Finix’s US direct-merchant pricing page, checked September 14, 2026, lists a $250 monthly membership fee under Standard pricing. For Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, it lists 0.00% plus $0.15 per card transaction, with interchange, dues, and assessments passed through separately. That is not an all-in fifteen-cent processing price. Source: Finix direct-merchant pricing.
The page also provides Custom pricing and separate categories for additional services. Confirm the schedule applicable to your business before using any published figure as a contractual commitment.
Read the price in layers
Start with recurring charges. These affect the business even when its transaction volume is lower than expected.
Next, identify charges based on transaction count and charges based on dollar volume. Add the applicable pass-through network costs and any services used by the business.
Keep the layers separate in your comparison. This makes it possible to explain why costs changed between two months: more transactions, a different card mix, a new service, or a different fee.
The official page’s footnotes also state that transaction fees apply to successful and failed transaction and authorization attempts. A model based only on completed sales can therefore miss relevant activity. Source: Finix pricing footnotes.
Prepare a representative activity profile
Collect a normal month of payment activity and a lower-volume month. Use the same categories for both.
Record sales volume, transaction count, payment methods, refunds, and other events relevant to the proposed schedule. Identify which figures are known and which are estimates.
Avoid using annual revenue as a substitute for processed payment volume. Revenue that does not move through the proposed service should not automatically enter the processing-cost calculation.
Also distinguish your average payment amount from the distribution of payments. A handful of large sales can make the average look different from the transactions staff handle most often.
An illustrative calculation
Assume a hypothetical month with:
- $100,000 in qualifying card sales;
- 1,000 transactions charged at $0.15;
- a $250 membership charge;
- an invented $1,800 of pass-through costs.
The subtotal is:
$250 + $150 + $1,800 = $2,200, or 2.2% of the assumed sales volume.
The volume and pass-through amount are illustrations, not observed merchant results. The calculation excludes other applicable charges and assumes only the stated transaction category.
Its purpose is to show why both membership and pass-through costs matter. It is not a quote or a forecast.
Compare like-for-like scopes
When comparing another provider, include the services your business actually uses. A monthly subscription may include tools that another provider prices separately, or your business may have no need for those tools.
Use an identical activity profile for every proposal. If one calculation includes failed attempts and another excludes them, label that difference rather than presenting the totals as directly comparable.
Ask the provider to explain any ambiguous item using your assumed month. A worked statement can reveal details that a short sales summary leaves unclear.
Investigate event and optional-service costs
Review the schedule for payment methods, disputes, verification, invoicing, subscriptions, and other features relevant to the planned workflow.
Do not assume that a feature mentioned on a product page is free under every commercial arrangement. Conversely, do not include a charge for a feature you will not use merely because it appears in a comprehensive schedule.
Ask how refunds affect original processing charges. The refund guide explains the documented distinction between returning a buyer’s payment and recovering the merchant’s original fees.
Revisit the model after real activity exists
After launch, compare your assumptions with actual records. Explain differences before changing providers or attributing the variance to an incorrect charge.
A higher effective rate may reflect smaller transactions, more attempts, or a changed mix of services. It may also reveal an item that needs clarification.
Use the reconciliation guide to connect fee records with transaction activity. Keep settlement timing separate from cost: the payouts guide addresses when funds move, rather than what the service charges.