Blended transaction cost is the average total cost a business pays to process each payment once every relevant charge is combined. It adds together percentage fees such as interchange and the provider's margin, fixed per-transaction fees, scheme fees, gateway fees and, in many analyses, a share of monthly and chargeback-related charges, then expresses the total as an average rate or amount per transaction. Merchants use it to compare providers and payment methods on a like-for-like basis, since headline rates often leave out costs. It is calculated by dividing total processing costs over a period by total transaction value or count. The measure is related to the effective acceptance cost and the wider cost of acceptance, and differs from blended pricing, which is a fee model rather than a measured outcome. See also transaction fee.