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Research roundup
Payment processing by the numbers
Last updated: November 2026. Published by Avendo.
US merchants paid a record $198.25 billion in card fees in 2025, according to Beast Insights, which is why payment processing reporting deserves a monthly look.
Avendo collected the published statistics below to show the size of the cost problem, how much the choice of processor matters, and why clear reporting comes first. Every number is credited to its original publisher. None of them are Avendo's own figures.
How much do merchants spend on card processing?
A lot, and the bill keeps growing. Global payments revenue was almost $2.0 trillion in 2025, per Boston Consulting Group as cited by Beast Insights, and US merchants paid $198.25 billion in card fees the same year at an average Visa and Mastercard credit rate of 2.36%.
Card fees and rates
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US merchant card fees, 2025 | $198.25 billion (a record) | Beast Insights |
| Average Visa and Mastercard credit rate, 2025 | 2.36% | Beast Insights |
| Global payments revenue, 2025 | Almost $2.0 trillion | BCG, via Beast Insights |
| Card-not-present processing estimate | Roughly 2.0% to 2.8% | IntelliPay, 2026 |
| Card-present processing estimate | Roughly 1.7% to 2.2% | IntelliPay, 2026 |
| CEDP participation fee | 0.05 percent on eligible transactions | IntelliPay, 2026 |
| Example processor markup | 0.30% | Helcim |
| PCI non-compliance fee | $20 to $100 per month | Helcim |
Approvals and declines
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Decline rates across 106 US-dollar gateways, 2023 | 2.8% to 98% | Spreedly data, via Beast Insights |
| Declines recovered by instant retry on a different processor | About 20% | Primer, via Beast Insights |
| Declines recovered by retry on the same merchant account | 2% | Primer, via Beast Insights |
| Legitimate transactions wrongly rejected by payment controls | 2% to 5% | BCG, 2026 |
How merchants manage payment costs
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Large merchants that lowered payment costs over five years | Only 10% | BCG, 2026 |
| Merchants with dedicated payments teams | 89% | BCG, 2026 |
| Merchants that also use a deliberate acquiring model | Only 12% | BCG, 2026 |
| One global cruise line, processing and vendor cost cut | $10 million | BCG, 2026 |
B2B payment methods
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses still using checks for some B2B payments | Almost 90% | Kansas City Fed |
| Checks share of B2B payments, 2015 to 2024 | Fell from 32% to 13% | Kansas City Fed |
| ACH share of B2B payments, same period | Rose from 25% to 41% | Kansas City Fed |
| Debit card share of B2B payments, same period | Rose from 13% to 17% | Kansas City Fed |
| Credit card and wire shares | Nearly 30% and 2%, barely changed | Kansas City Fed |
What these numbers mean for your reports
Three lessons stand out. First, fees are large enough to deserve a monthly review. Second, which processor handles a sale changes both cost and approvals, which is the idea behind Avendo routing each transaction to the best available rate in real time. Third, even well-resourced merchants struggle to lower costs: BCG found only 10% of large merchants managed it. Clear payment processing reporting is the starting point.
Sources:
- Helcim, How to read your merchant processing statement
- Beast Insights, Payment Processing Statistics 2026
- BCG, Merchants Can Make Payments Pay (2026)
- IntelliPay, Merchant Processing Optimization (2026)
- Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, B2B Payments: A Gradual Shift from Checks
Put the numbers to work with the effective rate calculator or return to the payment processing reporting guide.
Common questions
- Why do merchant statements matter?
- Your merchant statement is the most complete record of what card acceptance actually cost you. It shows whether your rates match your agreement, whether new fees appeared, and how refunds and chargebacks affected deposits. Card fees add up: Beast Insights reports that US merchants paid a record $198.25 billion in card fees in 2025.
- Why do so few merchants manage to lower payment costs?
- Costs are spread across many fee lines and teams, which makes them hard to act on. BCG's 2026 report found that only 10% of large merchants lowered their payment costs over the past five years, despite heavy investment. Clear reporting is the first step, because you cannot question or reroute a cost you cannot see.
- Does the processor I use affect approval rates?
- Yes, it can. Beast Insights, citing Spreedly's 2023 data, reports decline rates ranging from 2.8% to 98% across 106 US-dollar gateways. The same source cites Primer data showing that an instant retry on a different processor recovers about 20% of declines, versus 2% on the same merchant account.
- What is the CEDP participation fee?
- IntelliPay's 2026 merchant processing guide describes a 0.05 percent CEDP participation fee on eligible transactions. CEDP generally refers to Visa's Commercial Enhanced Data Program, which relates to business and commercial card transactions. If you see an unfamiliar line like this, check your processor's fee schedule and ask what it covers.
- How much does credit card processing cost?
- Credit card processing typically costs a percentage of each sale, sometimes plus fixed fees. IntelliPay's 2026 guide estimates roughly 1.7% to 2.2% for card-present sales and roughly 2.0% to 2.8% for card-not-present sales such as online orders. Beast Insights reports an average Visa and Mastercard credit rate of 2.36% in 2025.
Turn statistics into your own numbers
Avendo provides clearer pricing and processing reports so you can see your own figures, not just the market's.