Get a quote for the same business every time.
Prepare one consistent business profile: exact catalog, registration country, customer destinations, average order value, monthly volume, refund history and store platform. Mark projections as estimates. If one quote assumes domestic cards and another assumes international cards, their headline rates are not directly comparable.
Ask for the legal names and roles of the parties providing the account, gateway and support. Alderwell provides guidance and introductions; the processing partner makes the offer and sets the account terms. Get product acceptance and any limitations in writing.
Use a written comparison worksheet.
Request the items below from each prospective provider. An unanswered field is a question to resolve before signing, not a reason to insert an optimistic estimate. Keep the dated quote and agreement together so you can identify which terms actually govern the account.
| Item | What to request |
|---|---|
| Product acceptance | Approved catalog, intended uses, sales locations and any excluded items. |
| Processing fees | Percentage and fixed fees; card-type, country and currency differences. |
| Additional charges | Gateway, monthly minimum, setup, refund, dispute, conversion and other fees. |
| Reserve | Calculation, amount or percentage, holding period, release conditions and review process. |
| Settlement | Funding schedule, cut-off times, supported bank/currency and reasons for delay. |
| Integration | Exact gateway/plugin, maintenance, subscriptions, tokens and checkout compatibility. |
| Contract and support | Term, renewal, cancellation charges, support ownership and escalation contact. |
Keep fees and reserves separate.
A processing fee is a charge. A reserve is an amount withheld under the account agreement to cover specified risks. A reserve may affect available cash even when it is not part of the headline processing fee. Its release depends on the agreement and circumstances; do not assume all held amounts return on a fixed date.
For a simple worksheet, use expected processed volume and transaction count to estimate percentage and fixed transaction charges. Add the quoted monthly and gateway charges, then model refund, dispute and currency costs separately. Show reserve withholding on a separate cash-flow line. This is a comparison method, not a promised rate or total.
Canadian merchants: request the disclosure tables.
Canada’s Financial Consumer Agency explains the information merchants should receive under the Payment Card Industry Code of Conduct, including transaction-cost and fee disclosures and agreement summaries. Use those documents to compare assumptions and additional charges. Check the current guidance and the terms that apply to your agreement.
For a US business, likewise request a complete written fee schedule and agreement. Do not assume Canadian disclosure rules or cancellation rights apply to a US contract. Compare the actual proposal for your business location.
Validate the checkout before making a switch.
Account acceptance and a working integration are separate milestones. Confirm the maintained gateway, checkout type, required authentication, refunds, webhooks and recurring billing. A familiar platform name on a sales page is not a test of your specific configuration.
If you are replacing a processor, plan outstanding refunds, disputes and subscriptions before directing new orders to the replacement. Ask whether stored payment credentials can be transferred; do not assume they are portable. A new account does not release money held by the previous provider.
Your preparation checklist
- Use identical volume, average-ticket and customer-location assumptions across quotes.
- Obtain exact catalog acceptance and contracting-party identities in writing.
- List every fee, then model reserves and funding delays separately.
- Confirm gateway compatibility and who supports the integration.
- Review cancellation, renewal and reserve-release conditions before committing.
Common questions
What is a good rate for a high-risk merchant account?
A meaningful rate depends on the business, products, card mix, countries, transaction sizes and complete fee schedule. Compare written offers using the same assumptions rather than treating an advertised percentage as the full cost.
Is a rolling reserve the same as a processing fee?
No. It is a contractual withholding arrangement and should be evaluated separately from charges. Ask how it is calculated, what balances are held, when release can be considered and what can change that schedule.
Should I choose a provider that promises guaranteed approval?
Ask who underwrites the account and request written acceptance for your actual business. Treat an introduction or preliminary quote as distinct from an approved account. Alderwell does not guarantee approval.
Can I compare offers before changing my existing checkout?
Yes. Collect the current agreement and a representative statement, get written alternatives and confirm integration requirements first. Plan any transition around outstanding orders, refunds, subscriptions and disputes.