Choosing Your Charging Model
The service is identical however it's priced — what changes is which lever we pull. How agent licences, transaction charging and a blend compare as seats and volumes grow, plus CapEx and OpEx, and three worked examples.
What you'll learn
- See where agent licences beat transaction charging, and where that flips
- Fixed versus flex named agent seats, and who each one suits
- Transaction charging by value or by count, and what each scales with
- CapEx or OpEx — commit up front or flex month to month
- Three worked examples mapped to real business shapes
PDF · 2 pages · 5 min read
Trusted by banks, law firms, and regulated businesses worldwide.
Download free guide
Fill in your details and we'll send you the PDF immediately.
The service is identical however we price it. What changes is which lever we pull — and that should follow how your business actually works, not the other way round.
Two levers
We can charge for agent licences, for transactions, or for a blend of the two. There's no single right answer, and the mix that suits a four-person finance team is the wrong one for an outsourced contact centre.
Where each model wins
As both agent numbers and transaction volumes climb, transaction charging tends to win on cost. Smaller, seat-based teams usually do better on agent licences. Where the two meet, we blend them.
Agent licences
Cost tracks your headcount rather than your volume. It's the easy one to budget, and the seat cost spreads across everything that person processes.
| Type | How it works | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed named agent | A seat reserved for one named person, always available | A stable, everyday payments team |
| Flex named agent | A seat assigned to a named user on demand | Occasional, rotating or part-time agents |
Transaction charging
You pay for what you process, and nothing else. It works best when a lot of people each take a few payments, or when volume swings with the season.
| Basis | How it works | Scales with |
|---|---|---|
| By value | A percentage of each transaction | The size of the payments you take |
| By count | A flat charge per transaction processed | How many payments you take, whatever the size |
However we price it, you choose how you pay
| What it means | Why you'd pick it | |
|---|---|---|
| CapEx | Commit up front for a capitalised, fixed-term arrangement | You'd rather budget one capital line and lock the rate for the period |
| OpEx | Monthly recurring, flexing as you go | Team size and volumes move, and you want the cost to move with them |
Three real shapes
| Business | What it looks like | Model |
|---|---|---|
| Boutique professional services | A handful of agents taking steady, higher-value payments by phone | Agent licences, fixed named |
| Seasonal retailer or events | A small core team that balloons at peak, then settles | Blend — flex seats plus transactions |
| Outsourced contact centre | Every agent needs to be able to take payments, high daily volume across campaigns | Transaction charging, by count |
Working out yours
Tell us roughly how many people take payments and how much you process. We'll model all three and recommend the one that fits — including the awkward cases where the answer genuinely is a blend. Book a call and we'll go through it.
Related Glossary Terms
Ready to simplify your PCI compliance?
Book a personalised demo and we'll show you how Paytia can descope your telephone payment environment.
Trusted by law firms, insurers, healthcare providers and regulated businesses worldwide. Learn more about Paytia