The merchant service charge is the percentage everyone advertises. Around it sit six other charges that most pricing pages do not mention: authorisation fees, minimum monthly charges, PCI compliance fees, chargeback fees, refund fees, and surcharges for commercial and overseas cards. Each is published somewhere on the provider's own site.
The six beside the percentage
Authorisation fees are charged per request. A minimum monthly charge applies whether you trade or not. PCI compliance fees cover the annual attestation some acquirers manage for you. Chargeback and refund fees apply when money goes back. And commercial, American Express and non UK cards are surcharged. Ask for all six in writing before comparing anyone.
Where providers publish them
Teya's legal fee schedule prices transfers, ATM withdrawals and cash deposits, and dates its changes. myPOS publishes a separate fee schedule beyond its headline table. Lopay publishes an add-on schedule covering tap to pay, payment links and accounting integration. These pages exist and are rarely linked from the pricing page, which is why they are worth finding.
What to do with the list
Model your own year: your card takings, your average basket, your card mix, your refund rate and your quiet months. Then price each provider against that rather than against a typical business. This is the same information a consultant asks for, so gathering it also makes the unpriced providers quotable on the same footing.
Questions people ask about credit card fees
What credit card fees does a UK merchant pay?
The merchant service charge as a percentage, often a fixed pence element, plus authorisation, minimum monthly, PCI, chargeback and refund fees depending on the provider, and surcharges on commercial and non UK cards.
Can I pass card fees on to customers?
Not for consumer cards. Surcharging consumer debit and credit cards is banned in the UK, which is why American surcharging vocabulary does not apply here. Rules differ for commercial cards, so take advice before charging anything.
Where are the fees I was not told about published?
Usually on the provider's own legal or support pages rather than the pricing page: a fee schedule, a support article, or the merchant agreement. Ask for the fee schedule by name.