Peakwa's zero fee and cash discount programs let your business accept Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover without paying a cent in processing fees. Legal in most US states. Set up in days.
Takes 60 seconds. See how much you could save.
Processing fees with Peakwa's zero fee program. Every dollar of every sale stays with you.
Zero fee and cash discount programs are permitted in most US states with proper disclosure. Verify the exact status for your state.
Most zero fee program setups are live and processing within a few business days.
COST-SAVING PROGRAMS
With a zero fee program, a small service charge is automatically added to every card transaction at checkout. The customer pays it. You keep 100 percent of the sale price. Your processing cost is zero.
With a cash discount program, customers who pay by cash receive a small discount from the posted price. Customers who pay by card pay the standard price. Either way your net processing cost is eliminated.
Both programs are compliant, clearly disclosed, and set up by Peakwa so everything runs correctly from day one.
At a 2.5 percent average card processing rate, here is what your business is paying every month — and what you would pay with a Peakwa zero fee program.
| Monthly Card Volume | Card Processing Cost (2.5% avg) | With Zero Fee Program | Annual Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000/mo | $250/mo — $3,000/yr | $0 | $3,000 |
| $20,000/mo | $500/mo — $6,000/yr | $0 | $6,000 |
| $30,000/mo | $750/mo — $9,000/yr | $0 | $9,000 |
| $50,000/mo | $1,250/mo — $15,000/yr | $0 | $15,000 |
| $100,000/mo | $2,500/mo — $30,000/yr | $0 | $30,000 |
| Feature | Zero Fee Program | Cash Discount Program |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | A service charge is automatically added to every card transaction at checkout. | Cash-paying customers receive a small discount from the posted price. |
| Who pays the fee | The card-paying customer pays a small service charge. | The card-paying customer pays the standard posted price. |
| Price display | One price posted. Service charge added at checkout for card payments. | Two prices posted: cash price and card price. |
| Best for | Businesses that want full automation with no dual pricing signage. | Businesses that want to reward cash customers and have clear dual pricing. |
| Customer experience | Slightly higher total at checkout for card payers. | Cash customers see an immediate discount at the point of purchase. |
| Legal compliance | Permitted in most US states with proper disclosure at point of sale. | Permitted in all 50 US states when correctly implemented. |
Not sure which fits your business? A free consultation will tell you which program works best for your customer mix and state regulations.
Proper disclosure language, signage, and receipt formatting required by card networks and state law. Peakwa handles the compliance setup so your program is legally correct from day one.
The service charge or cash discount is applied automatically at every transaction. No manual calculation, no staff input required. Your terminal handles it.
We train your team on how to explain the program to customers and handle common questions. Ongoing support available if anything needs adjusting after launch.
| Industry | Why Zero Fee Works |
|---|---|
| Retail Stores | High card volume and thin margins make processing fees a significant cost. Zero fee eliminates them entirely. |
| Restaurants and Cafes | Every table turns into pure profit with no processing percentage taken from food and beverage sales. |
| Auto Repair and Dealerships | Large ticket sizes mean large processing fees. Zero fee on a $2,000 repair saves $50 in one transaction. |
| Medical and Dental Clinics | Patient payments and copays processed at zero cost. Works alongside insurance billing. |
| Salons and Spas | Service-based businesses with frequent card transactions see immediate savings from day one. |
| Legal and Professional Services | Large retainer payments and hourly billing collected with no percentage deducted. |
| Contractors and Trade Services | Project invoices of $1,000 or more processed without giving away 2 to 3 percent per job. |
| Gyms and Fitness Studios | Monthly membership fees collected automatically with zero processing cost each cycle. |
Small businesses paying more than $200 a month in card processing fees and ready to stop.
Retail stores, restaurants, and service businesses with high card transaction volume and thin margins.
Business owners who have heard about zero fee programs but were not sure if they are legal or how to set one up.
We handle your zero fee setup as part of a complete merchant services package.
Proper signage, disclosures, and state-level compliance are built into every setup.
We stay with you after launch to ensure your terminal works and your staff is comfortable.
Yes, in most US states. The card networks permit surcharging and cash discounting when properly disclosed at the point of sale. A few states have additional restrictions. Peakwa confirms the rules for your state before setting up your program.
With a zero fee program, a small service charge is automatically added to all card transactions. With a cash discount program, customers who pay cash receive a discount from the posted price. Both result in zero processing cost for the business. The right choice depends on your customer mix and state regulations.
Some customers notice it. Most do not, especially when the charge is clearly disclosed and the service charge is small. Businesses that switch report far fewer complaints than expected. Peakwa provides the right disclosure signage and staff training to handle it correctly.
The service charge is typically in the range of 3 to 4 percent of the transaction, which offsets the processing cost. The exact amount is set to cover processing fees without overcharging. Peakwa sets this correctly during setup.
Not necessarily. Many existing terminals can be reprogrammed to apply the service charge or cash discount automatically. In some cases new equipment is more efficient. Peakwa assesses your current setup and tells you what is needed before you commit to anything.
Card processing fees are one of the largest variable costs for most small businesses. A retail store processing $30,000 a month in card payments at an average 2.5 percent rate is handing $750 to the card networks and their processors every month. That is $9,000 a year in fees that never show up on a profit and loss statement as a clearly labelled cost — they just quietly reduce margin on every single sale.
Zero fee credit card processing is the legal mechanism for eliminating that cost entirely. Instead of the business absorbing the fee, it is passed to the customer as a small service charge or offset through a cash discount. The customer's out-of-pocket impact is small. The business's saving is significant and immediate.
Peakwa’s zero-fee and cash discount programs help small businesses save significantly on payment processing.
