Merchant Cost Consulting

What Merchant Cost Consulting does

Merchant Cost Consulting (MCC) is a privately held Boston-based consulting firm, founded in 2016-2017, that helps businesses reduce credit card processing fees without switching their existing payment processor. The company operates a three-step engagement model: a free statement audit to identify hidden fees and inflated rates, direct negotiation with the merchant's incumbent processor to restructure pricing, and ongoing monthly monitoring to detect and recover rate increases. MCC does not develop proprietary technology; its value is delivered through human expertise, drawing on insider payment-processing knowledge (per Co-Founder Colin O'Keefe's background) and exposure accumulated across 1,400+ active clients and $31M+ in cumulative annual client savings, with an average 28% cost reduction per engagement.

MCC serves a deliberately broad base across ten verticals (Healthcare, Automotive, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, Non-profit, Government/Municipality, E-commerce, Retail, and others) and earns revenue on a pure success-based model: a percentage of the savings it negotiates, with no upfront or monthly fees if no savings are found. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, combining direct consultation booking via the company website with a channel-partnership network of 20+ industry associations (including AAO, APCI, ASA, HFTP, NAMM, and ASPS) and a cash-commission referral program. Operations are lean (1-10 employees), and the company is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds.

The competitive position rests on three pillars: the no-switching promise (preserving client integrations and equipment), alignment of incentives through contingency pricing, and trusted access to vertical member bases via association endorsements. Strategic focus to date has been on expanding vertical coverage and partner channels rather than productizing technology, building proprietary IP, or pursuing geographic expansion beyond the United States.

Name

Merchant Cost Consulting

Legal name

Merchant Cost Consulting

Website

https://merchantcostconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Merchant Cost Consulting is a privately held Boston-based consulting firm that helps businesses reduce credit card processing fees by auditing statements, negotiating directly with their existing processor, and providing ongoing monitoring, charging only a percentage of the savings achieved.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Merchant Services Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Based Advisory (FSAEAAAM)

Keywords

• Credit card processing
• Merchant services consulting
• Payment processing audit
• Processing fee reduction
• Merchant cost optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Success-based fee: MCC operates on a success-based model where they only receive compensation when clients save money. Their fee is calculated as a percentage of the savings generated, meaning there are no upfront or monthly charges. If no savings are identified, clients pay nothing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Merchant Cost Consulting analyzes business credit card processing statements to identify hidden fees and inflated rates, then negotiates directly with the merchant's existing payment processor to secure lower rates. The firm operates a three-step process — free statement audit, rate restructuring, and ongoing monthly monitoring — delivered under a success-based fee model in which MCC is paid a percentage of client savings only.

