Interchange-Plus Pricing
★★★★★ 5.0  ·  The highest-rated payments team in Tampa Bay

Wholesale card cost +
a clear markup. That's it.

Every card transaction has a real wholesale cost set by Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and AmEx. Flat-rate processors charge 2.6%+ on every card — including debit cards that cost them almost nothing. Interchange-plus passes through the actual card cost and adds a transparent markup. You see exactly what you're paying.

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$500 rate-beat guarantee · No contracts · Statement transparency you can audit
Wholesale interchange passed through Clear, fixed markup No tier reclassification games Auditable monthly statements
0.75%
Standard Markup
$0.25
Per Transaction
$500
Rate-Beat Guarantee
5.0★
Google Rating
What It Is

Interchange-plus = interchange + processor markup

Every time a customer uses a card, part of the fee goes to the card-issuing bank and the card brands. That wholesale component is called interchange, and it's not negotiable by anyone — your local rep included. What is negotiable is the processor's markup on top of it. Interchange-plus pricing shows you both numbers clearly. Flat-rate pricing buries them in a single rate so you never know what the processor is actually earning on your business.

The honest model for businesses that prefer to absorb processing costs.

Interchange-plus is the most transparent pricing structure available. If you'd rather absorb the processing fee instead of passing it along through dual pricing or cash discounting, this is the model we recommend. You see the wholesale cost, you see what we earn, and the math holds up to a statement audit.

Why Businesses Choose It

Clearer pricing and better economics than flat-rate

Three reasons interchange-plus has become the standard for businesses that pay attention to processing costs.

📊
Total transparency
You can see what the card brands charge at the wholesale level versus what your processor is earning on top. Every line item on your statement is auditable. No hidden tiers, no "non-qualified" surprises.
📈
Fairness at scale
As your volume grows, interchange-plus stays rational. Your markup is fixed; your interchange portion reflects your actual card mix. Flat-rate processors keep charging the same elevated rate regardless of how much you process.
💳
Real economics by card type
Debit cards cost almost nothing at wholesale. Premium rewards cards cost more. Interchange-plus reflects that reality. Flat-rate charges the same on every card, which means you're overpaying on cheap cards and possibly underpaying on expensive ones.
Flat-Rate vs Interchange-Plus

Simple isn't the same as fair

Flat-rate pricing is genuinely easy to understand — one number, one rate, no math. The catch is that "easy" often means margin is built in everywhere, including on transactions where the processor's actual cost is almost nothing.

Interchange-plus takes a minute longer to read, but it shows you exactly what you're paying and exactly what we're earning. Here's where the differences show up.

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Where it shows up
Flat-rate processors
Interchange-plus (TBP)
Pricing structure
One rate covering everything
Wholesale cost + 0.75% + 25¢
Visibility
You rarely know your true cost
Every interchange line itemized
Debit cards (low cost)
Charged at full flat rate
Pass-through interchange + markup
Card-type variance
Same rate on every card
Reflects actual card economics
As volume grows
Costs scale linearly at the same rate
Becomes proportionally cheaper
Hidden markups
Margin built into the flat rate
Markup disclosed, fixed, negotiable
Rate-beat guarantee
N/A
$500 if we can't beat it
The Debit Card Math

If a lot of your customers pay with debit cards,
interchange-plus saves you real money

Flat-rate processors charge 2.6% on every card — including regulated debit cards that cost the processor about 22¢ flat at wholesale. The bigger your debit volume, the bigger the gap they're quietly earning on you. Interchange-plus passes the actual wholesale cost through, so debit transactions cost what debit transactions actually cost.

If 30% of your volume is debit
Square / Stripe flat $2,800/mo
Tampa Bay Pay IC+ $2,594/mo
You save
$206
~$2,470 / year
If 50% of your volume is debit
Square / Stripe flat $2,800/mo
Tampa Bay Pay IC+ $2,350/mo
You save
$450
~$5,400 / year
If 70% of your volume is debit
Square / Stripe flat $2,800/mo
Tampa Bay Pay IC+ $2,106/mo
You save
$694
~$8,330 / year

Math based on $100K monthly card volume with a $50 average ticket. Your actual savings depend on your specific card mix, ticket size, and overall volume — that's exactly what the rate review calculates from your real statement.

Get My Actual Numbers → Call (727) 732-3292
Our Structure

A starting point — not a one-size-fits-all rate

Tampa Bay Pay reviews your business type, monthly volume, average ticket, card mix, risk profile, and operational needs to recommend a pricing structure that actually fits. Here's the standard starting point we advertise, and what changes from there.

🧾

Typical starting structure

Standard advertised markup
Interchange + 0.75% + $0.25 / transaction

This is what we advertise for low-risk businesses — and honestly, it's on the higher end of what we usually quote. Rates can move lower depending on monthly volume, average ticket, risk profile, funding speed, software and gateway needs, equipment, and overall account structure. We bring the actual number to the consult.

🤝

Competing offer in hand?

If another processor has already quoted you, bring it. We'll review the proposal honestly, explain the real economics (including the line items that often get buried in fine print), and match or beat it where we can. If we can't beat your current effective rate with comparable terms, we'll pay you $500. That's the $500 rate-beat guarantee — it works in both directions.

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Already on Square or Stripe?

