Set up convenience fees

A convenience fee is an amount added to a payment to cover the cost of processing it. REDA Pay calculates it from Fee Setup records under the Processing Account, shows it to the payer before they confirm, and charges the total — the Net Order Amount — in one transaction. If you charge no fees, skip this article: an account with no Fee Setup records adds nothing.

How a fee is calculated

When a payer confirms a payment, REDA Pay looks for the Fee Setup that matches the payment method:

1. Bank account: the account's Fee Setup for Bank Account.
2. Card: the Fee Setup for that card's brand (Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover) if one exists; otherwise the Fee Setup for All cards.

It then applies the setup's Calculation Type:

The result is rounded to cents, then raised to Minimum Fee if it is below it and cut to Maximum Fee if it is above it (each only when set). Disbursements never carry a fee.

The payer sees the fee before confirming, on the Confirm Pay Order Summary: Order Amount, Convenience Fees and Net Amount. The net amount is what is charged.

The Confirm Pay Order Summary dialog showing Order Number, Order Amount $1,250.00, Convenience Fees $1.75 and Net Amount $1,251.75 with Process Order and Cancel buttons

What the payer confirms. The fee comes from the Fee Setup that matches the chosen payment method.

Create a Fee Setup

1. Open the REDA Pay app → Processing Accounts → the account → Fee Setup tab → New.
2. Fill in the fields:

1. Save. The rule applies to new orders from now on; existing orders keep the fee they were created with.

A Fee Setup record "All Cards": Pay Method Type Card, Card Type All, Calculation Type Percentage, Fee Percentage 3, with the Override Controls section showing Minimum Fee and Maximum Fee

A percentage fee for all cards. Brand-specific setups on the same account take precedence for that brand.

Worked examples

All on Meridian Properties' operating account, which has three Fee Setups: All cards (Percentage 3), American Express (Percentage 5) and Bank Account (Fixed 1.75).

A Percentage + Fixed setup of 2.55% + $0.25 on a $100.00 card payment gives $2.55 + $0.25 = $2.80.

Routing the fee to a second account

Some organisations keep fees separate from operating funds. Set Processing Account - Fee on the Fee Setup to a second Processing Account on the same Pay Profile. When such an order is processed, Payload splits the charge: the principal goes to the primary account and the fee to the fee account, in one transaction. A full refund of such a payment reverses both parts.

Switching the fee off, or overriding it, per order

See URL parameters reference for the parameters.

A first-time card gets the "All" rate

The brand of a card is known only after Payload has registered it. When a payer types a new card and pays in the same step, the fee is calculated before registration, so the All cards setup applies even if a brand-specific setup exists. From the card's second use the brand is known and the brand setup applies. If every card should pay the same, this makes no difference; if you charge American Express more, tell your team that the first payment with a new Amex is charged at the All-cards rate.

Where the fee is recorded

Each Pay Order stores the fee rule it used — Fee Setup, Fee Calculation Type, Fee Percentage, Fee Fixed, Minimum Fee, Maximum Fee, Fee Description, Processing Account - Fee — and the result in Calculated Convenience Fee and Net Order Amount. Reports on fees should use Calculated Convenience Fee.

Mistakes to avoid

FAQ

Where to go next

• Take a payment — where the summary appears.
• Void or refund a payment — how fees are handled on refunds.