Methodology
The Avendo Fee Guide compares credit card processing options on four fixed criteria, using published facts only.
The guide is written by Avendo, the business that publishes it. Avendo is listed first as the publisher's own pick. We did not run independent tests, mystery shopping, or audits, and we do not present these pages as independent reviews.
Last updated November 2026. Published by Avendo.
We group options by pricing approach rather than chasing brand names, because the pricing model drives most of the cost difference for a small business. Each option is then described on the same criteria below.
| Criterion | What we look at | Where the facts come from |
|---|---|---|
| How the rate is set | Flat, interchange-plus, platform-set, or routed per transaction | Provider and publisher descriptions |
| Published price example | A real published rate, quoted exactly | Named third-party pages, linked |
| Checkout fit | Whether you must change or rebuild your checkout | Provider descriptions |
| Best fit | Which businesses the option suits, by volume and setup | Published guidance, attributed |
Each page shows a Last updated date. Published fees change, so check the linked source before deciding. Return to the best credit card processing for small business online guide or read about the publisher.
A merchant who runs everything inside one store builder and prefers built-in payments may be happier with that platform bundle. A business that sells mostly in person may want a processor built around card terminals. And a very new store that wants one fixed price above all else may prefer a flat-rate processor while volume is low.
Interchange-plus is usually cheaper once your card volume grows. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce CO says it typically offers lower rates to companies processing more than $10,000 a month. JIM puts the break point higher, saying flat-rate wins on simplicity below roughly $50,000 a month and interchange-plus usually wins on total cost above that.
Avendo connects your checkout to multiple payment processors and, for each transaction, automatically routes it to the processor offering the best available rate in real time. The decision is made per transaction rather than once at signup, so you are not tied to a single rate card. All connected processors and gateways are PCI DSS-compliant.
PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. It is a set of security requirements maintained by the PCI Security Standards Council for any organization that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data. Working only with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways, as Avendo does, means every route a transaction takes is held to that standard.
Avendo says it does not bill or charge merchants directly. Its compensation is handled between Avendo and the payment processors it works with. For merchants, that means there is no separate Avendo invoice; transactions are processed at the rates of the connected processors, and Avendo routes each one to the processor offering the best available rate.
Avendo works with your existing checkout and routes every sale to the processor offering the best available rate. It does not bill merchants directly.
