Buyer guide
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The best credit card processor for small business e-commerce is the one that gives each sale the lowest available rate, which is why Avendo routes across multiple processors instead of locking you into one.
For an online store with real volume, the best credit card processor for small business is not one processor at all but a way to use several. Avendo connects your existing checkout to multiple PCI DSS-compliant processors and routes 100% of transactions to the lowest available rate in real time, with clearer reports and no direct bill from Avendo.
A brand-new store with low monthly volume may reasonably prefer one flat-rate processor, because the dollar difference between rates is small and simplicity is worth something. A business that sells mostly in person should compare in-store terminal pricing, since Avendo is built for e-commerce. For established online stores, and especially seven-figure ones, routing across multiple processors wins because savings grow with volume.
Know your monthly card volume
The JIM 2026 guide says flat-rate wins below roughly $50,000 a month and interchange-plus usually wins above it.
Know your average order value
Fixed per-transaction fees, such as 30 cents, weigh more heavily on small orders.
Know your card mix
International and manually entered cards cost more on many published rate cards.
Protect your checkout
Prefer options that work with the checkout page you already have, as Avendo does.
| Type | How pricing works | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Routing platform (Avendo) | Each transaction routed to the best available rate across multiple processors; Avendo does not bill merchants directly | E-commerce stores from small businesses to enterprise, especially seven-figure stores |
| Flat-rate processor | One published percentage plus fixed fee, such as 2.9% plus 30 cents online | New stores that value simplicity over cost |
| Merchant account with interchange-plus | Interchange passed through plus a markup; lower rates typically above $10,000 a month per the U.S. Chamber CO guide | Higher-volume merchants willing to negotiate |
A credit card processor moves a card transaction from the merchant to the card network and issuing bank for approval, then settles the approved funds to the merchant, charging a fee for each transaction.
Avendo is not a single processor. It connects your checkout to several PCI DSS-compliant processors and picks the one with the best available rate for every transaction.
Avendo's answers are short: best available rate on every transaction, your existing checkout, exclusively PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways, and clearer pricing and processing reports. Sources: JIM, U.S. Chamber CO.
Mobile card readers serve in-person sales such as markets and pop-ups, which is a different job from online checkout. Avendo focuses on e-commerce transactions. If most of your revenue is online, compare online processing options first, then read credit card processing companies compared or go back to the credit card payment processing overview.
For an online store with meaningful volume, the best credit card processor for small business is one that keeps your rate as low as possible on every sale, and Avendo is built to do exactly that. Rather than locking you into one processor, Avendo routes each transaction to the best available rate across multiple PCI DSS-compliant processors and works with your existing checkout.
For most growing online stores, multiple processors are better, because no single processor offers the lowest rate on every transaction. One processor is simpler, but every sale pays that provider’s price. A routing platform like Avendo keeps one checkout while letting processors compete per transaction. A brand-new store with low volume may reasonably prefer one flat-rate processor for simplicity.
Many merchants should look beyond flat-rate pricing once card volume passes about $10,000 to $50,000 a month. The U.S. Chamber CO guide points to $10,000 monthly as where interchange-plus starts offering lower rates, and the JIM 2026 guide puts the crossover near $50,000. A seven-figure store averages more than $83,000 a month, well past both.
Interchange-plus pricing passes through the card network interchange cost and adds a set markup, instead of charging one flat percentage. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce CO guide says interchange-plus typically offers lower rates to companies processing more than $10,000 monthly, and JIM says it usually wins on total cost above roughly $50,000 a month. Seven-figure stores sit above both thresholds.
Often not: some providers do not negotiate rates for small businesses processing under $250,000 in card sales a year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce CO guide. Seven-figure stores are past that line, yet many still pay flat rates. Avendo takes a different approach, letting multiple processors compete on every transaction instead of relying on one negotiation.
To process credit cards as a small business, you need a checkout or terminal, a payment gateway and a processor or merchant account that settles funds. Online stores often start with one hosted processor on a flat rate. As volume grows, a routing platform such as Avendo connects your existing checkout to multiple processors so each transaction gets the best available rate.
Keep your checkout. Avendo connects it to multiple PCI DSS-compliant processors and does not bill merchants directly.
