Short answer. A platform earns on payments from the gap between its buy rate (what its payments provider charges it) and its sell rate (what its sellers pay). The margin also depends on per-seller monthly fees, payout and refund fees, and who absorbs chargebacks. With Bolt Connect, the platform gets a wholesale buy rate and sets what its sellers pay, on its own processor or on Bolt Payments.
The three numbers that decide your margin
- Sell rate: the processing rate your sellers see. You set it, usually within a ceiling your provider allows.
- Buy rate: what your provider charges you for the same transaction, plus any per-seller fees.
- Pass-through and hidden fees: payout fees, fees kept on refunds, subscription fees and chargeback fees. These erode the gap between 1 and 2 if you aren't watching them.
Your margin per transaction is roughly: sell rate − buy rate − per-transaction pass-through fees. Per-seller monthly fees come out of the total.
What to ask any embedded payments provider
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who sets the rate sellers pay? | If the provider sets it, you can't price payments into your plans. |
| What's the buy rate, and is it published? | Unpublished rates make margin forecasts guesswork. |
| Are there payout, subscription or refund fees? | Each one comes out of your margin. |
| Who pays chargebacks? | Passed through to sellers, or absorbed by you. |
| Do I have to switch processors? | Moving volume means new contracts, routing and reconciliation. |
| Is checkout included, and do shoppers get one-click? | Conversion drives the volume the margin is earned on. |
How Bolt Connect prices it
From the published Bolt Connect pricing (read Nov 11, 2026):
- Your sellers' rate: up to 3% for low-risk and 6% for high-risk sub-merchants. You control the final rate; Bolt sets the ceiling.
- No payout fees and no subscription fees. On refunds, Bolt returns its own fees; payment processing fees aren’t returned.
- Buy rate on Bolt Payments: Bolt Pricing rates, with a 0.2% discount on processing fees for low-risk merchants and $3.50 a month per active low-risk merchant; high-risk merchants add 2% to processing fees and $4.50 a month per active merchant. Checkout OS gets an extra 0.05% discount.
- On your own processor: the same Bolt Connect rates, with no Bolt processing fee and no Bolt chargeback fees. Your processor bills processing directly. Bolt still handles seller KYC and onboarding.
- Pass-through on Bolt Payments: network fees and $7.50 to $22.50 per chargeback go to sub-merchants with no margin to the platform. You can choose to absorb them.
- Optional add-ons: fraud scoring, fraud indemnification and Checkout 2.0 are optional. The one exception: fraud indemnification is required for marketplaces with high-risk sub-merchants.
Why checkout belongs in the payments decision
Margin is earned on volume, and volume depends on conversion. Bolt Connect includes an embedded checkout with Bolt's one-click network of over 100 million shoppers. Bolt account holders convert 50% better than guest shoppers (Bolt internal tests and data).
FAQ
What's the difference between a buy rate and a sell rate?
The buy rate is what your payments provider charges you; the sell rate is what you charge your sellers. The difference, minus other fees, is your payments margin.
Can I set what my sellers pay with Bolt Connect?
Yes. You set the final rate, up to Bolt's ceiling (3% low-risk, 6% high-risk).
Does Bolt Connect require Bolt Payments?
No. Bolt Connect runs on your own processor or on Bolt Payments. On your own processor the Bolt Connect rates are the same, with no Bolt processing fee.
Who pays chargebacks?
On Bolt Payments, chargeback fees ($7.50 to $22.50) pass through to sub-merchants with no margin to the platform, and you can choose to absorb them. On your own processor, Bolt charges no chargeback fees.
How do I get started?
See Bolt for Platforms or Bolt Connect, or contact sales.