This page answers 46 common questions about Avendo, credit card processing costs, and which industries can use it today. Each answer starts with the direct answer, then adds the supporting facts, drawn from Avendo's published pages and cited public sources.
Last updated: November 2026
Most people ask whether Avendo charges merchants (it does not; processors pay its 10 cent fee), whether it handles in-person payments (not yet), and which checkouts it supports (custom carts today, with some platforms needing review).
Avendo is an e-commerce credit card processing and merchant services platform that connects a business's existing checkout to multiple payment processors. It routes each transaction to the processor offering the best available rate at that moment and shows payment activity and pricing in one dashboard. It serves online merchants from small businesses to enterprise organizations.
Avendo works with payment processors rather than replacing them. The processors still handle card transactions and charge processing fees, including interchange and assessments set by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Avendo's role is to send each transaction to the connected processor with the best available rate and to make that pricing visible.
Avendo was founded by Alex Popovics, Co-Founder and CEO, and Victor Popovics, Co-Founder and President. Alex is a Florida native and licensed attorney who built the legal and compliance track. Victor spent more than 20 years running an online water technology business, where he saw how hard it was to understand and revisit processing fees.
Avendo was created by former business owners who found credit card processing rates confusing and hard to revisit. With one processor, pricing tends to stay fixed once it is set. Avendo was built so eligible processors keep competing on price for every transaction, instead of competition ending on the day a merchant signs.
Online credit card processing for small business is the service that lets a small company accept card payments on its website and receive the money in its bank account. A processor authorizes and settles each payment and charges a fee. Avendo adds a layer that sends each online payment to the processor with the best available rate.
Yes. Avendo serves online merchants from small businesses to enterprise organizations. Its own materials say that whether a business processes ten transactions a day or ten thousand, the aim is the same: clear pricing and the best available rate on each transaction. Larger card-not-present volumes give per-transaction competition more room to add up.
Credit card processing typically costs a business 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction. The exact rate depends on the card type, whether the card is present, and the processor's pricing model. Avendo's aim is to place each online transaction with the connected processor offering the best available rate.
No. Avendo never sends merchants an invoice, a monthly charge, or a separate platform fee. Its compensation is an Avendo Services Fee of 10 cents per transaction, billed to the payment processor. The merchant still pays normal processing fees to the processor, including card network interchange and assessment fees.
Processing fees stack several costs: interchange paid to the card-issuing bank, assessment fees set by the card networks, and the processor markup. Online payments often cost more because the card is not present. Fees also stay high when a merchant is tied to one processor, since nothing pushes that rate down after signup. Avendo targets that last part.
Restaurants generally pay in the same range as other businesses, 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction. The final rate depends on card mix, whether payments are in person or online, and the pricing model. For online orders, Avendo lets processors compete on each transaction; it does not handle in-person restaurant payments yet.
Flat-rate pricing bundles interchange, assessments, and markup into one set amount, such as 2.6% plus 10 cents. Interchange-plus passes through the actual interchange and adds a consistent markup, such as 0.4% plus 8 cents. Interchange-plus is usually easier to audit; flat rate is simpler to read.
Yes, because it compounds with volume. At $50,000 a month in card payments, a difference of 0.5 percentage points equals $250 a month, or $3,000 a year. That is why Avendo focuses on the best available rate on every single transaction rather than a one-time negotiation.
Divide your total processing fees for a month by your total card sales for the same month. $1,120 in fees on $40,000 in sales is an effective rate of 2.8%. The costs page in this guide has a calculator that does the math and shows what lower rates could mean over a year.
No. Avendo's goal is the best available processor rate on each transaction, and its own calculators label results as estimates, not quotes or promises of savings. Actual costs depend on card mix, pricing, and which processors approve the account. To see what applies to your business, contact Avendo or start its application.
When a customer pays, Avendo compares the connected processors that have approved the merchant and routes the transaction to the one offering the best available rate at that moment. The next transaction goes through the same comparison. Nothing changes for the customer at checkout; what changes is which processor handles the payment behind the scenes.
Usually not. Avendo integrates with the checkout pages a business already uses and currently supports custom-cart integrations. Platforms such as WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento may need a compatibility review. Stores built on Shopify, Wix, Square, or GoDaddy cannot be onboarded today, though Avendo says it is working toward supporting them.
The dashboard gives merchants their transaction data and reports in one place, including how processors price their transactions and how those processors perform. Avendo describes it as a plain-language view of where each cost comes from. Merchants and processors sign in through separate dashboard entrances on the Avendo website.
Avendo gives merchants access to PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways. Avendo's co-founder and CEO created the company's compliance framework under PCI DSS and privacy laws including the CPRA and the EU GDPR. The PCI DSS requirements themselves are maintained by the PCI Security Standards Council, which publishes them on its website.
A chargeback happens when a cardholder disputes a transaction with their bank or card issuer, which temporarily reverses the payment and withdraws the funds while the dispute is reviewed. Avendo's pricing page has a dedicated section on chargebacks. For how disputes work on your specific account, ask Avendo through its contact page before you apply.
No single processor locks you in. Avendo selects the best available option at the time of each transaction, which it says helps merchants avoid long-term lock-in and excessive processing costs. Competition continues transaction by transaction instead of ending when a processor is chosen.
No. Avendo says there is no obligation to switch before evaluating the opportunity. You apply once, eligible processors review the application, and you decide after learning whether they can support your business. Avendo's free calculators also show estimated effects without a sign-up or statement upload.
Avendo is built for businesses that take payments online: e-commerce stores, online subscriptions, SaaS companies, and memberships. It also lists online coaching and consulting, digital businesses, recurring-service businesses, and repeat online purchases as good fits. Businesses processing meaningful card-not-present volume tend to benefit most from per-transaction competition.
