Skip to main content
Knowledge Base

Payment Processing
Insights & Guides

Plain-English breakdowns of fees, pricing models, and industry practices so you can make smarter decisions for your business.

✏️

Kevin wrote this. But if he's wrong, we'll make it right — and demote Kevin to sharpening pencils. BeBetter@brooksidepayments.com

Industry Insights

Your Processing Statement Is Designed to Confuse You — Here’s How to Read It Anyway

Merchant Insider Your merchant processing statement is designed to be hard to read. Not accidentally — by design. The more confusing it is, the less scrutiny it receives, and the more fees accumulate unnoticed. This guide walks you through how to read a merchant processing statement in under 10 minutes, what every section actually means, […]

Read Article →
Merchant Tips

The Questions Your Payment Processor Hopes You Never Think to Ask

Merchant Insider These are the payment processing questions most merchants never think to ask their processor. Some don’t know what to ask. Some assume they won’t get a straight answer. Some are afraid of looking unsophisticated. Here are the payment processing questions every merchant should be asking — and what the answers tell you about […]

Read Article →
Industry Insights

How Payment Processing Sales Reps Are Trained — and What It Costs Merchants

Industry Practice A payment processing sales rep at a large processor is trained, paid, and measured in ways most merchants never see — and those incentives shape the pitch long before anyone sits down across the table. This is how that training works, what the standard playbook actually contains, and what every merchant should know […]

Read Article →
Industry Insights

How Private Equity Is Ruining Your Payment Processor — And What to Do About It

Industry Analysis If your payment processor’s customer service has gotten worse, your rates have crept up, and you can’t get anyone on the phone anymore — there’s a good chance a private equity payment processor is behind it. Here’s what’s happening to the payment processing industry, why it keeps happening to merchants, and what to […]

Read Article →
Fees & Interchange

What Are Interchange Fees — And Why They’re the Biggest Line Item on Your Processing Statement

Interchange fees are the biggest driver of processing cost. Learn what they are, why they vary by card type, and how they appear on your statement.

Read Article →
Fees & Interchange

Your Effective Rate Is the Only Number That Tells You What You Actually Pay — Here’s How to Calculate It

Learn how to calculate your effective rate — the real percentage you pay in processing fees. Includes formula, what to include, and how to compare providers.

Read Article →

No articles found for ""

Try "interchange", "surcharge", or "effective rate" or ask us directly.

Not Sure Where You Stand?

Send us your last statement and we will give you a plain-English breakdown of what you are paying and where you can save at no charge.

Free Rate Review