Last Updated on October 12, 2026 by Team TBH
Easy Pay Direct says it usually reviews any business above about $50,000 a month as higher-risk, whatever it sells. Its terms also include a $99 setup fee, which it waives when documents arrive within 24 hours, and a monthly fee that is typically $25.
Below $100,000 a month, fixed charges like these take a larger share of each dollar processed, and the alternatives differ mainly in how they charge. Some add a small monthly fee to a markup on each transaction. Others, such as Finix, charge a monthly subscription, pass interchange through and add a fee per transaction. A $25 monthly fee is 0.05% of $50,000 in sales and 0.5% of $5,000.
What Weighs Most Below $100k a Month
Fixed Fees Against Per-Transaction Costs
A fixed monthly fee costs the same at any volume, so its weight falls as sales rise. Per-transaction costs move with volume instead. For a merchant near the bottom of this range, the fixed charges usually decide which account is cheaper. The useful figure is the total of every fixed line on a fee schedule, including gateway and account fees, divided by expected monthly sales. A merchant with uneven sales should run this math on a slow month as well as a busy one.
The per-transaction side is easiest to compare under interchange-plus pricing. Interchange is the per-sale fee paid to the bank that issued the card, and under interchange-plus the provider passes it through and adds a stated markup on top. A flat rate folds both into one percentage, which is simpler to read but hides the split between the bank’s fee and the provider’s. Minimums matter as well. Some providers require a set amount of monthly processing, and a merchant below that amount does not qualify.
Placement, Contracts and Exit Costs
Easy Pay Direct matches each merchant with a bank from a pool of more than 30 partners and supplies its own gateway. Most alternatives here work as an ISO, an independent sales organization that signs merchants up for a sponsor bank and looks after the account. A processor, by contrast, runs the payments itself. Under either model, the bank or processor behind the account makes the underwriting call. That call sets the reserve and the volume limit.
Contract terms set the cost of leaving. Easy Pay Direct doesn’t say what it costs to leave early. Several alternatives work month to month or charge no cancellation fee. A month-to-month deal can be ended at the close of any month. For a small merchant that may outgrow an account, or need to move it quickly, those terms have a direct cash value.
1. PaymentCloud
Unlike Easy Pay Direct, PaymentCloud gives its fees only in a quote, so its total can’t be checked against Easy Pay Direct’s $99 and $25 before applying.
PaymentCloud places high-risk merchants with a wide range of supporting banks. It uses no long-term contracts and charges no hidden fees. PaymentCloud offers recurring billing, invoicing, ACH and eCheck as well, which can save a small business from paying a second vendor for them.
Its volume policy suits a merchant that expects to grow inside this range. PaymentCloud raises the volume limit after three months of healthy processing. After that, it reviews the limit every three months. A merchant that starts at a modest level therefore has a set schedule for moving up.
Until the first review, the merchant works within the limit set at approval. In a strong month that limit can fall short of what the business sells, and PaymentCloud may keep the extra funds back for a short time.
2. Durango Merchant Services
Applying to Durango Merchant Services is free, while Easy Pay Direct charges $99 unless the papers come in within a day.
Durango places accounts with Fifth Third Bank, for which it is a registered ISO. It posts typical figures before any quote, with monthly fees from $15 to $60 and authorization fees from $0.15 to $0.25 per transaction. A merchant can use those ranges to estimate its fixed costs before applying. They are ranges, and the final numbers come from underwriting.
Contract length varies, and month-to-month terms are available. That limits the cost of changing providers later.
For US accounts, Durango requires at least $5,000 a month in processing. A merchant between $5,000 and $100,000 meets that minimum, and the smallest merchants in this range do not.
3. Host Merchant Services
Host Merchant Services charges a $14.99 monthly fee, against Easy Pay Direct’s typical $25.
There’s also a $14.99 monthly gateway fee, so an online merchant should count both. Host charges no setup or cancellation fees and works month to month. Its markups over interchange are public too, and for online accounts the markup is 0.35% plus $0.10 per sale.
Those terms come with a condition. High-risk accounts at Host go to outside partners, whose approval and price depend on the merchant’s risk profile, history and chargebacks. A high-risk merchant should confirm which fees apply to its own account before signing. Until a partner quotes the account, the posted figures work only as a reference point.
4. Finix
Closing a Finix account costs nothing, where Easy Pay Direct leaves that cost open. Finix.com also sets no volume minimum, so a small merchant isn’t ruled out on volume.
The main cost is fixed. Finix charges a $250 monthly membership fee on standard pricing, then passes interchange through and adds a fee per transaction. Finix’s own roundup of CBD processors calls the $250 fee cost-ineffective for merchants processing under $5,000 a month.
5. Corepay
Corepay offers a flat-rate plan it calls ideal for lower-volume merchants. Easy Pay Direct, by contrast, keeps its custom pricing for higher-volume merchants. Corepay also offers interchange-plus, which it pitches at high-volume merchants, and a custom option. Corepay doesn’t charge setup fees or set monthly minimums, and it takes businesses from startups to enterprise. North American Banking Company sponsors Corepay as an ISO/MSP.
Corepay quotes all three plans, so the flat-rate plan can’t be set against a published fee before applying.
6. eMerchantBroker
eMerchantBroker places accounts with a bank much as Easy Pay Direct does. The bank is BMO Harris Bank, where it is a registered ISO/MSP. It has no minimum monthly volume, and merchants start without upfront costs or setup fees. Its industries include CBD oil, credit repair and travel. For a merchant under $100,000, the lack of a minimum removes one test that Durango applies.
Its load-balancing accounts spread sales across several merchant accounts. The feature is for merchants at $100,000 a month and up, so it starts where this range ends.
Matching the Fee Structure to Monthly Volume
At $5,000 a month, the fixed fee is most of the difference. Host’s $14.99 fee is 0.3% of sales at that level and a $250 subscription is 5%, while Durango’s $5,000 minimum rules out anything smaller. Between about $10,000 and $50,000, the other charges matter more. These include Easy Pay Direct’s $99 setup fee, Host’s second $14.99 for the gateway and whatever each quote adds for the account itself. At $20,000 a month, Host’s two fees together come to about 0.15% of sales and a $250 subscription to 1.25%, so the fixed fees still count, only less than they did at $5,000. Above $50,000, Easy Pay Direct’s own policy treats the business as higher-risk, and a $250 subscription falls to 0.5% of sales or less. At that point the per-transaction markup becomes the number to compare. A merchant close to $100,000 should also ask each provider at what volume its terms change, since several price larger accounts differently.
To read more content like this, explore The Brand Hopper
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