Confused by payment processing fees? In this episode, Maria Sparagis breaks down the real costs behind merchant account statements — beyond the advertised “2.9% + $0.30.”

Whether you're using Stripe, Shopify, or have a standalone merchant account, this is the ultimate guide to uncovering hidden fees, understanding interchange rates, and negotiating better deals.

🔍 Learn what "interchange plus" really means, how to spot PCI compliance penalties, refund and chargeback traps, and why your true processing costs might be MUCH higher than you think.

📊 Maria walks you through an actual merchant processing statement and explains line-by-line what each fee represents — so you can protect your profits and make smarter business decisions.

🛠 Need help analyzing your own statement? Reach out to Maria and the DirectPayNet team for expert support.

🔗 Useful Links:

→ Shopify Fee Breakdown (Related Episode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbGsvCa7eJ8

→ Open a Merchant Account: maria@directpaynet.com

💬 Drop your questions in the comments — and if you’ve ever spotted a hidden fee, let us know!

0:00 Intro

1:44 3 Processing Fee Models

4:20 Merchant Statement Breakdown

14:56 Chargeback Fees

16:39 Other Fees

19:53 Summing Up

24:23 Outro