Payment Terminal Costs: Are They Really Fair? 2025 Industry Data on Merchant Fee Status

As domestic card approval amounts reached 1,266 trillion won in 2025, the importance of payment infrastructure is more pronounced than ever. According to the latest data from the Credit Finance Association, the average daily PG service usage amount reaches 1,554.2 billion won, a 9.2% increase from the previous year. However, the conditions experienced by merchants remain inconsistent. In an industry where understanding actual payment costs through card fee rates alone has been a long-standing challenge, specialized diagnostic services like theKL Link are receiving attention for this reason. This article is based on the actual consulting experience of Jaiwoo Shim, CEO of a payment environment optimization expert, and summarizes the payment cost items merchants are overlooking and cost reduction methods through free diagnostics.

In the 4th quarter of 2025, the healthcare and medical sector recorded the highest card approval growth rate by industry at 7.8%. This far exceeds wholesale and retail (3.7%) and accommodations and food services (2.0%). With approximately 100,000 clinics and hospitals nationwide and 1,500 nursing hospitals, individual hospitals are estimated to have average annual transaction amounts of 3 billion won. This high-value market characteristic is creating differentiation in payment fee structures.

•Increased need for differential fee structures based on high-value and non-covered payment characteristics

•Intensifying competition to shorten settlement cycles in repeat payment markets

•Accelerated market entry of PGs equipped with healthcare-specialized solutions (EMR integration, installment payments)

Simply lowering card fee rates does not necessarily reduce payment costs. In hundreds of merchant cases actually diagnosed by CEO Shim Jaiwoo, terminal rental fees, monthly management fees, communication charges, and maintenance fees accumulate, resulting in actual burdens far greater than stated rates. For example, if monthly card sales are 15 million won and total payment-related costs are 300,000 won, the actual cost ratio is only 2%, but if there are omitted fixed cost items, perceived costs rise to 2.5~3%.

•Continued rental charges for unused payment terminals (average 30,000~50,000 won per month)

•Early termination penalties from automatic renewal contracts (5~20 million won range)

•Double settlement fee burden from duplicate offline and online setup

PG companies' screening standards are understood to have strengthened by an average of 10~15% compared to the previous year. Following enhanced risk management by credit card companies and the Financial Supervisory Service, individual merchant credit risk assessments are underway. This increases the likelihood that even merchants maintaining existing low-fee contracts will face fee increase pressure upon contract renewal. Simultaneously, additional conditions such as same-day settlement and free support are expected to be further restricted.

•Existing contract condition changes due to credit rating reassessment

•Increased additional charges when requesting shortened settlement cycles (same-day settlement)

•Reduced scope of free equipment support (partial fee introduction underway)

As of 2025, online payment average fee rates (1.2~1.8%) are reported to be lower than offline (2.0~3.5%). This stems from differences in payment risk assessment, dispute processing costs, and partner policies by channel. Even the same merchant operating both online and offline has different fee rates and settlement conditions applied separately. theKL Link's diagnostic system clearly distinguishes the cost differences between these two channels and presents improvements.

•Online has low fee rates but extended settlement cycles (D+3~D+7) and advance payment conditions exist

•Offline has higher fees but same-day or next-day settlement options available

•Possibility of duplicate initial contract fees and system integration costs by channel

Beyond simple payment fee reduction, merchants' true future profits are predicted to come from payment data. Like the medical fintech platform pursued by theKL Link, merchants that build a positive cycle system of payment → CRM → marketing → repeat visit data can secure long-term profitability. Currently, many merchants have payment data and customer management systems separated, failing to properly utilize repeat visit marketing.

