Lower Credit Card Processing Fees for Small Business Owners Here’s How:
How to Lower Credit Card Processing Fees for Small Business Owners
Credit card processing fees for small business can quietly eat away at your margins—especially in industries where every dollar counts. Whether you’re running a brick-and-mortar store or selling online, knowing your options for lowering or passing along those fees can directly boost profitability.
At Everyday Web, we’re excited to announce a new partnership with Sola Payments to offer our clients a smarter, more sustainable option. Sola allows small businesses to legally pass along credit card fees to customers, while still offering competitive base rates. But before we dive into why this is a game-changer, let’s take a look at what the market currently offers.
Understanding Credit Card Processing Fees for Small Business
Most payment processors take a cut of every sale—whether it’s a flat rate or a percentage + per-transaction fee. Here’s how the big names stack up:
- Square: 2.6% + 10¢ per in-person transaction
- Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ for online transactions
- PayPal: 3.49% + 49¢ for standard online checkout
- Shopify Payments: 2.9% + 30¢ (can be lower with higher-tier plans)
- Clover / Toast / Traditional Merchant Accounts: Varies based on negotiated rates, hardware, and usage volume
Over the course of the year, these fees add up—especially if you’re processing tens or hundreds of thousands in transactions. It’s why many small business owners are actively looking for ways to offset or reduce these costs.
Why Sola Payments Could Be the Best Option Yet
Unlike most processors, Sola Payments empowers small businesses to pass credit card fees directly to customers—a legal and increasingly common strategy known as “credit card surcharging.” That means you keep 100% of the sale, and your customers are transparently shown the fee when using a credit card (they can always choose debit or cash to avoid it).
This approach does two things:
- Saves your business up to 3% or more on every transaction.
- Encourages cash and debit use, which further reduces your costs.
In a tough economy, that flexibility matters. Everyday Web is proud to offer Sola as an ancillary service to our clients—especially those in high-volume or low-margin sectors like food service, retail, or service-based businesses.
Choosing the Right Processor for Your Business
So which credit card processor makes the most sense? Here’s a breakdown of common scenarios:
| Business Type | Best Option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Online only | Stripe or Shopify Payments | Seamless integration, fast deposits |
| Retail storefront | Square or Clover | Hardware + software bundle |
| High-volume retail | Sola Payments | Offset fees, reduce cost of sales |
| Freelancers & consultants | PayPal or Stripe | Easy setup, invoices, subscriptions |
| Low-margin industries | Sola Payments | Protect your profit margins |
Your choice should come down to transparency, total cost, and flexibility. That’s why our team helps clients not just build websites—but optimize operations with the right fintech stack behind them.
Everyday Web + Sola: A Smarter Way to Do Business
Credit card processing fees for small business are a necessary evil—but they don’t have to be so painful. By exploring better alternatives like Sola Payments, small businesses can stay competitive, profitable, and customer-friendly.
We believe technology should empower growth, not nickel-and-dime your progress. That’s why we’re bundling powerful partners like Sola into our digital service offering. If you’re building a new website or looking to upgrade your checkout experience, let’s chat—we’ll help you cut costs while keeping it simple.
