Flat 2.5% + $0.15 Payment Processing – No Gateway Fee, No Hidden Costs, No Surprises

Let’s Define What “No Extra Gateway Fees” Actually Means

The word “gateway” appears on many payment processing statements as a separate fee line. Understanding exactly what it is – and why Coastal Pay charges $0 for it – prevents the most common mistake in payment processor comparisons: comparing a headline rate without accounting for all the fees that accompany it.

What a Gateway Fee Is

A payment gateway is the technology layer between your checkout (POS terminal, e-commerce checkout, virtual terminal, or payment link) and the payment network. It captures transaction data, tokenizes card information, routes authorization requests to the acquiring bank, and returns the approval or decline to your checkout. Without the gateway, the payment cannot happen.

Many processors and standalone gateway providers charge a separate monthly fee for gateway access – $10 to $30/month – in addition to their processing rate. Some also charge a separate per-transaction gateway surcharge ($0.05 to $0.15 per transaction) on top of the processing per-transaction fee. These fees never appear in the headline rate comparison but show up on every monthly statement.

What Coastal Pay Charges for Gateway Access

$0. The Coastal Pay Gateway is included in the 2.5% + $0.15 per-transaction rate. There is no separate monthly gateway subscription. There is no per-transaction gateway surcharge layered on top of the processing rate. The gateway, the payment network connections, the 2,000+ software integrations, the API access, the dashboard, the reporting – all included at $0 additional monthly cost.

The Full List of Fees Coastal Pay Does Not Charge

• Monthly gateway fee: $0 (many processors charge $10 to $30/month)
• Per-transaction gateway surcharge: $0 (many processors charge $0.05 to $0.15/transaction on top of the processing rate)
• Monthly statement fee: $0 (many processors charge $5 to $10/month)
• Batch settlement fee: $0 (many processors charge $0.10 to $0.25 per daily settlement batch)
• Setup or activation fee: $0
• Annual fee: $0
• PCI compliance fee: $0 (PCI compliance infrastructure is included)
• Monthly minimum fee: $0
• Application fee: $0
• Payment method activation fee per method: $0 (Apple Pay, Klarna, Afterpay, Venmo, ACH – all enabled at no extra monthly fee)

Here’s What the Hidden Fee Problem Costs You at Real Processing Volumes

The gap between a competitive headline rate with hidden fees and Coastal Pay’s all-in flat rate is not a rounding error. At real small and mid-size business processing volumes, it is hundreds to thousands of dollars per year in costs that produce no value – they are purely margin for the processor.

A Typical “Competitive” Processor Fee Stack vs Coastal Pay

A business receives a quote from a traditional processor: “2.7% + $0.15 per transaction.” Sounds close to Coastal Pay’s 2.5% + $0.15. But the full account terms include:

• Processing rate: 2.7% + $0.15/transaction
• Monthly gateway fee: $25
• Per-transaction gateway surcharge: $0.10
• Monthly statement fee: $7.50
• Batch settlement fee: $0.10/batch (approximately 26 batches/month = $2.60)
• PCI compliance fee: $5

The All-In Monthly Cost Comparison

At $100,000/month, the gap between a traditional processor with 2.7% + hidden fees and Coastal Pay’s all-in flat 2.5% is $9,061/year – almost entirely from fees that add nothing to your payment processing capability. The gateway works the same. The payment methods are the same. Only the cost structure is different.

Here’s What You Get at Flat 2.5% + $0.15 With $0 Gateway Fee

The flat 2.5% + $0.15 rate with $0 monthly fees is not a stripped-down plan. It is Coastal Pay’s standard merchant account – the same account that enterprise merchants and high-volume businesses use, with the same features.

