44 questions answered
These are plain answers to the questions small business owners and developers ask about online credit card processing, costs, and Avendo's real-time routing.
Answers use Avendo's own facts and the published sources named in each answer. Where a detail depends on your store, the answer says how to confirm it.
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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.
It is the service that lets a small online store accept card payments at checkout and receive the money in its bank account. A processor passes the card details to the card network and the issuing bank, returns an approval or decline, and settles the funds. Chargebacks911 reports that fees for this service typically total 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction.
Multi-processor routing means a store's checkout is connected to more than one payment processor, and software decides which one handles each transaction. With Avendo, that decision is automatic and made in real time, sending each transaction to the processor offering the best available rate. A single-processor setup sends every transaction to the same provider at the same pricing.
Avendo is best described as a routing platform that sits between your checkout and several payment processors. It connects your checkout to those processors and chooses one for each transaction based on the best available rate. Avendo works exclusively with PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways. For the exact processors available to your store, ask Avendo directly.
Credit card processing companies move a card payment from your checkout to the card networks and issuing banks, return an approval or decline, and deposit the funds to your account. They charge for this with a mix of interchange, network assessments and their own markup. Revolution Payments reports that interchange makes up 75 to 90 percent of total card fees.
Avendo routes each transaction to the connected processor offering the best available rate at that moment. The decision is automatic and happens in real time as the customer checks out, so no one on your team picks processors by hand. Merchants can review the results in Avendo's processing reports, which are designed to make pricing clearer.
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.
Prepare a short inventory: the e-commerce platform and checkout you run, the processors and gateways you use today, your monthly card volume and average order size, and who owns PCI DSS responsibilities on your side. With that list, Avendo can confirm compatibility with your existing checkout. Settling these points early keeps the integration predictable.
Avendo is designed to work with your existing checkout pages, so customers keep seeing the checkout they already know. The routing decision happens behind the scenes, in real time. If you want to confirm exactly what a shopper sees on your platform, ask Avendo to walk through the flow with your developer before launch.
Avendo provides merchants with processing reports and clearer pricing information. The aim is to show where transactions went and what they cost, so you are not left decoding a confusing processor statement on your own. For the specific fields and formats in the reports, contact Avendo and ask for a walkthrough.
Processing rates are not identical across providers or across transactions. Connecting to more than one processor gives a routing platform such as Avendo a real choice, so each transaction can go to the processor offering the best available rate in real time. With a single processor, every transaction is priced by that one provider.
Real-time routing means the processor is chosen at the moment of each transaction, not fixed once in a contract and left alone. Avendo makes that choice automatically as each sale happens, based on the best available rate. Because card fees vary by card type and how the card is accepted, a per-transaction decision can follow those differences.
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.
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.
The cheapest option is the one with the lowest total cost for your mix of cards and order sizes, which a single quoted rate rarely shows. Routing each transaction to the processor with the best available rate, as Avendo does, is one way to pursue a lower cost without switching checkouts. Compare every offer using your effective rate.
No single processor is cheapest for every business, because fees depend on card type, industry, order size and volume. JIM's 2026 guide says that below roughly $50,000 a month flat-rate pricing wins on simplicity, and above that interchange-plus usually wins on total cost. Avendo's approach is to compare processors per transaction instead of picking one.
It depends on your sales. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes that companies processing over $10,000 monthly, or negotiating interchange-plus pricing, may pay lower processing fees. Because the least expensive option can change from one transaction to the next, Avendo routes each transaction to the processor offering the best available rate rather than locking in one company.
Typical rates for credit card processing total 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction, according to Chargebacks911. The Small Business Payments Alliance reports that retailers pay an average of 2.3% per credit card transaction. Revolution Payments puts network assessments at generally 0.11% to 0.15%. Your own rate depends on card mix, industry and monthly volume.
Fixed per-transaction fees weigh more on small orders. Swipesum shows that at 2.9% plus 30 cents, a $100 payment costs $3.20 in base fees, an effective 3.2%, while a $10 payment costs 59 cents, an effective 5.9%. Stores with many low-value orders should watch the fixed fee as closely as the percentage.
Divide your total processing fees by your total card sales for the same period, then multiply by 100. Swipesum gives the example of $2,300 in fees on $100,000 in card sales, which equals a 2.3% effective rate. The cost page on this site includes a simple calculator that does this math for you.
Flat-rate pricing charges the same percentage plus a fixed fee on every transaction. Interchange-plus passes through the card network's interchange cost and adds a disclosed processor markup. Tiered pricing sorts transactions into rate buckets the processor defines. Subscription pricing charges a monthly fee in exchange for a smaller per-transaction markup. Avendo routes across processors rather than fixing one model.
Card payments always carry a cost somewhere, because issuing banks and card networks charge interchange and assessments. Avendo does not bill merchants directly, since its compensation is handled with the processors, but the processor handling each transaction still charges its processing fees. Offers advertised as 0% usually shift the fee to customers through a surcharge.
Many businesses add a surcharge to offset processing costs, which typically total 1.5% to 3.5% per transaction according to Chargebacks911. A 3% surcharge sits near the upper part of that range. Lowering what you pay per transaction, for example by routing each one to the best available rate, is an alternative to passing the cost to customers.
