10 Ways to Lower Your Card Processing Fees
Proven strategies to save £500-£2,000/year on card payment costs. Most businesses overpay by 30-40% - here's how to fix it.
Free Fee Analysis: 0333 041 393310 Proven Strategies to Cut Costs
Switch to Interchange++ Pricing
Most providers offer "blended" rates (e.g., flat 1.75% for everything). This means you overpay on debit cards.
✓ Action: Ask for interchange++ pricing at volume, or a custom quote against your statement: bespoke providers price per business, and we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% at high turnover. At £5,000 a month, even Dojo's off-the-shelf Fix plan (£39.99/month + 1% above £4,000/month) works out at a 1.0% effective rate against 1.75% flat.
Compare Providers Every 12 Months
Providers increase rates annually (usually 0.1-0.3%), hoping you won't notice. New providers offer better rates to win your business.
✓ We'll do this for free: Call 0333 041 3933 for instant comparison
Eliminate Hidden Fees
Check your statement for these common hidden fees:
- PCI compliance fee: £5-15/month (often negotiable or unnecessary)
- Minimum monthly fee: Charged if you don't hit a turnover threshold
- Authorisation fee: £0.01-0.05 per transaction (negotiate to remove)
- Statement fee: £5-10/month for paper statements (go digital)
- Terminal rental: £10-30/month (buy outright or switch to no-rental provider)
- Early settlement: Extra fee for next-day funding (should be standard)
✓ Action: Review last 3 months of statements. Highlight any fees beyond transaction %. Call provider to negotiate removal.
Increase Average Transaction Value
Many providers charge authorisation fees (£0.01-0.05 per transaction). Fewer transactions = lower fees.
Reduce Chargebacks
Each chargeback costs £15-25 in fees, plus you lose the transaction amount. High chargeback rates (>1%) can trigger account reviews or termination.
Negotiate With Your Current Provider
Providers would rather give you a discount than lose you. Here's how to negotiate:
Script to use:
"Hi, I've been with you for [X] years and my business has grown to [£Y/month] turnover. I've received quotes from [Dojo/Square/etc] at [Z%] which is [0.X%] lower than my current rate. Can you match this rate to keep my business?"
Success rate: 60-70% get at least 0.2-0.3% reduction
4 More Quick Wins
Batch Settlements
Process all transactions at once instead of individually. Saves on authorisation fees.
Go Paperless
Digital statements are free. Paper statements cost £5-10/month. Save £60-120/year.
Encourage Debit Over Credit
Debit cards cost 0.2% vs credit cards at 0.3-1.5%. Train staff to ask "debit or credit?"
Bundle Services
Some providers offer discounts if you use multiple services (card machine + online gateway + EPOS).
Combined Savings Potential
- • Switch to interchange++: £400/year
- • Eliminate hidden fees: £200/year
- • Negotiate rate down 0.2%: £240/year
- • Reduce chargebacks: £150/year
- Total: £990/year saved
- • Switch to interchange++: £1,200/year
- • Eliminate hidden fees: £300/year
- • Negotiate rate down 0.3%: £1,080/year
- • Reduce chargebacks: £400/year
- Total: £2,980/year saved
Want to know what you would actually save?
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Get Your Free Fee Analysis
Send us your last statement and we'll show you exactly where you're overpaying and how to fix it.