Included at the Flat Rate – No Extras Required

• Coastal Pay Payment Gateway: The full gateway with dashboard, reporting, virtual terminal, payment links, API access, and webhook event delivery – all at $0/month
• All major card brands: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover accepted at the same flat rate
• Apple Pay and Google Pay: Both wallet methods at the same 2.5% + $0.15 rate with no wallet premium – auto-render at checkout and on payment links
• Venmo and PayPal: Available at checkout and on payment links at no additional monthly activation fee
• Klarna and Afterpay (BNPL): Both buy-now-pay-later options in one merchant account – no separate BNPL agreement required
• ACH bank transfer: Flat per-item rate for ACH bank debit, bundled in the same merchant account as card processing
• Coinbase crypto payments: Available via account configuration
• Virtual terminal: Browser-based card entry for phone orders, available immediately in the Gateway dashboard at no extra cost
• Payment links: Generate unlimited payment links for text-to-pay, email invoicing, and deposit collection – all at the flat rate
• Tap to Pay on iPhone: Accept NFC contactless payments, Apple Pay, and Google Pay directly on your iPhone with no card reader hardware
• 2,000+ POS and software integrations: WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, Lightspeed, Revel, and 2,000+ more – all connectable to the Coastal Pay gateway at no per-integration fee
• Recurring billing and card-on-file: Card tokenization and automatic recurring charge execution for subscription and retainer billing – no separate subscription platform fee
• Dual pricing program: Gateway-level dual pricing to display card and ACH prices simultaneously at checkout – legal in all 50 states, reducing effective processing cost toward near zero
• Fraud tools: AVS verification, CVV verification, 3D Secure support, and velocity rule configuration
• Settlement: 1 to 2 business day settlement to your business bank account for standard-risk merchants
• True merchant account: Backed by 13 acquiring bank relationships – not a PayFac sub-account with fund hold risk at higher volumes

How Does the Flat 2.5% Rate Compare to Stripe, Square, and PayPal?

Annual savings at $50,000/month: Coastal Pay vs Stripe $4,200/year – vs PayPal $7,020/year – vs Authorize.Net (typical) $5,700/year.

Annual savings at $100,000/month: Coastal Pay vs Stripe $8,400/year – vs PayPal $14,040/year.

The Rate Difference Compounds With Every Dollar of Revenue Growth

A business that switches from Stripe to Coastal Pay at $50,000/month and grows to $100,000/month over 12 months saves on an increasing base. The savings are not fixed – they grow with the business. A processor rate decision made at $50,000/month affects every dollar of revenue for as long as the merchant stays with that processor. The decision compounds forward, permanently.

Which Types of Businesses Benefit Most From a Flat All-In Rate?

Any Business That Currently Pays a Monthly Gateway Fee

If your current processing statement includes a line item for gateway fee, gateway access, gateway subscription, or any similar monthly charge, Coastal Pay eliminates that cost immediately. The first month after switching, the gateway fee line is $0. The rate savings begin on the first transaction. Both improvements happen simultaneously.

Businesses With Variable Monthly Volume

A seasonal business (summer retail, holiday e-commerce, event catering) that processes $10,000 in slow months and $80,000 in peak months pays a fixed monthly gateway fee regardless of volume – $25 whether they process $10,000 or $80,000 that month. During the $10,000 slow month, that $25 represents 0.25% of revenue in gateway fees alone. Coastal Pay’s $0 gateway fee means the business pays exactly the flat rate during slow months and during peak months – no fixed cost inflating the effective rate during low-volume periods.

Multi-Location Businesses

Some processors charge the monthly gateway fee per location rather than per merchant account. A 10-location retailer on a $25/month per-location gateway fee pays $250/month – $3,000/year – before a single transaction is processed. Coastal Pay’s $0 gateway fee applies to the entire merchant account regardless of how many locations, terminals, or payment channels are connected.

E-Commerce Stores

E-commerce stores on Stripe at 2.9% + $0.30 face both a higher percentage and a significantly higher per-transaction fee than Coastal Pay. At high order counts (1,000+ transactions/month), the $0.15 difference per transaction ($150/month at 1,000 transactions) compounds with the 0.4% percentage difference to produce $350+ in monthly savings versus Stripe without any change to the store or checkout.

Service Businesses Using Payment Links and Virtual Terminal

Service businesses that collect payment via payment links, text-to-pay, or phone orders via virtual terminal often face elevated rates with processors that charge more for keyed or phone-order transactions (Square charges 3.5% + $0.15 for keyed transactions). Coastal Pay’s flat 2.5% + $0.15 applies to all channels – in-person, online, payment link, and virtual terminal. No channel premium.

