Send one statement. Get the truth about your rates.
Most small businesses are paying 3.3–4% effective on card processing and don't know it — because processing statements are designed to be unreadable. Send us one recent statement and Limelight Payments will send back the truth, in writing, free: your real effective rate, every hidden fee flagged, and your exact volume priced three ways side by side — what you pay now, wholesale interchange-plus, and a compliant dual pricing program. If your current setup is genuinely good, the report says so, and that's the end of it.
What you get back — every time
- Your real effective rate — total fees ÷ total volume, the one number your statement never shows you.
- Every questionable fee, flagged and named — padded interchange, "non-qualified" surcharges, PCI non-compliance fees, statement fees, batch fees, annual fees.
- Your volume priced three ways — current setup vs. wholesale interchange-plus vs. dual pricing, with the annual dollar difference for each.
- A straight recommendation — including "keep what you have" when that's the honest answer.
What we check on your statement
- Your effective rate — the all-in percentage you actually pay. Processors advertise the rate on their best transaction; we compute the rate on all of them.
- Interchange padding — markups hidden inside "interchange" line items that aren't interchange at all. This is the most common trick and the hardest to see without a reference.
- Downgrades and "non-qualified" surcharges — transactions quietly bumped into expensive categories your pricing tier was designed to create.
- Junk fees — PCI non-compliance penalties (often charged while telling you nothing), statement fees, batch fees, annual fees, "regulatory" fees, and monthly minimums.
- Your card mix — the credit/debit split that determines whether wholesale rates or a dual pricing program saves you more (it's the deciding number, and it's on your statement).
- Contract exposure — early-termination fees, auto-renewal clauses, and equipment lease traps, so you know exactly what changing would cost before deciding anything.
The numbers, honestly
Every business is different — that's the point of reviewing yours — but here's the pattern across the statements we read, using a typical $30,000/month card-present business:
| Setup | Typical effective rate | Approx. annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Flat-rate or padded tiered pricing (what most arrive with) | 3.3–4% | ~$11,900–14,400 |
| Wholesale interchange-plus through Limelight Payments | ~2.5% | ~$9,000 — typically $2,000–4,000+ saved per year |
| Compliant dual pricing program | ~0% + program fee | ~$600–1,200 — card costs shift to displayed card prices |
Illustrative estimates — your card mix, ticket size, and business type decide your real numbers, which is exactly what the review computes. Dual pricing requires compliant two-price display; we configure it correctly or recommend against it. Curious how the programs work first? See interchange-plus pricing and the dual pricing program.
Three steps, two business days
Fill out the 30-second form below
Name, business, phone — that's it to start. If you have a recent statement handy as a PDF, even better; if not, we'll show you exactly where to download it from your processor's portal (it takes about two minutes, and we do this every day).
Send one recent monthly statement
Any recent month works. We'll confirm a secure way to send it when we reach out. One statement is enough for a real analysis — no logins, no account access, no paperwork.
Get the written comparison — and a straight answer
Within two business days, Ryan calls you with the report: your effective rate, the flagged fees, and your volume priced three ways with annual dollar differences. Keep the report either way. If switching makes sense, we'll show exactly what's included (setup, menu build, and training come free); if it doesn't, we'll say so and you'll never get a pushy follow-up call.
The honest answer to "what's the catch?"
There isn't one, and here's the business logic so you don't have to take it on faith: statement reviews are how Limelight Payments earns new merchants. When the numbers show real savings — which is most of the time, because most small businesses were set up on retail pricing — some of those businesses choose to switch, and that's our revenue. When the numbers show your current setup is solid, we tell you that, you keep the report, and you remember who told you the truth. Both outcomes are good for us. That's the whole model.
And the standing offer behind it: merchants who join Limelight Payments get this same review automatically every year — because interchange rates update every April and October, and a rate that was fair in January can drift. Your processor should be re-checking your pricing for you. Ours does.
Live from our Google Business Profile
Real, unedited reviews from businesses that sent a statement — pulled straight from Google:
Two minutes to submit. Two business days to know exactly what you're paying — and what you could be.
Statement review questions, answered
What is a merchant statement review?
A line-by-line analysis of one recent credit card processing statement that computes your real effective rate (total fees divided by total volume), flags hidden and junk fees, reads your credit/debit card mix, and prices your exact volume under alternative structures — wholesale interchange-plus and a compliant dual pricing program — so you can compare in dollars, not sales pitches. Limelight Payments delivers it in writing, free, within two business days.
What do I need to send?
One recent monthly statement — a PDF from your processor's online portal is perfect. Any recent month works. No logins, no account access, no signatures. If you can't find your statement, we'll point you to exactly where it lives for your processor; it usually takes two minutes.
Is it really free? What's the obligation?
Completely free, zero obligation — the report is yours whether or not we ever talk again. Reviews are how Limelight Payments earns new merchants: when the math shows real savings, some businesses switch, and when it doesn't, we say so. No contract to review the statement, no pushy follow-ups.
What if my rates turn out to be good?
Then the report says exactly that, and you get something rarer than savings: written confirmation that your setup is fair, from someone with no incentive to say it. It happens — usually with businesses already on honest interchange-plus. You keep the report as a benchmark for your next annual check.
Is my statement information safe?
Yes — a processing statement contains business-level transaction totals and fees, not your customers' card numbers or your banking credentials. We'll confirm a secure way to send it, it's reviewed by the person who calls you back, and it's never sold or shared. You can request deletion after the review.
What's an "effective rate," and why doesn't my statement show it?
Effective rate = everything you paid ÷ everything you processed. It's the only honest number for comparing processors, and statements don't show it because it would make padded pricing obvious. A processor advertising "2.6%" can produce a 3.8% effective rate once downgrades, per-item fees, and monthly fees land. The review computes yours in the first five minutes.
Do I have to switch processors to act on the review?
No — the report is useful three ways: switch to Limelight Payments if our numbers win, take the report to your current processor and negotiate (it works — they find flexibility when a customer can read their own statement), or keep it as a benchmark. We'll also flag any early-termination fees or equipment leases first, so you know the true cost of any move before deciding.
How fast will I hear back?
Within two business days of receiving your statement — usually faster. Ryan calls with the findings and sends the written comparison; the call takes about fifteen minutes if you have questions, five if you don't.