Yes, for payments taken online. Memberships and online subscriptions are both supported business types, so a studio's recurring membership charges, online class pack sales, and program sign-ups can be routed through Avendo. Card payments taken on a front-desk terminal are in-person transactions, which Avendo cannot support yet.
Not always. Many gyms and studios accept a credit card, a debit card, or a bank account for recurring dues, and some take cash for drop-ins. Policies vary by facility, so check with the gym directly. For studio owners, accepting cards online for memberships is where Avendo's per-transaction routing applies.
Restaurants can use Avendo for online payments, such as orders placed on their own website, catering deposits, online gift card sales, and food products shipped to customers. Avendo cannot onboard in-person or point-of-sale businesses today, so dine-in and counter payments on a terminal stay with a POS provider for now.
It depends on table service, counter service, delivery mix, and budget, and Avendo is not a POS system. Avendo currently handles e-commerce transactions only. A restaurant typically picks a POS for in-person payments and can look at Avendo for the online side, as long as its online checkout is one Avendo can connect to.
It fits fashion brands selling through a custom online checkout, where each order can be routed to the best available processor rate. Many fashion stores run on Shopify or Wix, which Avendo cannot onboard today. Brands on WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or Magento may need a compatibility review first.
Pet supply stores selling online, auto-ship product orders, and wellness plans or memberships billed online are all card-not-present payments that fit the business types Avendo supports. In-clinic or in-store terminal payments at a grooming salon or veterinary front desk are in-person and are not supported yet.
It works for the online side of a salon or spa: product sales on the website, memberships billed online, and prepaid packages sold through an online checkout. Card payments taken in the chair or at the front desk are in-person transactions, which Avendo does not support yet.
For a small business selling online through a custom checkout, Avendo is a strong choice because processors compete for each transaction and Avendo bills the merchant nothing directly. A small business on Shopify, Wix, Square, or GoDaddy, or one that mainly needs in-person payments, would need another provider today.
With a single processor there is one pricing source, and the rate usually stays fixed until you renegotiate or move. With Avendo, several eligible processors can price each transaction and the best available offer is selected every time. Shopping around once also ends competition at signup; Avendo keeps it running on every payment.
For an online business on a custom checkout, Avendo fits better because processors compete on each transaction and Avendo does not bill the merchant. Square fits businesses that need in-person card readers and an all-in-one POS, which Avendo does not offer yet. Stores built on Square cannot currently be onboarded to Avendo.
Stripe is a single provider for online payments with its own pricing. Avendo routes each online transaction among multiple processors to find the best available rate, without billing the merchant. Businesses that want ongoing price competition on card-not-present volume lean toward Avendo; those who mainly want one provider's developer tooling may prefer Stripe.
They do different jobs. Toast is a restaurant POS for in-person ordering and payments, while Avendo handles e-commerce transactions only. A restaurant that needs table or counter payments needs a POS like Toast today. For the restaurant's own online sales, Avendo can route each order to the best available processor rate.
The best merchant services for a small business combine clear pricing, no surprise fees, and rates that stay competitive over time. For online sellers, Avendo stands out because it does not bill merchants and lets processors compete transaction by transaction. For in-person sales, a POS-based provider is the practical choice today.
Start Avendo's online application, which takes about 10 minutes. You apply once and Avendo sends your details to eligible processors for review. After approval, you process through Avendo, with processors competing on price for each transaction. If you have questions first, Avendo's contact page reaches its team directly.
Have your SSN, EIN, or ITIN; a voided check or bank letter showing your account and routing number; three months of processing statements, or three months of bank statements if you do not have them; your business address and contact details; and a government-issued ID such as a driver's license or passport.
To start accepting cards, a business applies for a merchant account with a processor, which verifies its identity, bank account, and how it operates. With Avendo, one application goes to multiple eligible processors instead of applying separately to each. Once approved, the business accepts online card payments through its own checkout.
You need a website checkout, a payment gateway, and a merchant account with a processor. Avendo connects that existing checkout to multiple PCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways through one application, then routes each online payment to the best available rate. Custom-cart checkouts are supported today.
The application itself takes about 10 minutes if you gather the documents first. Approval timing depends on the processors reviewing your account. Once they accept it, processing starts through Avendo, and every transaction is routed to the processor with the best available rate.
Use the contact form on Avendo's website at avendo.tech/contact-us. Avendo's team answers questions about onboarding, accounts, and how Avendo fits with the setup a business already has. It is also the place to ask how much your business could save on card processing fees.
Not yet. Avendo currently handles e-commerce transactions only and cannot onboard in-person, card-present, or point-of-sale businesses. Avendo says it is working toward supporting them. Businesses that need card terminals should keep a POS provider for their in-person sales in the meantime.
Not today. Avendo cannot currently onboard stores built on Shopify, Wix, Square, or GoDaddy, and lists Shopify and Wix as waitlist platforms. Custom carts are supported, and WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento may require a compatibility review before onboarding.
For an online business with meaningful card-not-present volume and a supported checkout, Avendo is worth evaluating: it bills the merchant nothing directly, needs one application, and keeps processors competing on every transaction. It is not a fit yet for in-person payments or for Shopify, Wix, Square, and GoDaddy stores.
Avendo’s processing partners tell Avendo whether they can support and compete for your business. If none can, you are not committed to anything and can keep your current setup. Applying does not require switching first, so the review itself carries no obligation.
Expired cards, insufficient funds, and bank declines are common causes. Failed payment churn is 20 to 30 percent of involuntary cancellations at fitness studios. Ask any provider, including Avendo, how retries and card updates work on your account.
Once you know how Avendo routes payments and shows pricing, the next step is simple: ask Avendo how much your business could save on card processing fees. Small online shops and enterprise merchants use the same contact form.
