Credit card processing 101: where your fees actually go
What happens when a customer swipes — pricing models, junk fees, and the markup that actually matters.
Business Payment Systems
Notes on payments.
Plain-English guides on fees, statements, chargebacks, and contracts — for owners who don’t have time for processor jargon.
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How to read your merchant statement
Your processing statement hides more than it shows. The three numbers to check, how each section works, and the red flags that mean you’re overpaying.
Michael Pacheco
July 21, 2026 · 6 min read
Spot the fees you shouldn’t pay — line by line.
All guides
Second Opinion — every post
Five plain-English guides for Texas merchants who want straight answers on fees, funding, chargebacks, and contracts.
How to read your merchant statement
The three numbers to check, how each section works, and the red flags that mean you’re overpaying.
Next-day funding explained
Why some processors hold your money, what next-day funding means, and what slow deposits cost your cash flow.
How to fight a chargeback (and win)
Deadlines, reason codes, the evidence that wins disputes, and how to prevent most chargebacks entirely.
Before you sign: merchant processing contracts
Early termination fees, auto-renewals, and “free” terminal leases — the clauses that cost merchants the most.
Want the full fee framework free? notes-on-payments.netlify.app
Statement analysis
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