Credit card processing companies,
made to compete.
Searching for a processing company usually means picking one and hoping the rate is fair. There is a better move. We are a local broker — not a processor — and we make credit card processing companies bid for your business, then stay on as your support. Same cards, same deposits, a rate that was actually negotiated.
Why “which company” is the wrong first question
Most owners shop for a processing company the way they shop for anything else: get a couple of quotes, pick one, sign. The trouble is that payment processing is a commodity wearing a costume. Underneath, every processing provider runs the same card networks and settles the same deposits. What actually varies is the margin stacked on top, and whether anyone negotiated it — our guide to processing rates shows exactly where that margin hides.
So the better first question is not “which company?” It is “who is negotiating this for me?” A merchant broker takes your volume to several processing companies and makes them bid. The winner gets your account on the terms we set. You get the same processing, at a rate that had someone on your side of the table. We do it in person across the metro, including credit card processing in Tacoma.
What to look for in a processing company
Whether you use a broker or not, the same five things separate a fair processing company from an expensive one. This is the checklist we run for you.
| What to check | Fair | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Interchange-plus — the wholesale cost, plus a disclosed markup. | Tiered or “flat” bundles that hide the margin. |
| Contract terms | Month-to-month, no lock-in. | Multi-year deals with early-termination fees. |
| The full cost | One effective rate you can see. | Monthly, PCI, batch and statement fees stacked on top. |
| Support | A local human who answers. | A 1-800 queue when funds are held on a Saturday. |
| Fee programs | Dual pricing / surcharging set up compliantly. | A convenience fee bolted onto a bad rate. |
The margin nobody negotiated
The gap between a list rate and a negotiated one is real money. Across 36 statements we have read for Washington businesses, the average shop was paying over $1,000 a month in card fees. Slide your volume to see the yearly figure at a typical list rate.
It is an estimate. Send one real statement and we replace it with your exact number and a bid beside it, line by line, free — the same statement read we do for every merchant.
How we shop the companies for you
One statement
You send one recent statement. We turn it into plain English — every fee, including the ones built not to be read.
The bid
We take your real numbers to competing processors and make them fight for the account. That competition is the part one company can't give you.
One clear winner
You get a single recommendation with the reasoning shown, plus the fee program that fits — interchange-plus, dual pricing or surcharging.
Set up free, locally
Equipment placed and programmed at no cost, installed in person across the Seattle–Tacoma metro.
We stay
Statement reviews, rate policing and support are the relationship, not the sale. We answer the phone here in Federal Way.
A broker's product is the comparison itself. Ask anyone pitching you payments one question: how many processors can you quote me?
What a broker actually does →Fair questions
What does a credit card processing company do?
A payment processing company moves a card sale from your terminal to the card networks and settles the deposit into your bank. Every processor does the same core job. What differs is the margin they add on top and the service behind it. That margin is exactly what a broker negotiates down.
Who is the best credit card processing company for a small business?
There is no single best one — the right processor depends on your volume, your industry, how you take cards, and whether you run a fee program like dual pricing. That is the point of using a broker: we match you to the provider that fits instead of selling you the one company we work for. Most small businesses in our area land on a negotiated interchange-plus or dual pricing setup.
How much do payment processing companies charge?
Listed rates run anywhere from about 2.5% to well over 4% all-in once the add-on fees are counted. On negotiated interchange-plus, the processor's markup is a thin, fixed margin over the wholesale cost the card networks set. We show you the difference on your own statement, free.
Is Northwest Payment Brokers a credit card processing company?
No, and that is the whole idea. We are a broker. We do not sell one company's rates — we make credit card processing companies compete, then stay attached to your account as the local team that answers the phone. We only earn while you stay happy, so we have one job: keep your pricing and service honest.
Can you switch me from my current processing provider?
Usually yes, and it is straightforward. We read your current statement, bid it out, and if we cannot beat it we will tell you to stay. When we do move you, we handle the setup and place the equipment free — see how switching credit card processors works.
Make them compete for your business.
Send one statement. We'll bid it out and show you the number — free, no obligation.