How to Get Started With Coastal Pay’s Flat Rate Today

Step 1: Apply in 2 Minutes

Visit coastalpay.com/contact-us or call 888-266-1715. Most standard-risk U.S. businesses are approved in approximately 2 minutes. Your merchant account is active immediately after approval. No waiting for underwriting that takes days. No hardware to order before you can start. Your Coastal Pay Gateway dashboard is accessible the same day you apply.

Step 2: Connect Your Payment Channel (30 to 60 Minutes)

Choose how you want to accept payments and connect your channel:

• WooCommerce or e-commerce store: Install the Coastal Pay plugin and enter your API credentials. Live in 30 to 60 minutes.
• Payment links: Generate your first payment link in the Gateway dashboard. Ready to share in 2 minutes.
• Virtual terminal (phone orders): Log into the Gateway dashboard. Available immediately after approval.
• POS terminal: Connect a processor-agnostic terminal (PAX, Verifone, Ingenico) to the Coastal Pay gateway. Contact 888-266-1715 for terminal compatibility confirmation before ordering hardware.
• Tap to Pay on iPhone: Download the Coastal Pay mobile app and enable Tap to Pay. No hardware needed.
• Custom API integration: Access full REST API documentation at coastalpay.com/api-links. Sandbox credentials available immediately after approval.

Step 3: Enable Your Payment Methods

In the Coastal Pay Gateway dashboard, toggle on the payment methods you want to offer: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, Afterpay, Venmo, ACH. Each takes one toggle in the dashboard. All are included in the flat 2.5% + $0.15 rate with $0 additional monthly activation fee per method. All payment methods are live on your first day.

Step 4: Request a Rate Comparison Before You Decide

Not sure if the savings justify switching? Call 888-266-1715 and share your last 3 months of processing statements. Coastal Pay’s team calculates exactly what you would have paid at the flat 2.5% + $0.15 rate and compares it to your current all-in effective rate including every fee. The comparison is calculated for you in approximately 15 minutes. You see the exact dollar difference before making any commitment.

Explore Coastal Pay’s transparent pricing, gateway features at $0/month, all payment methods included at the flat rate, dual pricing for near-zero effective cost, and 2,000+ POS and software integrations.

Get Approved in 2 Minutes – Flat 2.5% + $0.15, $0 Gateway Fee

Or call for a rate comparison first: 888-266-1715

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Coastal Pay’s 2.5% rate truly all-in with no hidden fees?

Yes. Coastal Pay’s flat 2.5% + $0.15 per transaction is the complete cost of processing. No monthly gateway fee, no per-transaction gateway surcharge, no statement fee, no batch fee, no setup fee, and no annual fee. Confirmed in the merchant agreement at account opening – not discovered on month three’s statement.

Does the 2.5% + $0.15 flat rate apply to Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other wallet payments?

Yes. The flat 2.5% + $0.15 applies to every card and wallet payment method: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, PayPal, Klarna, and Afterpay. No wallet premium, no BNPL surcharge, no different rate per channel. ACH is at a separate flat per-item rate bundled in the same merchant account.

How does Coastal Pay’s 2.5% rate compare to Stripe and PayPal?

At $50,000/month with 1,000 transactions: Coastal Pay $16,800/year, Stripe $21,000/year (saves $4,200), PayPal $23,820/year (saves $7,020). Both Stripe and Coastal Pay charge $0 monthly gateway fee – the entire annual savings comes from Coastal Pay’s lower per-transaction rate (2.5% + $0.15 vs 2.9% + $0.30 for Stripe).

What does a “gateway fee” mean and why does Coastal Pay charge $0?

A gateway fee is a monthly charge ($15 to $30/month) some processors charge for access to the gateway technology. Coastal Pay bundles gateway access into the flat 2.5% + $0.15 per-transaction rate – $0 separate monthly gateway fee, $0 per-transaction gateway surcharge. At $50,000/month, a $25/month gateway fee elsewhere costs $300/year in gateway fees alone before the rate difference is counted.