Payment Methods Cheat Sheet

Last updated 22 October 2026. Copy page as text

TL;DR

Cards are the most expensive method and have the highest acceptance rate. All-in on a flat rate you'll pay 2.5-3.5%. Underneath that, consumer credit interchange is 1.51-2.30% + $0.10 card-present and regulated debit is 0.05% + $0.21, which is why a debit-heavy card-present merchant does far better on interchange-plus
ACH can cost less on large payments. Compare the provider and plan, including invoice fees. ACH Direct Debit confirmation takes time, and returns can still follow
Apple Pay and Google Pay save customers typing card details. Compare approvals, fraud and checkout completion on eligible devices
Choose international methods by country demand, eligible accounts and added margin after fees and support. A small regional share can still justify a method

Use this page when you need the answer in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes.

Cost Comparison

Method	Per-Transaction Cost	Notes
Credit Card	2.5-3.5% all-in on a flat rate	Interchange underneath is 1.51-2.30% + $0.10 card-present, 1.89-2.60% + $0.10 online
Debit (US Regulated)	0.05% + $0.21-$0.22 interchange	Durbin-regulated banks (over $10B assets). Identical on Visa and Mastercard
Debit (US Exempt)	0.7-0.8% + $0.15 interchange	Small bank cards
Debit (Canadian Interac)	~$0.05-$0.10 flat	Per-transaction, not percentage-based
Debit (EU)	Capped at 0.20%	EU Interchange Fee Regulation
ACH	Varies by provider and plan (examples)	Include invoice fees and return fees where charged
Same Day ACH	Provider and product pricing	Check the same-day rate separately
RTP/FedNow	$0.01-$0.50	Varies by volume
Push-to-Card	0.5-1.5%	Visa Direct / Mastercard Send
Wire	$25-$40 flat	Plus receiving fees
BNPL	2-8%	Varies by provider and volume
PayPal	2.99-3.49% + $0.49	Varies by product
Open Banking (UK/EU)	0.1-0.5%	Much cheaper than cards
Mobile Money	1-3%	Varies by market
Carrier Billing	15-30%	Check paid completion against the fee
eCash/Vouchers	2-5%	Boleto, OXXO, Paysafecard

The card rows mix two measurements, and the Notes column says which is which. Interchange is the network's wholesale cost before your processor marks it up. An all-in rate is what actually leaves your account. Card interchange comes from Visa's US schedule of 18 April 2026 and Mastercard's of 17 April 2026. Blended across a normal mix it's about 0.89% + $0.158 in person and 1.36% + $0.152 online, and the derivation is published.

Settlement Timing

Method	Authorization	Settlement	Funding
Credit Card	Real-time	T+1-2	T+2-3
Debit Card	Real-time	T+1	T+1-2
ACH	Batch	Network settlement and provider confirmation differ	Provider-dependent
Same Day ACH	Batch (intraday)	Same-day network settlement	Provider-dependent
RTP/FedNow	Real-time	Instant	Instant
Wire	Real-time	Same day	Same day
Push-to-Card	Real-time	Minutes	Minutes
BNPL	Real-time	T+1-2	T+1-2

T = Transaction date. All times are business days.

Push vs. Pull & Reversibility

Method	Push/Pull	Reversible?	Who Can Reverse	Reversal Window
Credit Card	Pull	Yes	Cardholder/Issuer	120 days on Visa/Mastercard; Amex up to 120, with exceptions; Discover: Not published
Debit Card	Pull	Yes	Cardholder/Issuer (Reg E)	60 days
ACH Credit	Push	Limited	Originating bank for qualifying errors	5 banking days from settlement for an error reversal; not a general fraud recall
ACH Debit	Pull	Yes	Receiving bank	Debit return timing
RTP/FedNow	Push	No	Only voluntary refund	N/A
Wire	Push	No	Only bank cooperation	N/A
PIX/UPI/etc.	Push	Very limited	Scheme-specific	Varies
SEPA Credit	Push	Limited	Very limited recall	10 days
SEPA Direct Debit	Pull	Yes	Customer	8 weeks (no questions)

Key insight:

Pull methods (cards, direct debit) = merchant at risk of reversal
Push methods (RTP, wire) = sender at risk. RTP can't be recalled. For a wire sent to a fraudster, call your bank at once and ask for a recall; recovery isn't guaranteed

Dispute/Chargeback Windows

Method	Dispute Window	Merchant Response Window
Credit Card	120 days on Visa/Mastercard; Amex up to 120, with exceptions; Discover: Not published	The date on your notice
Debit Card	60 days (Reg E)	Varies (often 7-20 days)
ACH Debit	Account-specific bank deadlines	No card-style appeal of an ordinary timely return
RTP/FedNow	None (irrevocable)	N/A
Wire	None (irrevocable)	N/A
BNPL	Provider-specific	Provider handles
PayPal	180 days	10 days typically
SEPA DD	8 weeks (no questions) / 13 months (unauthorized)	N/A

Discover doesn't publish its dispute windows. For your own response, work to the date on your notice.

