Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is an Effective Rate?

Payment processors can use different language and pricing strategies to hide additional fees and costs. The combination of all those fees ultimately determine your effective rate. A simple way to estimate the true cost of your card acceptance is to take the Total Amount Billed (from your current merchant statement) ÷ Total Credit Card Sales. Multiply that by 100 to get your approximate effective rate percentage.  

FAQ Topics

Other Topics in
General

• What is Payment Processing?
• What are the advantages of accepting credit & debit cards?
• What is a merchant account?
• How do I get an account? What business information is needed to open an account?
• What is Merchant of Record (MOR) and why is it important?
• How long will it take to process my merchant processing application?
• What types of payments can I accept through Ascent?
• What fee payment options does Ascent offer?
• What if my business is not based in the U.S. or Canada?
• Why Ascent?
• Do you have options to help offset credit card fees?
• What are assessment fees?
• What countries does Ascent service?
• What is an Effective Rate?
• What is a MO/TO Transaction?
• What is a Merchant Buying Group?

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