Product overview

Merchant Cost Consulting offers a single unified consulting service focused on reducing credit card processing costs. The core offering consists of a three-step process: Free Statement Audit (analyzes credit card statements to identify hidden fees), Rate Restructuring (negotiates directly with the merchant's existing processor to lower rates), and Monthly Monitoring & Auditing (ongoing protection against rate increases). The company operates on a success-based pricing model, earning a percentage of the savings generated. Services are delivered across multiple industry verticals including Automotive, Healthcare, Hospitality, E-commerce, Non-profit, Food & Beverage, Government/Municipality, and Retail. The company also maintains a partnership/referral program for businesses to earn commissions by referring new clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Credit Card Processing Fee Reduction Services A consulting service that analyzes credit card processing statements, identifies hidden fees and inflated rates, negotiates directly with the merchant's existing processor to lower costs, and provides ongoing monthly monitoring to protect against future rate increases. Targeted at U.S. businesses of all sizes and industries that accept card payments.
• Free Statement Audit A complimentary analysis of the merchant's credit card processing statements to identify hidden fees, inflated rates, and quantified savings opportunities, serving as the entry point to MCC's fee reduction engagement.
• Rate Restructuring Direct negotiation with the merchant's current payment processor to eliminate excess fees and secure better rates, while preserving the merchant's existing processor relationship, equipment, and software integrations.
• Monthly Monitoring and Auditing Continuous monthly monitoring of the merchant's processing statements to detect rate increases or new fees, with active removal of unauthorized charges and recovery of refunds on the client's behalf.
• Partnership and Referral Program A partnership and referral program that enables businesses, industry associations, and other partners to earn cash commissions by referring merchants to MCC, plus an association-affiliated program offering exclusive member pricing on MCC's fee optimization services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28% average cost reduction on credit card processing fees
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Association of Orthodontists (AAO)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAAO members receive exclusive discounts on MCC's merchant fee optimization services. MCC has a partnership and endorsed program with AAO providing preferential pricing to orthodontic practices.
• American Pharmacy Cooperative, Inc. (APCI)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAPCI members can save on merchant service fees without changing credit card processing companies or software through MCC's partnership.
• Automotive Service Association (ASA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorASA members benefit from MCC's negotiation, auditing, and optimization services for processing fees without switching processors or software.
• Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHFTP members receive exclusive savings on merchant service fees through this partnership.
• Independent Animal Hospital Association (IAHA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIAHA members can save on merchant service fees through this partnership.
• CAO (Chicago Dental Association)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCAO members receive savings through MCC's partnership and affiliation with the American Orthodontists.
• PCSO (Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPCSO members benefit from MCC's affiliation and partnership.
• Mari's ListminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMari's List members receive savings through MCC's partnership and endorsed program.
• SSO (Southern Society of Orthodontists)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSSO members benefit from MCC's partnership and affiliation with the American Association of Orthodontists.
• NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNAMM members save on merchant service fees without changing credit card processing companies or software.
• NCAO (North Carolina Association of Orthodontists)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNCAO members benefit from MCC's partnership and affiliation.
• American College of Apothecaries (ACA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACA members can save on merchant service fees through this partnership without changing processors.
• AIMM (Association of Independent Music Merchants)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAIMM members save on merchant service fees without changing credit card processing companies.
• Align My PracticeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlign My Practice clients save on merchant fees without changing processors, software, or operations.
• American PharmaciesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmerican Pharmacies members save on merchant service fees without changing credit card processing.
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorASPS members save on merchant service fees without changing credit card processing companies.
• AMOA (Amusement & Music Operators Association)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAMOA members save on merchant service fees without changing credit card processing.
• Association of Marina Industries (AMI)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAMI members benefit from MCC's partnership for merchant fee optimization.
• Archery Trade Association (ATA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorATA members save on credit card processing fees without changing providers.
• Board Retailers AssociationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoard Retailers Association members save on merchant service fees through this partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Stripe: Stripe is a global payments incumbent whose transparent flat-rate pricing is itself a competitive threat to audit-driven cost reduction services like MCC, especially for online merchants such as MaxTool.
• Stax Payments: Stax is a subscription-based payment processor focused on transparent, flat-fee pricing that reduces merchant processing costs - delivering the same end outcome as MCC, but through a processor model rather than a third-party audit.
• PayPal: PayPal is a broad payments incumbent whose standardized, increasingly transparent pricing competes for the same merchant savings opportunity MCC targets, particularly in e-commerce and SMB verticals.
• Helcim: Helcim is a payment processor built around transparent interchange-plus pricing and cost-reduction tools; it competes for the same merchant outcomes MCC targets, particularly among SMBs and mid-market accounts.
• Block (Square): Block operates Square, a payments platform with flat-rate card-present pricing and cost-management tools. Its transparent pricing directly competes with the value proposition of MCC's audit-and-negotiate service for SMB merchants.

Emerging players

• Brex: Brex is a corporate card and business banking platform whose bundled, transparent pricing targets the same customer segment as MCC - businesses seeking to reduce payment processing and card-related costs.
• Payment Depot: Payment Depot is a membership-based credit card processor that aims to lower merchant processing costs via wholesale-style pricing - a comparable cost-reduction positioning delivered through a different business model.
• Ramp: Ramp offers corporate cards and expense management with cost-saving positioning aimed at SMB and mid-market businesses, analogous to MCC's cost-reduction value proposition for the same buyer profile.

Others

• BILL Holdings: BILL provides business payments and spend management automation, adjacent to MCC's focus on reducing payment-related costs for SMB and mid-market businesses across financial workflows.

Direct peers

• CardFellow: CardFellow is a merchant services comparison and consulting platform that helps US businesses evaluate and lower credit card processing costs - directly comparable to MCC's audit, negotiation, and ongoing-monitoring model for the same merchant buyer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MCCSavings
• Facebookfacebook.com/MCCSavings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/merchant-cost-consulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merchant Cost Consulting