Hidden acquiring fees: review the full cost of restaurant payments

The clearest review starts with your own records. Gather the acquiring agreement, an invoice and payment reports for a completed month. Add a month with different seasonal demand. This reveals which charges follow volume and which remain when sales fall.

Align the reporting period

Record card volume, payment count, card types, refunds and charged fees. Check whether reports use purchase dates, settlement dates or invoice periods. A difference from the bank deposit can reflect timing and deductions rather than an error.

Adyen’s payout-reconciliation documentation shows why payments, fees and payouts need separate tracing. Request the equivalent records for your setup.

Separate price components from model names

IC++ consists of interchange, scheme fees and the provider’s markup. A blended model can package costs into an agreed price. Compare both against included items and your actual card mix. Adyen explains IC++ here.

Check whether a percentage is the total price or only a markup. A payment provider’s public direct price is not automatically the price under a platform agreement. Assess the actual Vendion proposal you receive.

Calculate the effect of a fixed amount

Hypothetical example: the fee is 1.2% plus SEK 0.50 per purchase.

• For SEK 40, the fee is 0.48 + 0.50 = SEK 0.98, or 2.45%.
• For SEK 400, it is 4.80 + 0.50 = SEK 5.30, or 1.325%.

The fixed component matters more on small purchases. That does not make every agreement without one cheaper. Compare complete costs at your volume and average payment value.

Ask about less visible items

Check charges for terminals, setup, reporting, monthly minimums, currency conversion, refunds and card disputes. Ask whether declined or cancelled attempts can incur charges too. Adyen’s fee documentation illustrates how attempts and completed purchases can be treated differently.

For a seasonal venue, quieter months deserve particular attention. Establish what remains payable when terminals see little use and what happens when equipment is returned or subscriptions end.

Give both suppliers the same card mix

Do not compare the current cost of the whole business with a new rate applying only to one type of debit card. Ask both providers to calculate using the same mix of consumer and commercial cards, issuing regions and payment channels.

Divide the total fees by card volume to obtain an effective cost ratio. State whether terminal rental and other fixed costs are included. Keep the calculation to compare with the first actual invoices after switching.

Include reconciliation and service

Measure time spent investigating real differences, separating observed work from estimates. Integrated payments can give a clearer connection between order and transaction. Reconciliation and exception handling still remain.

Vendion acquiring connects payments with the POS and provides a proposal for your setup. Book a demo and follow a transaction through to its report and payout.