Questions every merchant asks

First, send everything in writing and document every reply. Aggregators like Stripe pool many sellers on one shared account, so they manage risk by holding funds after the fact rather than underwriting up front. Send me your statement and details and I will walk you through the recovery steps, then set you up on a real merchant account in your own name where this model does not apply.

You can keep pressing Square in writing for the release, and you should. At the same time, the long-term fix is moving to a dedicated merchant account with real underwriting done before you process, so a single algorithm cannot shut you down mid-season. I will show you how to switch without downtime.

Fair question, and it is why the rates are published right on this site. The statement review names true interchange versus markup line by line, your account is set up month to month, and there is no statistical package or surprise PCI fee buried in the terms. You see the numbers before you decide anything.

Because a real person who reads your statement and answers the phone beats a 1-800 robot. As a North agent, I give you direct access to the largest privately owned processor in the country without a third-party ISO marking up the rate. The brand name is North. The human accountable to you is me.

Take the total fees you paid for the month and divide by your total card volume. That percentage is your true effective rate, and it is usually higher than the rate you were quoted. Send your statement and I will calculate it with you and show you exactly where the gap comes from.

A true cash discount is legal in all fifty states. Surcharging rules differ, and surcharging is restricted in some states including Massachusetts. North's Edge program is structured as a compliant cash discount that can bring your processing bill close to zero. I will confirm exactly what is allowed where you operate before anything goes live.

Flat rate is often fine under about five thousand dollars a month. Interchange-plus usually wins decisively above roughly ten to twenty thousand a month because you pay true cost plus a small fixed markup instead of one blended rate. The crossover depends on your card mix, which is exactly what the statement review pinpoints.

MATCH is an industry list of merchants terminated for cause, and landing on it makes getting a new account hard. The best protection is a properly underwritten account, accurate disclosures, and active chargeback management, all of which come standard here. If you are worried you may be flagged, tell me your situation and I will give you a straight read.

It does not have to. The clean way is to board the new merchant account in parallel, test it, and only then turn off the old one. I handle the setup and timing so you never miss a transaction during the move.

Watch for a monthly equipment lease that quietly totals thousands over a multi-year term for hardware worth a few hundred dollars, plus long lock-in contracts and steep early-termination fees. You should own or affordably buy your hardware and be free to leave. I will tell you plainly if an offer in front of you has these traps.

Nothing. You send your most recent statement, I read it and show you your true rate, and if switching would not save you money I will tell you to stay put. It costs nothing either way and there is no obligation.

Retail, restaurants, contractors, healthcare, e-commerce, and high-risk or specialty merchants such as CBD, gaming, and telemedicine through North's specialty brands. Whether you are leaving an aggregator or starting to accept cards for the first time, there is a fit.

Fee-audit firms such as Merchant Cost Consulting and Swipesum typically work on contingency, taking a share of whatever savings they negotiate down on the markup your current processor charges. That can lower this month's bill, and it is a real service. The structural difference is what you are left holding. A renegotiation leaves you on the same account, with the same provider, who can raise the markup again later or freeze you the same way. I move you onto a real North merchant account in your own business name, underwritten up front, with published rates you can read yourself. You own the account and the relationship, so the savings are built into how you are priced rather than something a third party has to keep fighting to protect.