly with your processor. If you're on a month-to-month contract, you can switch anytime with 30 days notice.

The short version: we don't make money by hiding fees from you. The big processors do.

Heartland's effective rate averages 6–12% with hidden charges ($410/year in reporting fees, $125/month PCI penalties). Square raised rates 14% overnight in January 2026 with no warning. Worldpay advertises 1.9% — the average merchant pays 4–5% after tiered pricing kicks in. Shift4 charges a $325/year "regulatory assurance fee" that has nothing to do with regulations.

Through our partnership with Echelon Payments: 2.5% flat, no tiers, no fabricated fees, zero BBB complaints. And because we audit your current statement before you switch, you know exactly what you're saving before you sign anything.

Submit your contact info below (or email us a recent merchant statement). We'll review it line by line and send you a clear breakdown showing: what you're currently paying, which fees are legitimate vs. fabricated, and what you'd pay with FeeShield + Echelon Payments. No obligation. No sales pressure.

If we can't save you meaningful money, we'll tell you that too. The audit takes 1–2 business days. Most merchants are shocked by what we find.

Yes — this is one of our specialties. Cannabis, CBD, adult entertainment, firearms, supplements, smoke and vape shops, travel, nutraceuticals — industries that Square, Stripe, and most banks refuse to touch. We work with a network of specialized banking partners that actually understand high-risk verticals and have the underwriting to approve them.

We achieve a 95% application approval rate for high-risk merchants. If you've been rejected elsewhere, reach out — there's a good chance we can get you approved and processing within days.

Merchants switching from tiered processors like Heartland or Worldpay typically save 1.5–6% of annual card volume. On $50,000/month in card sales, that's $9,000–$36,000 per year back in your pocket. Merchants who move to a full cash discount program can reduce processing costs to near-zero.

Run the calculator at the top of this page — enter your monthly volume and current rate and you'll have your specific number in 30 seconds. No email required to see the results.