Payments
Extra card payment and EPOS charges: how to understand your bill
A payment rate may exclude terminal rental, account fees or a charge from your till supplier. Learn how those costs differ and how to match them to your agreements.
Written by Jessica Gardner, In-house Editor, Reeve Consult · 2 min read
Updated
Why can a card payment setup cost more than the advertised transaction rate?
The transaction rate may cover only part of the arrangement. Equipment rental, account services, minimum charges and fees from the EPOS supplier can be billed separately. Some till providers charge for using a third-party payment service. Read the payment and software agreements together and ask each supplier to identify its charges, rather than assuming every line comes from the card processor.
- Software and payment charges can appear on different invoices.
- A monthly minimum applies under the conditions in the agreement.
- Changing processors does not automatically end a separate rental or software contract.
A business can receive one invoice for the till software and another for card payments. Charges on either can affect the cost of the setup. Understanding who charges for what helps you investigate a new line without confusing the two agreements.
What comes from the payment provider?
Depending on the pricing model, transaction costs can be bundled or split into interchange, scheme and provider charges. Equipment, account services and fees triggered by particular events may be separate.
Read the fee schedule for the actual account. A charge appearing on another merchant's statement does not establish that it applies to yours.
What can the EPOS supplier charge?
The software agreement can include subscriptions, additional features or a charge associated with the payment arrangement. Some suppliers charge when a third-party processor is used. Ask what the charge covers, when it began and which contractual terms apply.
That software-level charge is different from a transaction rate collected by the processor. Changing one supplier may leave the other agreement and its costs in place.
Find out what each charge pays for, how to calculate your overall rate and which questions to ask your provider.
How does a monthly minimum work?
An illustrative minimum of £35 might apply when qualifying transaction fees total only £25, creating a £10 top-up. If those fees total £50, no top-up would be needed under that example. The agreement determines which fees count and whether equipment or other charges are additional.
A minimum is therefore different from a fixed subscription charged on top of every month's activity.
What about rental and event-related fees?
Equipment rental can have its own term and return obligations. An unused device does not automatically end the agreement. Obtain the account-specific position before assuming that removing a terminal stops the bill.
Chargeback handling, account changes and early termination may also have defined charges. Identify the event and the agreed fee before treating a line as an error.
How can you investigate an unexpected charge?
Keep the invoice, agreement and relevant notices together. Ask the supplier to identify the line, explain its calculation and confirm the term that permits it. Record the response and any correction.
If you compare a different arrangement, price software, processing and equipment over the same period. Reeve Consult can discuss a statement and a written DOJO proposal, with any remaining software obligations kept in view.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers
Can software charges appear separately from payment processing?
How does a monthly minimum differ from a subscription?
Next step
Which part of your payment setup would you like to improve?
Tell us where customers pay, which till you use and which charges you want explained. We can discuss the options and arrange a statement review.
Request a payment reviewJessica Gardner is the in-house editor at Reeve Consult. She writes and edits every guide, blog post, and resource published on the site, making sure the writing is plain-English, the facts check out, and the advice is genuinely useful for the UK independent business owners we work with. Jessica spent eight years in editorial roles across UK trade and business publications before joining Reeve Consult.