•Automatic payment record integration-type CRM systems enable tracking of repeat customers

•AI-based customer segmentation increases cases of 50% reduction in customized marketing costs

•Medical and high-value transaction sectors report average 25% increase in patient/customer repeat visit rates

theKL Link's free diagnosis proceeds in the following five steps:

Document collection stage — Verify settlement statements from the past 3 months, current payment contracts, terminal invoices, and communication expense receipts

Cost item classification — Calculate card fees, terminal rental fees, monthly management fees, maintenance fees, and additional service charges individually

Calculate actual cost ratio — Recalculate total payment costs as a percentage relative to monthly payment amounts

Compare with market standards — Compare with average conditions of merchants in identical industries and scales

Present customized improvements — Establish plans for fee reduction, settlement cycle shortening, and contract condition renegotiation

A 10-store coffee chain located in Jung-gu, Seoul was spending 350,000 won monthly in payment-related costs under existing contracts based on average monthly card sales of 60 million won (18,000 won fee + 80,000 won rental + 50,000 won management fee + 40,000 won communication charges). According to theKL Link's free diagnostic results, rental charges for 5 unused payment terminals (50,000 won monthly), 3 auto-renewed additional services (20,000 won monthly), and duplicate communication charges (10,000 won monthly) were identified. After addressing these issues and negotiating fees, monthly costs were reduced to the 200,000 won range, achieving approximately 1.8 million won in annual cost savings.

Items that must be confirmed at payment terminal contract renewal are as follows:

•Confirm whether hidden fixed cost items exist even if stated fee rates are low

•Check if settlement cycle selection options exist and whether same-day settlement options incur additional costs

•Equipment ownership (rental vs. free provision) and penalty amounts for early termination

•Track unused terminals or additional service subscriptions from settlement statements

•Automatic renewal clauses in contracts and notice periods for termination

Q1. Why should merchants change PG providers even with the same fee rates?

A: Even with identical fee rates, settlement cycles, equipment support, customer response speed, and additional solution integration vary greatly. theKL Link presents optimal combinations matching merchant conditions among 7 partner companies, allowing evaluation of overall value beyond surface fee rates.

Q2. What disadvantages result from not changing contracts after a free diagnosis?

A: The diagnosis itself creates no obligations whatsoever. Diagnostic results are merely reference materials for merchants to objectively understand their current conditions, and contract changes are entirely at the merchant's discretion.

Q3. Is fee negotiation possible even without contract renewal?

A: Negotiation with existing PG providers is more favorable at contract renewal time, but merchants with sufficient transaction amounts and low default rates can attempt fee renegotiation during contract periods. theKL Link preassesses negotiation feasibility based on merchant creditworthiness and market data.

Despite market growth with 2025 card approval amounts of 1,266 trillion won and PG usage increasing 9.2% year-over-year, individual merchants' payment environments remain unoptimized. Rather than temporary measures merely reducing fee rates, accurate understanding of current situations is necessary for structural cost reduction. theKL Link's free payment environment diagnosis clarifies monthly fixed costs, actual burden rates, and industry-specific market standards using only the past 3 months' settlement statements and contracts, presenting improvement possibilities with specific numbers. Recurring monthly payment costs accumulate to impact millions of won annually. Now can be the starting point for accurate diagnosis and optimization. For consultation, contact 010-2397-5734 or jaiwshim@gmail.com.

| Item | Check items | Improvement effect | Priority |
|------|---------|---------|----------|
| Card fee rate | Difference between stated and actual rates | Monthly 50,000~150,000 won savings | High |
| Terminal rental fee | Unused terminals, free support conditions | Monthly 30,000~80,000 won savings | High |
| Monthly management fee | Auto-renewed additional services, duplicate subscriptions | Monthly 20,000~50,000 won savings | Medium |
| Settlement cycle | Same-day/next-day/D+3 option selection, additional costs | Cash flow improvement, loan interest savings | High |
| Contract conditions | Contract period, termination penalties, renegotiation opportunity | Long-term fixed cost savings | Medium |

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📍 Learn more about theKL Link

•🌐 Homepage: https://paycheckkl.vercel.app/index.html

•📝 Blog: https://blog.naver.com/jaiwooshim

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