Fraud & Risk Matrix (Simplified)

Method	Primary Fraud Pattern	Dispute Mechanism	What to Measure
Credit Card (CNP)	Stolen cards, friendly fraud	Network chargeback	Checkout completion baseline
Credit Card (CP)	Lost/stolen (reduced by EMV)	Network chargeback	Completed purchases at the terminal
Debit Card	ATO, lost/stolen	Chargeback + Reg E	Completion against credit on comparable orders
Apple/Google Pay	Very low (tokenization + biometrics)	Card chargeback	Completion on eligible devices; Apple Pay study and scope
PayPal	ATO, INR/SNAD claims	Wallet dispute (buyer-friendly)	Total completion and fees; PayPal study and scope
ACH Debit	Unauthorized debits	R10/R29 returns	Setup completion, confirmed payments and returns
RTP/FedNow	Social engineering, BEC	None	Payout receipt and failures
Push-to-Card	ATO, misdirected payouts	None	Payout delivery and eligible cards
Wire	BEC, vendor impersonation	None	Receipt confirmed through your bank
BNPL	First-party "never pay"	Provider handles	Contribution after fees and returns
Crypto via PSP	Compromised wallets, AML	None (complaints only)	Customer demand and completed purchases
Mobile Money	SIM swap	Provider-specific	Paid completion in each supported market

Quick Decision Tree

US Consumer E-commerce

Cards + Apple Pay + Google Pay + PayPal
  → Test BNPL where customer demand and margin after fees justify it
  → Add Venmo/Cash App if young demographic

B2B / SaaS / Invoice

Cards + ACH
  → Offer wires where the buyer needs them and the fees and payment risk fit
  → SEPA DD for EU recurring

Global Marketplace

Cards + PayPal + local APMs per market
  (PIX, UPI, iDEAL, OXXO, M-Pesa, etc.)
  → RTP or push-to-card for instant seller payouts

Payouts

ACH (cheap, 1-2 days)
  → Same Day ACH (same day)
  → RTP/FedNow (instant, needs bank enrollment)
  → Push-to-card (instant, any debit card, 0.5-1.5%)

Regional Payment Preferences

Region	Dominant Methods
US/Canada	Cards, ACH
UK	Cards, Open Banking, Direct Debit
EU (Euro)	Cards, SEPA, iDEAL (NL), Bancontact (BE)
Germany	Cards, SEPA, PayPal
Brazil	PIX, Boleto, Cards
Mexico	Cards, OXXO, SPEI
China	Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay
India	UPI, Cards
Japan	Cards, Konbini, PayPay, JCB
Southeast Asia	GrabPay, GoPay, ShopeePay
Africa	M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Cards

Cross-Border Cost Factors

Factor	Typical Cost/Impact
FX conversion	1-3% of transaction value
Cross-border interchange	+0.5-1% vs domestic card rates
Local entity setup	$5K-$50K+ per jurisdiction
VAT/GST collection	15-25% of revenue (remitted to government)
Payment method localization	Dev time + ongoing maintenance per market
Fund repatriation	Bank/wire fees + potential delays

For the full international picture, see International Payments.

ACH Return Codes (Common)

Code	Meaning	Action
R01	Insufficient Funds	Retry or contact customer
R02	Account Closed	Find alternate payment
R03	No Account/Unable to Locate	Verify account number
R10	Customer Advises Unauthorized	Investigate fraud
R29	Corporate Customer Not Authorized	Serious, investigate

Network Comparison

REPORTED Nilson Report, 25 February 2025, accessed 22 October 2026. Shares below measure 2024 US purchase value across these four networks' credit, debit and prepaid cards. Check your own network mix by count and value.

Network	US Purchase Value Share, 2024	Typical Interchange	Notes
Visa	61.1%	Varies by category	Largest, most complex rates
Mastercard	25.8%	Varies by category	Very similar to Visa
American Express	11.1%	2.0-3.5%	OptBlue for small merchants
Discover	2.0%	Similar to Visa/MC	Often slightly lower

Next Steps

New to payment methods?

Choosing Methods - Decision framework for your business
Card Payments - Deep dive on credit, debit, and prepaid
Payment Methods Overview - Full guide to all payment types

Implementing specific methods?

Digital Wallets - Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal setup
Bank Transfers & ACH - ACH implementation details
Alternative Methods - BNPL and local APMs

Optimizing payments performance?

Checkout Conversion - Improve payment success rates
Interchange Optimization - Reduce card fees
Benchmarks - Industry performance targets

Cost Comparison​

Settlement Timing​

Push vs. Pull & Reversibility​

Dispute/Chargeback Windows​

Fraud & Risk Matrix (Simplified)​

Quick Decision Tree​

US Consumer E-commerce​

B2B / SaaS / Invoice​

Global Marketplace​

Payouts​

Regional Payment Preferences​

Cross-Border Cost Factors​

ACH Return Codes (Common)​

Network Comparison​

Next Steps​

See Also​