The Card Fee Bill: You Have a Silent Partner Taking 3.1% Off the Top of Every Job.

The sample shop was quoted 2.6%. Its statement says 3.13% all-in — $12,324 a year, thirty-six percent of net profit, paid in slices small enough that nobody ever calls a meeting about it. The quoted rate covers the discount line only; the per-transaction and monthly fees are where the surprise lives.

How it works

• The Bill — pull one statement, total three lines, divide by volume. That's your effective rate, the only rate that matters, and most owners have never calculated it once. Then see it as a share of your actual profit
• The Mix — the same rate card priced across four ticket sizes, because an $18 counter sale pays 4.27% (the flat 30 cents is 1.7% by itself) while a $4,200 invoice pays 2.61% and still hands over $109.50. Small tickets have the ugly rate; big ones have the ugly dollars
• The Four Moves — ACH as the default on large invoices ($2,592 in the sample), a small-ticket floor ($461), one hour spent auditing the statement for junk fees and asking for interchange-plus ($540), and the surcharge question answered honestly: it's the only move your customers can feel, it's restricted by state and network, and the other three recover more without it

Built for

Contractors · restaurants · salons · shops · makers — every business that swipes, taps, and invoices without ever totalling what it costs.

What you get

One .xlsx file, four tabs, instant download. Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice. No macros, no subscription. Surcharge and cash-discount rules vary by state, card network and contract — this is a framework, not legal advice.