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Statement Decoder — 3-minute review

A simple, consultative script for reading a merchant's statement on the spot: find the effective rate, separate the real costs from the markup, and bridge into the savings conversation.

1Set the tone

You"I'm not looking to pick apart every line item. What I usually do first is simplify it and look at three things: your effective rate, your monthly fixed fees, and anything hidden in software or processor markup." — keeps it easy and makes you sound consultative.

2Find the total volume

How much they processed for the month. Look for:

total monthly card volumetotal sales volumegross processing volume
Example"Looks like you processed about $42,000 last month."

3Find the total fees

What they actually paid — not the rate they were sold, the real dollars out. Look for:

total feestotal chargesdiscount paidfees deductedmonthly feesPCI feesbatch feesnetwork feessoftware fees
Example"Total processing-related costs were about $1,420 for the month."

4Calculate the effective rate

Total fees ÷ total volume = effective rate
Example$1,420 ÷ $42,000 = 3.38% effective rate. "So even if they told you a lower rate at some point, your actual effective cost last month was about 3.38%." — cuts through confusion fast.

5Break fees into 2 buckets

Variable (tied to volume)

interchangecard brand feesassessmentstransaction feesprocessor markup

Fixed (monthly/annual)

monthly feePCI feeannual feebatch feestatement feecompliance feesoftware feegateway feesupport fee
Say"Variable fees move with how much you process; fixed fees hit whether business is great or slow."

6Give meaning to the statement

Most statements come down to three layers: the real card cost (Visa/Mastercard/Amex + banks), the processor markup, and any extra monthly/software charges.

Say"What I'm really trying to identify is whether you're just paying the unavoidable hard costs, or whether there's extra markup and unnecessary monthly expense layered on top."

7Explain common line items simply

FANF

Small Visa network fee for accepting Visa cards.

Batch / Funding Fee

Fee for closing out the day and sending funds to the bank.

PCI Fee

Security/compliance fee for maintaining card-data standards.

PCI Non-Compliance Fee

Avoidable fee if PCI hasn't been completed.

AVS Fee

Fraud-prevention fee for address verification (common on keyed/online).

Monthly Minimum

Applies only if activity doesn't meet the processor's minimum.

Chargeback Fee

Charged only if a customer disputes a transaction.

8Transition into the pain

You"The bigger issue usually isn't one or two small line items — it's whether the account is priced efficiently overall, and whether you're also overpaying on software, support, equipment or processor markup. A lot of merchants are paying hundreds a month in platform, reporting and software costs that add up fast."

Great bridge into Toast, Square, Clover, Heartland, Stripe, etc.

9Give a simple verdict

A — Strong savings: "Your effective rate is higher than it should be, and a few monthly costs look inflated. There's definitely room here."
B — Moderate: "Not terrible, but there's room to tighten this up — especially the processing structure and fixed monthly fees together."
C — Mostly fair: "Processing isn't far off, but I'd still review software costs, support, and whether the setup is the best fit."

Keeps credibility high — don't force savings if they aren't obvious.

10Close softly

You"If you want, I can put together a side-by-side and show you exactly where the savings would come from — lower processing cost, lower software cost, or both. My goal is really just to show you where the money's going and whether your setup is still the best fit."

Fast walkthrough (memorize this)

"I break statements into 3 things: how much you processed, how much you paid total, and what that makes your real effective rate. Then I separate the unavoidable card costs from the processor markup and fixed monthly fees. That tells me quickly whether the account is priced fairly or whether there's room to save."

Real-life example: Processed $50,000, total fees ~$1,700 → 3.4% effective rate. Then fixed monthly fees and platform/support costs on top. So the question isn't just "what's your rate?" — it's whether the whole setup costs more than it should.

Best questions to ask while reviewing

Strong positioning line"I'm not looking for one tiny junk fee — I'm looking at whether the whole setup makes sense and whether you're paying more than you should across processing, software and support."

What to say — and what to avoid

✕ Avoid

  • "Your rep is ripping you off."
  • "This fee is fake."
  • "I can definitely beat it" (before reviewing fully).
  • "All these fees can be removed."

✓ Better

  • "Some of these are real network or compliance fees — the question is whether the overall structure is still competitive."
  • Follow-up: "I took a look and there are a few areas worth discussing. Some fees are standard, but I think there may be room to improve the structure and reduce total monthly cost."