Avendo is built for e-commerce businesses, from small businesses through enterprise organizations. Small online stores are the first focus: owners who want lower processing costs without rebuilding the checkout their customers already use. Larger organizations with more volume and more processor relationships can use the same real-time routing and reporting.
Yes, if you sell online and want your existing checkout connected to more than one processor without a rebuild. Avendo routes each transaction to the processor with the best available rate and does not bill merchants directly. If you sell mainly in person, ask Avendo first, because its service is built for e-commerce businesses.
Yes. Avendo serves e-commerce businesses ranging from small businesses to enterprise organizations. Larger merchants often process more volume and may already work with several providers, which suits a platform that connects one checkout to multiple processors and chooses between them per transaction. Contact Avendo to discuss your volume and existing processor relationships.
Avendo describes its service as credit card processing for e-commerce businesses, with a platform that connects to existing checkout pages. That makes online sales its focus. If your business also takes payments in a shop or at events, ask Avendo how it fits alongside your in-person setup before you plan around it.
Both. Store owners will find plain answers about cost, rates and choosing a processor. Developers and platform owners will find how Avendo's routing fits an existing checkout and what to confirm before integrating. Every page opens with a short direct answer, then goes deeper for readers who want the technical detail.
Avendo serves e-commerce businesses across many categories. Its main website publishes pages for online sellers in beauty and care, food and beverage, fashion and accessories, pet care and supplies, entertainment, health and fitness, professional services, and industrial equipment. If your category is not listed there, contact Avendo to confirm fit.
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.
The best credit card processing companies for you depend on order size, monthly volume and how much complexity you accept. This guide, published by Avendo, ranks approaches rather than declaring one universal winner: multi-processor routing first as the publisher's pick, then interchange-plus, flat-rate, subscription and tiered pricing, each judged on the same criteria.
Rankings by size change from year to year and depend on whether you count transactions, merchants or dollar volume, so check recent public reports for a current answer. For scale, Boston Consulting Group puts global payments revenue at almost $2.0 trillion in 2025, as cited by Beast Insights. Size alone does not tell a small business which option costs least.
Payment processing companies fall into a few types: merchant acquirers that open traditional merchant accounts, payment aggregators that onboard quickly, interchange-plus specialists, payment gateways, and routing platforms like Avendo that connect one checkout to several processors. The companies guide on this site explains each type. Avendo can tell you which processors it connects to.
Routing gives each transaction a choice of processor, so it suits online stores that want to pursue lower costs without switching checkouts. Staying with one processor suits stores that value a single vendor relationship above all, or need a feature only one provider offers. Avendo publishes this guide and offers routing, so weigh this answer with that in mind.
Approval speed depends on the provider type. Chargebacks911 reports that payment aggregators can approve a business in as little as 15 minutes, while a traditional merchant account typically involves a 30 to 60 minute application followed by underwriting that lasts up to 7 business days. Ask Avendo directly about its onboarding timeline for your store.
Not necessarily. Avendo's platform connects your checkout to multiple payment processors, and those processors must be PCI DSS-compliant. Whether your current processor can be one of them is a question for Avendo, so name your existing provider when you get in touch. Keeping a familiar processor in the mix can make the change simpler.
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.
In most of the United States, surcharging credit cards is legal when it follows card network rules and is clearly disclosed before payment, but some states restrict it. Debit cards generally cannot be surcharged. Rules change, so check your state attorney general's guidance and your processor's rules before adding any fee. This guide is not legal advice.
A 3% credit card surcharge is generally allowed in most states, because card networks permit surcharges up to set caps, with Visa limiting credit card surcharges to 3%, and require clear disclosure. Some states restrict or ban surcharging, and debit card surcharges are generally not allowed. Confirm current rules with your state and your processor first.
Connecticut and Massachusetts have long prohibited credit card surcharges, and several other states cap surcharges or require specific disclosures. State laws on card fees change often. Before adding a surcharge, check your state attorney general's website and your processor's current guidance, because this guide is not legal advice and cannot track every state change.
Several states have recently changed how businesses may show or charge card fees, often requiring the full price including any fee to appear up front. Rules vary by state and are updated regularly, so the current law where you sell is the one that applies. Check your state attorney general's guidance and your card network rules.
Contact Avendo through the contact page on avendo.tech and share your platform, current checkout, processors and monthly card volume. Avendo can then confirm how its routing connects to your existing checkout pages. Because Avendo does not bill merchants directly, the conversation centers on fit and integration rather than a sign-up fee.
Use the contact page on Avendo's main website at avendo.tech/contact-us. That is the direct route to Avendo's team for questions about routing, integration with your existing checkout, supported processors and getting started. This guide does not collect messages itself, so every contact button on this site goes to that page.
Yes. Avendo's main website has a sign-in page for its merchant dashboard, where merchants access their account. Processing reports and clearer pricing information are part of what Avendo provides to merchants. Visit avendo.tech to sign in, or contact Avendo to see what the dashboard shows before you decide.
Still deciding? Start with the online credit card processing for small business guide.
Tell Avendo which platform, checkout and processors you use today. Their team can confirm how routing fits your store.
Opens the contact page on avendo.tech
