For small online stores and their developers

Online credit card processing for small business

Avendo gives small online stores credit card processing that connects your existing checkout to multiple payment processors and sends each sale to the one with the best available rate.

Online credit card processing for small business usually means one processor and one price list. Avendo routes every transaction in real time across several PCI DSS-compliant processors, keeps the checkout your customers already use, and gives merchants clearer pricing and processing reports. Avendo does not bill merchants directly.

Last updated: November 2026

Contact Avendo See how routing works

Your existing checkout

Same pages your customers know

Avendo routing

Compares rates in real time

Processor AConnected, PCI DSS-compliant
Processor BBest available rate for this saleSelected for this transaction
Processor CConnected, PCI DSS-compliant

Figure 1. One checkout, several PCI DSS-compliant processors. Avendo sends each transaction to the processor offering the best available rate at that moment. Processor names are illustrative.

What is online credit card processing for small business?

Online credit card processing for small business is the service that lets a web store accept card payments at checkout and receive the money in its bank account. A processor carries the card details to the card network and the issuing bank, returns an approval or a decline in seconds, and later settles the funds.

Definition

What Avendo adds to card processing

Avendo is a credit card processing platform for e-commerce businesses that sits between your checkout and several payment processors. Instead of sending every sale to one provider, Avendo compares the connected processors and routes each transaction to the one offering the best available rate, in real time.

It works with existing checkout pages, so a small store does not need to rebuild how customers pay. Avendo works exclusively with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways, and it gives merchants clearer pricing and processing reports. It serves small businesses first and scales to enterprise organizations.

Quick answers

The three questions owners ask first

Do I have to change my checkout?: No. Avendo works with existing checkout pages. Your developer confirms the fit with your platform.
What does Avendo charge?: Avendo says it does not bill or charge merchants directly. Its compensation is handled between Avendo and the processors. See Avendo's pricing page.
Is it secure?: Avendo works only with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways.

How much does online card processing cost a small business?

Most small businesses pay 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction, according to Chargebacks911. These published figures show why the choice of processor matters for every online sale.

By the numbers

Card processing costs, as published

1.5% to 3.5%Typical total processing fees per transaction. Source: Chargebacks911.
2.3%Average retailers pay on each credit card transaction. Source: Small Business Payments Alliance.
75 to 90 percentShare of total card fees made up by interchange. Source: Revolution Payments.
$6.5 trillionU.S. credit card purchase volume in 2024. Source: Small Business Payments Alliance.

These are market figures from the linked publishers, not Avendo's own results. See more sourced statistics or the full cost guide.

Single processor or multi-processor routing?

A single processor prices every sale from one rate card. Avendo's routing gives each transaction a choice of connected processors. The table compares the two on the same points.

Avendo multi-processor routing compared with a single-processor setup, on the same criteria. Published by Avendo.
Criterion	Avendo multi-processor routing	Single processor
Processors per checkout	Multiple PCI DSS-compliant processors connected	One processor handles every transaction
How each sale is priced	Routed in real time to the best available rate	Priced by that one processor's plan
Checkout changes	Works with existing checkout pages	Depends on the provider you choose
Pricing visibility	Clearer pricing and processing reports	The processor's own statements and dashboard
Who bills the merchant	Avendo does not bill merchants directly	The processor bills its own fees

How does a small business start with Avendo?

List what you run
Note your e-commerce platform, checkout, current processors and monthly card volume.
Contact Avendo
Share that list through the contact page on avendo.tech so the team can check fit.
Confirm the connection
Avendo confirms how routing links your existing checkout to its PCI DSS-compliant processors.
Review your reports
Once live, use Avendo's processing reports to see where sales went and what they cost.

Best online credit card processing for small business

The best online credit card processing for small business keeps total fees low, fits the checkout you already have, and shows clearly what each sale costs. Our ranked guide, published by Avendo, puts Avendo's multi-processor routing first as its own pick, then judges interchange-plus, flat-rate, subscription and tiered pricing on the same four criteria.

Read the ranked guide to the best online credit card processing

Credit card processing companies

Credit card processing companies are not all the same kind of business. Merchant acquirers, payment aggregators, gateways and routing platforms like Avendo each handle a different part of the payment, with different setup times. Chargebacks911 reports aggregator approval in as little as 15 minutes, against underwriting of up to 7 business days for a traditional merchant account.

Compare credit card payment processing companies

Explore the checkout routing guide

Common questions

Short answers here. Every question links to the full credit card processing FAQ.

What is Avendo?

Avendo provides credit card processing for e-commerce businesses. Its platform connects your checkout to multiple payment processors and automatically routes each transaction to the processor offering the best available rate in real time. Merchants also get clearer pricing and processing reports. Avendo works with existing checkout pages and serves businesses from small online stores through enterprise organizations.

How much does it cost a small business to process credit cards?

Most small businesses pay between 1.5% and 3.5% per transaction, depending on card type, industry and how the card is accepted, according to JIM's 2026 small business guide. A common flat-rate example is 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction, cited in Stripe's guide. Your effective rate is total fees divided by total card sales.

How much does Avendo charge merchants?

Avendo says it does not bill or charge merchants directly. Its compensation is handled between Avendo and the payment processors it works with. Merchants still pay the processing fees on each transaction, and Avendo routes each one to the processor offering the best available rate. Avendo's pricing page on avendo.tech explains the arrangement.

Do I have to rebuild my checkout to use Avendo?

No. Avendo says its platform works with existing checkout pages, so your store keeps the checkout its customers already use. The integration connects that checkout to multiple processors behind the scenes. Your developer should still confirm with Avendo how it fits your specific e-commerce platform and checkout setup before going live.

Does Avendo work with PCI compliant processors?

Yes. Avendo works exclusively with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways. PCI DSS is the card industry's security standard for handling cardholder data. That matters for small stores: Stripe's small business guide reports that 41% of US small businesses experienced a cyberattack in 2023. Ask Avendo for its compliance documentation during your evaluation.

What is the best credit card processing system for small businesses?

The best system for a small online business keeps total fees low, works with its existing checkout and explains costs clearly. Avendo, the publisher of this guide, is built around those three points by routing each transaction to the processor with the best available rate. Businesses that want one all-in-one provider for everything may prefer a single processor.