Nobody starts a training business to read merchant statements. That is exactly why processors make money on trainers.
The four line items to look for
Tiered pricing. "Qualified / mid-qualified / non-qualified" is a pricing structure designed to be hard to compare. Interchange-plus is readable.
PCI non-compliance fees. Usually $20–$40 a month for a form you never filled in.
Batch and statement fees. Small, monthly, permanent.
Monthly minimums. You pay them in slow months, which are the months you can least afford them.
Recurring billing is the real issue
A training business lives on recurring payments. What matters more than the rate is what happens when a card fails: whether it retries, whether the client gets told, and whether you find out before the session or after. A failed card that nobody chases is a lost client, and that costs far more than half a percent.
Get your statement read
Send a recent merchant statement and I will have it read line by line and tell you what you are actually paying. Free, and there is no obligation to change anything.
— Dave