“How can I avoid credit card processing fees?”That’s the $20,000 per year question. Perhaps you run a laser eye surgery center and think that credit card transaction fees are part of the cost of helping others. You know the process: pay 3–4% in fees each time your patient pays with a credit card. It’s time you see a little clearer. Did you know you can get rid of credit card processing fees? You don’t have to lose hard-earned money to the bank and payment networks like Visa and Mastercard. You can keep 100% of your revenue. Now, you may be wondering: “How much will avoiding credit card processing fees help my business?” The answer? More than you think. From dermatologist offices to laser eye surgery clinics, we regularly see medical businesses boost profits by 10% or more just by eliminating credit card transaction fees. Have your attention now? In this guide, we’ll cover how you can pay zero CC fees with better medical payment processing. With just three simple, quick steps, you can avoid credit card processing fees forever.

1. Know how much you pay in credit card processing fees

How can I avoid credit card processing fees?That’s the question you wish to answer for your laser eye surgery center, treatment center, pediatrician’s office, or other healthcare facilities. To avoid credit card processing fees successfully, you must know the damage. It may be more than you think. First, consider the average credit card processing fee.

credit card transaction fees

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In addition to the network fee, you have to pay an interchange fee to the card-issuing bank, an assessment fee to the card-issuing brand, and a processor markup to your medical payment processor. Altogether, you may pay an average of 3.5% in fees per credit card transaction. Second, let’s examine how much of your revenue comes from credit card transactions. Different medical practices vary, as what insurance covers depends on your patients, the type of healthcare service you provide, and the cost of those services. For instance, if you specialize in rhinoplasty, chances are your patients have to pay out of pocket because nose jobs are elective surgeries. Given that the cost of a nose job exceeds $5,400, many of your patients probably set up a medical payment plan and pay their monthly installments with a credit card. In such a situation, it’s possible 70% of your revenue comes from patients swiping the credit card. Now, if you brought in $800,000 per year from rhinoplasty procedures, that means $560,000 of your revenue would come from credit card payments. If you pay an average CC transaction fee of 3.5%, that means you pay $19,600 per year in fees! That’s way too much. Add up the numbers at your healthcare organization, and you’ll see you pay a lot in CC fees. You don’t have to accept this.

The laser eye surgery clinic example

Think of all that you’ve invested in getting to where you are. For example, if you’ve entered the eye care field, you did four years of undergraduate study, followed by an additional four years of education and training to become a Doctor of Optometry. To pay for your education, you may have worked part-time, used hard-earned savings, and taken out student loans (optometrists graduate with an average student loan debt of $173,000). On top of that, you have startup costs associated with your laser eye surgery center, which can range from low six figures to a million-plus. Ongoing costs, which include rent, insurance, taxes, supplies, equipment, and labor, can reach $800,000 per year, according to CompHealth data. After all, specialized equipment and paying optometrists cost a lot of money. Needless to say, you have a lot at stake. So, you should be wondering, “How can I avoid credit card processing fees?” Because you shouldn’t let something like credit card fees hurt the financial sustainability of your laser eye surgery clinic. To give you extra motivation to get cheaper credit card processing, consider this example:

  • Your laser eye surgery center brings in $1,000,000 per year in revenue. Your income is $130,000 per year, around the optometrist salary average.
  • Since laser eye surgery, also known as LASIK, costs an average of $2,200 per eye, clients probably pay in installments with a credit card. Most insurances don’t cover laser eye surgery, as it’s mostly an elective procedure. Let’s say 60% of your revenue comes from credit card transactions. That leaves $600,000 subject to credit card fees.
  • For that $600,000 in revenue, you pay 3.5% in processing fees. That’s $21,000 per year in fees!

Imagine if you could get rid of those transaction fees. Your income would jump $12,000, from $130,000 to $151,000. That’s an increase of 16.2%! Motivated enough yet to get better healthcare credit card processing?

2. Find a better merchant service provider (MSP)

The medical payment processing industry still suffers from a lack of regulatory oversight. Whether you’re in laser eye surgery or addiction treatment, know there are merchant service providers who may not have fair and transparent fees and pricing structures. So, be careful and thorough when shopping for an MSP. Plenty of reputable, high-quality MSPs are ready to help your healthcare organization. You just need to do your research. When looking for an MSP, follow this process:

  • Choose only those MSPs that offer pass-through pricing. Pass-through pricing passes fees on to you, the merchant. That means you have a clear idea of how much you pay. Tiered pricing categorizes transactions into tiers, and you usually end up paying more fees than anticipated. So, the first step is to only look for MSPs with pass-through pricing.
  • Compare fees. Look at all the fees, from the network, interchange, and assessment fees to the processor markup. The processor markup can be assessed in a number of ways, such as through software fees, monthly subscription charges, 24/7 support fees, and more.
  • Look at services. You need an MSP that can process transactions quickly and securely online, in-person, and on mobile. Since many healthcare patients call to make payments, you definitely want an MSP that has affordable virtual terminal credit card processing. Additionally, the processor should have high-quality software and hardware, as well as excellent staff support.
  • Narrow down to 3-5 payment processing companies. The MSPs you choose should have the right combination of quality and affordability.
  • Negotiate the MSP markup. While you can’t negotiate the interchange fee with Chase Bank or the network fee with American Express, you can negotiate the MSP markup. We’ve seen laser eye surgery centers, treatment facilities, counseling services, and other medical organizations get 5-10% off the MSP markup.

After doing those steps, choose the most affordable MSP.

3. Utilize a credit surcharge program

Even if you have the best MSP, you still have to pay some CC fees. That brings us to the final tip to get rid of all your processing fees: implement a credit surcharge program. When the Dodd-Frank Act passed, it became legal for merchants to use credit surcharge programs to offset transaction fees. This includes healthcare organizations like laser eye surgery centers and pediatrician offices.How does this work exactly?At Nadapayments, for instance, we offer healthcare organizations a credit surcharge program that automatically charges patients an extra 3.5% when swiping the credit card. That eliminates the impact of processing fees from your bottom line. Now, you may be wondering: “Won’t this upset my patients?” The answer is no. As long as you have clear signage, transparent pricing, and don’t apply fees to debit card transactions (merchants still pay the fee), you’ll set clear expectations, and patients will appreciate that. Moreover, patients will enjoy the freedom to choose any payment method. They can opt for the convenience of the credit card or save 3.5% by paying with cash or debit card.In this sense, a credit surcharge program is a win-win for your healthcare organization and your patients.

Completely free credit card processing for your laser eye surgery clinic, treatment center, or pediatrician office

How can I avoid credit card processing fees? The steps are quite simple: know how much you pay, find the best possible MSP, and then implement a credit card surcharge program. That’s your path to completely free credit card processing. At Nadapayments, we’re ready to help you get to zero-fee credit card processing with our advanced credit surcharge program. Our 100% legally compliant surcharge solution integrates with your credit card installment plans, and patients can pay at your clinic, online, and via mobile. We also offer 24/7 support so that you can get the most out of our surcharge program.Ready to boost your profits by more than $20,000 per year? We can help you set up a credit surcharge program right away. By next week, you’ll be saving 3.5% per transaction. Give us a call at +1 (929) 293-1800 or click the link below.

I Want FREE Credit Card Processing