What’s our discount rate? Most businesses should be between .02% – 07%. However, if a business does less than 100k per year, or has an average ticket less than $20.00 your discount rate could go as high as .10%.

How many basis points are you charging over Base Interchange on downgraded transactions? (Zero. They should never be marking up Interchange on downgrades.)

Do you have an “Interchange Management Program?” If so, please explain how it works and provide an example of how it has helped our business with my previous downgrades. (Interchange makes up over 90% of the total fees paid. In order to cut your fees, Interchange management is a must.)

Was our statement reviewed last month for any avoidable downgrades of which I should be made aware? (Is your merchant account provider making your business aware of why your transactions are downgrading and what you can do about it? Not all downgrades are avoidable.)

What is the date of my last review of avoidable downgrades? Who received the report?

If they sufficiently answered questions 3 through 5…great! If not, it’s obvious they are not working to help you cut costs. But that’s not surprising, because as they lower your fees, they lower their profits.