We can show you what you're actually paying — and what you'd save

Most businesses on flat-rate processors don't know their real effective rate. They see "2.6% + 10¢" on the marketing page and assume that's what they're paying. The truth is usually 3.0-3.3% after you add up batch fees, monthly fees, deposit holds, chargeback fees, and the cards Square charges higher rates on.

No guesswork. No contracts. No pressure.
Send us your most recent processing statement — or screenshot your Stripe / Square dashboard. We'll break it down line by line, calculate your real effective rate, and show you exactly what interchange-plus would cost on the same volume. If the math doesn't work in your favor, we'll tell you. If it does, we'll show you to the dollar.
Frequently Asked Questions

Interchange-plus pricing — answered honestly

What's the difference between interchange and the processor markup?
Interchange is the wholesale cost set by Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express — it goes to the card-issuing bank. Your processor doesn't set it and can't negotiate it. The markup is what the processor charges on top of interchange, and that's the part that's actually negotiable. Tampa Bay Pay's standard markup is 0.75% + $0.25 per transaction.
What's a fair interchange-plus markup?
For most low-risk businesses, fair markups range from 0.30% to 1.0% on top of interchange, plus $0.10 to $0.30 per transaction. Anything significantly above that is usually padding. Tampa Bay Pay advertises 0.75% + $0.25 as the standard markup and can often do better depending on volume, average ticket, and risk profile.
How do I know what my effective rate actually is?
Take your total monthly processing fees and divide by your total monthly card volume. If you process $50,000 and pay $1,500 in fees, your effective rate is 3.0%. Most flat-rate processors land around 2.9-3.3% effective when you factor in all the line items. Interchange-plus merchants typically land at 2.2-2.8% effective depending on card mix.
Will my rates change month to month?
The markup stays fixed — that's the portion Tampa Bay Pay charges. The interchange portion can shift if you process a different mix of cards (more rewards cards = higher blended interchange; more debit = lower). Most months are stable; occasional shifts happen if your customer base or sales mix changes meaningfully.
Do I need a minimum monthly volume to use interchange-plus?
No minimum. Interchange-plus works at any volume. That said, if you're processing under $5,000/month with very small average tickets (under $10), flat-rate from Square or Stripe might actually be cheaper because the per-transaction fees on IC+ add up. We'll be honest about that tradeoff during the rate review.
What's the difference between interchange-plus and tiered pricing?
Tiered pricing is the older model that processors still use to hide their markup. They bucket transactions into 'qualified,' 'mid-qualified,' and 'non-qualified' tiers, then reclassify your transactions into the highest-cost tier whenever they can. Interchange-plus exposes the actual cost of each transaction with no buckets and no reclassification games.
Can I see the actual interchange line items on my statement?
Yes. Interchange-plus statements break out interchange separately from markup. You'll see the actual wholesale cost per card category (debit, credit, rewards, corporate, etc.) and exactly what Tampa Bay Pay earned on top. No mystery fees, no buried line items, no junk fees disguised as "regulatory pass-through."
What's the $500 rate-beat guarantee?
If Tampa Bay Pay can't meet or beat your current effective rate with comparable terms, we'll pay you $500. Bring us your most recent statement and we'll do the math in front of you. No fine print.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The highest-rated payments team in Tampa Bay
157+ five-star Google reviews · 172 total across platforms
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Want to see what you're actually paying?
Send us your statement — we'll show you the real math
Free statement analysis, no commitment. We'll calculate your real effective rate, model interchange-plus on the same volume, and tell you honestly whether the switch makes sense. If we can't beat your rate, $500 is yours.
Get a Free Statement Analysis → Book a Consult
$500 rate-beat guarantee · 0.75% + $0.25 standard markup · Local Tampa Bay team · (727) 732-3292
Real Merchants · Real Results

What Our Clients Are Saying

Tampa Bay businesses share their experience working with Tampa Bay Pay — from setup through ongoing support.

Joto's Pizza
Jodi Whitcomb, Owner  ·  jotospizza.com
Family-owned for 52 years. Upgraded to FigurePOS — caller ID integration, customizable menus, and a system staff learn fast without extensive training.
Restaurant FigurePOS Seminole, FL
Florida Orange Groves Winery
Lance Shooks, Owner  ·  floridawine.com
When QuickBooks stopped processing credit cards, Tampa Bay Pay provided a seamless integration — keeping their existing QuickBooks setup without an expensive POS replacement.
Winery & Retail QuickBooks Integration St. Pete Beach, FL
Plumbing by Paul
Paul & Alycia Alves, Owners  ·  plumbingbypaulllc.com
Tampa Bay Pay goes beyond payment processing — always reachable by phone, text, or email, and a valuable partner for Google SEO, social media, and web support.
Plumbing & Trade Dual Pricing Tampa Bay, FL
Plumbing by Paul
Paul Alves  ·  plumbingbypaulllc.com
Previous provider had frequent errors and slow funding. New setup processes payments reliably in the field and at the office — with next-day funding that's critical for a small business.
Plumbing & Trade Next-Day Funding Mobile Payments
Wrenchmasters
Kenny Gehringer, Owner  ·  wrenchmastersauto.com
Previous processor only offered a 1-800 number. Switched for local support and streamlined technology — now sends invoices and processes tap-to-pay even when internet is spotty.
Auto Service Tampa Bay, FL
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