Merchant service fees are often one of the most overlooked and least understood business expenses. For many commercial customers, credit card processing costs are riddled with hidden fees and inflated markups that chip away at margins month after month. Comfort Profit Consulting helps uncover these inefficiencies through a detailed merchant processing audit.
The Two Rate Structures and Their Hidden Problems
Most processors charge under one of two models: fixed rates or interchange-plus pricing.
- Fixed Rate Pricing: While simple on the surface, this model often includes significant markups baked into the rate. Businesses think they’re getting predictability, but in reality, they’re paying a premium for simplicity.
- Interchange-Plus Pricing: This model is meant to be transparent, passing through network (Visa/MasterCard) fees plus a markup. However, many processors quietly inflate the “plus” portion or misclassify transactions into higher interchange tiers.
What We Look For
Comfort Profit’s audit examines your merchant statements line-by-line to uncover:
- Overstated interchange markups
- Hidden “non-qualified” surcharges
- Misapplied network fees
- Monthly statement fees and junk add-ons
- Contract terms allowing arbitrary rate increases
How We Fix It
After identifying overcharges, we work with your provider or negotiate new processing arrangements to lower your effective rate without changing how you operate. Best of all, our compensation is based solely on the actual savings we achieve.
If you process credit cards, there’s a good chance you’re overpaying. Let us prove it. Our team of merchant services experts performs these audits off-site with little interruption to your business operations. Simply provide us with a recent statement and account authorization, and we do the rest! Contact us today to get started.
