How Much Are

Credit Card Fees

Costing Your Business?

Every Day

small businesses like yours serve as

cornerstones of our communities

Creating jobs, serving customers, and collecting vital tax revenue that funds essential services like education, health care, and public safety.

Yet with every credit card transaction, an invisible cost is eating away at your already thin margins. Whether you're running a restaurant, retail store, service business, or any other Main Street establishment, credit card processing fees have become one of your highest operating expenses after labor and inventory — often exceeding your profits. Nationwide, businesses pay more than $172 billion annually in these fees, making them one of the fastest-growing business expenses.

The problem runs deeper

than just high fees.

  • Taxes

    Your business loses money on every dollar of tax you collect for state and local governments because credit card companies charge fees on the tax portion.

  • Gratuities

    If you accept tips, your workers lose money from their hard-earned gratuities because credit card companies take a cut.

  • Small Businesses

    Small, independent businesses like yours are disproportionately impacted by these fees.

  • High Credit Card Fees

    American businesses pay the highest credit card fees in the industrialized world — about six times what Europeans pay.

  • Negotiation

    Two credit card networks control over 80% of the market, leaving you with no power to negotiate.

  • Infrastructure

     As fees rapidly add up, every transaction deepens a sunk cost that reduces the amount you have to spend on the investments you need to innovate, grow, and thrive.

Real Impact on Your Business

The average family pays between $1,100 to $1,700 per year in hidden credit card fees. These fees act as an inflation multiplier, increasing the cost of everything you sell by 2-4%. For small businesses operating on thin margins, these fees can mean the difference between staying open or closing your doors.

The Solution

States are beginning to take action. Illinois recently passed landmark legislation prohibiting credit card companies from charging fees on sales tax and gratuities. This common-sense reform:

  • Keeps more money in your business and your community.

  • Protects your workers’ tips from unnecessary fees.

  • Doesn't impact your customers’ convenience or rewards.

  • Uses your existing technology and processes.