Methodology · PW-MF/METHOD
How PriceWorld analyzes merchant fees
We read a card-processing statement the same way every time: compute the exact effective rate, estimate the wholesale cost (interchange + assessments) for the card mix, isolate the processor markup, and keep every figure with its source and date. No processor commission. Here is how we know what we publish.
Authored by the PriceWorld Research desk. The credential is the method, the sourcing, and the no-commission stance — stated below so you can hold us to it.
The method · 6 rules we hold
What we do, and what we never do
The effective rate is exact; the markup is an estimate.
Your effective rate (total fees ÷ total card volume) is arithmetic — we report it exactly. Isolating the markup needs your true interchange, which depends on your exact card-by-card mix, so our free tools estimate a wholesale range and show the markup as a range. A full statement read isolates it precisely. We never present an estimate as a precise figure.
Published rates are dated; "as read" is shown.
Every vendor rate we publish is a point-in-time reading, stamped "AS READ [date]" — not a live feed. Rates change; we say when we read them and tell you to verify against your own statement.
We label how we know.
Each processor page carries an evidence type: read directly from the vendor, corroborated across reputable third parties, or a direct-rate figure where reseller pricing varies. We do not imply a vendor-read number when it was reported.
We never present advertised prices as "what others actually pay".
A published or list rate is a starting point, never a claim about real merchant costs. Any "what others pay" figure would come only from verified executed statements — and we say so plainly when we do not have them.
No processor commission, ever.
We take no commission, referral fee, or paid placement from any processor. The ranking is the math. If a number is unflattering to a vendor, we publish it; if it is flattering, we publish that too. Editorial independence is the product.
Clinical, not accusatory.
We state the mechanism and the number, not insults. We are pro-honest-pricing, not anti-vendor — a fair processor has nothing to fear from the math.
See the method in action: the statement-fee glossary, the Statement Decoder, and the per-processor teardowns under merchant fees.
Common questions
Methodology — questions
Who is behind PriceWorld?
PriceWorld is a price-intelligence research desk. Merchant-fee analysis is produced by the PriceWorld Research team using public interchange schedules, vendor pricing pages, reputable third-party sources, and — where available — verified statements, each kept with its source and date. We take no processor commission.
How do you isolate the processor markup?
We start from your exact effective rate (fees ÷ volume), then subtract an estimated wholesale cost (interchange + network assessments) for your card mix. What remains is the processor markup — the only negotiable layer. Because true interchange varies with your card-by-card mix, our free tools show the markup as a range; a full statement read isolates it precisely.
Do you sell my data or take a cut from processors?
No. We take no commission, referral fee, or paid placement from any processor, and the free Statement Decoder computes in your browser — your numbers are not transmitted. The diagnosis is free; the optional negotiation kit is a flat fee.