Debit and credit: what to check in your processing costs

Cards can look similar at the counter while following different payment arrangements. Here is what to ask about your own setup.

Surge guides · 2 min read · Updated 14 September 2026

Business owner reviewing a sample statement beside a tablet and notebook

Begin with the basic distinction

A debit card generally draws on money in an account. A credit card lets its holder borrow money that must be repaid. That describes the customer’s funding source; it does not, by itself, tell you what your business will pay to accept the transaction.

Reference: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: how debit and credit differ.

Check your local arrangement

Ask your provider which debit and credit arrangements apply to your business and how they appear on the statement. Do not assume that every debit transaction has a fixed fee or that it will always cost less than a credit transaction.

Look at how you accept the payment

Make a list of in-person, online and manually entered sales. Ask your provider whether the pricing differs for those channels and for the kinds of cards your customers use. Keep the answer with your fee schedule.

Use your actual sales pattern

Take a representative statement into the conversation. Ask for a comparison using the same transaction amounts, counts and mix, rather than a single example that may not resemble your business.

Keep POS and processing distinct

The POS records and manages your business activity. Your processor has its own agreement and payment workflow. During the Surge pilot, your existing processor remains separate; Surge card processing is coming soon.