What Is Payment Acquiring and How It Works
Payment acquiring is the process that enables a business to receive money from customers through financial intermediaries—typically banks or digital payment systems. Simply put, it’s the infrastructure that handles online payments made by card, wallet, or cryptocurrency.
Traditional acquiring relies on a chain of institutions: an acquiring bank, a payment network like Visa or Mastercard, and often a payment aggregator. Crypto acquiring is much leaner: it allows for direct blockchain transactions between the customer and your business via a payment platform.
Why Do Payment Providers Charge Fees?
Every payment journey goes through multiple layers: banks, card networks, aggregators, and fraud-prevention systems. Each layer charges a fee to cover infrastructure, compliance, security, and service guarantees.
In crypto transactions, there are also fees—like blockchain gas fees—but crypto payment gateway services can automate and optimize these. Better yet, the network fee can often be passed to the customer transparently.
What’s Included in a Payment Processing Fee?
- Acquiring bank fee — A standard percentage taken for transaction processing and infrastructure. This is unavoidable in traditional setups and varies by region and bank.
- Card network fee — Visa, Mastercard, and other networks charge to validate, secure, and settle transactions across global payment rails.
- Payment aggregator fee — When not directly connected to a bank, you pay a markup to platforms that offer simplified onboarding, APIs, and customer support.
- Other charges — These may include refund handling, conversion fees, daily settlement fees, or delays—often hidden until they appear on your invoice.
Key Factors That Influence Payment Fees
- Your business type (MCC code) — Some industries, like gaming or finance, are labeled high-risk and are subject to higher rates due to refund and fraud concerns.
- Transaction volume — Businesses with higher payment volumes are in a stronger position to negotiate better fees, especially with crypto or direct deals.
- Client location and currency — Cross-border payments and currency exchange introduce extra fees, depending on the customer's region and settlement currency.
- Payment method — Credit cards, digital wallets, and crypto all carry different risk levels, technologies, and associated costs that affect pricing.
- Security requirements — Advanced features like 3D Secure or anti-fraud systems may either increase fees or reduce them by decreasing chargeback risks.
Crypto Acquirings' fees vs Traditional Payment Systems' fees
- Fees — Traditional card processing rates range from 2% to over 3%. In contrast, crypto acquiring starts as low as 0.5% and stays flat regardless of country or volume.
- Hidden costs — Banks often charge for things like settlements, refunds, and conversions. Crypto solutions show all costs upfront with no hidden surprises.
- Settlement speed — Crypto transactions settle in seconds, while card payments may take 1–3 business days, affecting cash flow and operations.
- Refunds and holds — Traditional methods commonly freeze funds or delay payouts. Crypto removes this risk using irreversible smart contract settlements.
- Customer experience — Paying with crypto is fast and frictionless. Scanning a QR code is often faster than entering card details and less prone to errors.
How to Cut Payment Processing Costs in 2025
- Reduce third-party layers — The fewer intermediaries between you and your customer, the lower your costs — crypto excels here.
- Review total payout, not just fee rate — Some processors advertise low base rates but claw back revenue via hidden fees or payment delays.
- Add crypto as a second payment option — Offering crypto boosts international acceptance and reduces chargebacks, especially for digital goods.
Why Crypto Acquiring Helps Businesses Save Money
- No intermediaries — With banks and gateways removed from the flow, you pay fewer fees and keep more of each sale — especially cross-border ones.
- Built-in automation — Smart contracts replace manual processes like invoicing and confirmation, reducing staff costs and time spent on operations.
- Fees passed to customers — some payment provicers allows you to include the network fee in the invoice, ensuring your profit margins stay intact.
- From just 0.5% per transaction — Flat-rate pricing gives predictability and significantly lower costs than cards, especially at scale.
- Transparent billing — No surprise deductions for refunds, disputes, or daily settlements — what you see is what you keep.
What Business Should Use Crypto Acquiring?
- E-commerce platforms and online stores — High volume means high fees. Crypto acquiring dramatically reduces transaction costs and payment friction.
- International and remote-first companies — Receive payments globally with zero exchange fees and no dependence on SWIFT or SEPA systems.
- Subscription-based services — Automate recurring billing securely with smart contracts and avoid card expiry or banking issues.
- Gaming and entertainment brands — Accept the currencies your audience already uses. Crypto fits well with digital-native user habits and speed expectations.
- Online educators and creators — Sell to a global audience and receive payments instantly, even from countries with limited card coverage.
Accept crypto payments with CryptumPay
The service makes it easy for any business to start accepting crypto: no complicated setup, no hidden fees, just a simple 0.5% rate and instant access to major coins like BTC, ETH, and USDT. Your customers don’t need native tokens to pay — we handle that for them. With one-click repeat payments and full support from day one, you'll be up and running in less than 24 hours.
FAQ
What affects payment processing fees?
Key factors include business type, payment method, transaction volume, geography, and risk level.
How do fees work in crypto payments?
You pay a small network (gas) fee and a platform fee.
How can I reduce fees right now?
Add crypto acquiring, cut third-party layers.
Is crypto acquiring secure?
Yes. Acquiring services comply with AML standards and offers two-factor authentication to protect both your business and customers.
