Assessment fees are set by the card brands like Visa and Mastercard. They take a small percentage of every transaction for the use of their payment networks. These fees apply to every merchant and every transaction, no matter the processor or pricing model. Assessment fees are not negotiable and cannot be removed. Because they are small and consistent, many businesses overlook them. Over time, they add up and make up a real portion of total processing costs. That is why some fees stay the same n