โš™๏ธOperations & Admin ยท Step-by-step guide

Let a bot work out what your card payment provider really charges you and ask for a lower rate

Every time a customer pays by card, your payment provider takes a cut. Part of it is fixed by the card networks, but the provider's own mark-up on top can usually be negotiated. You give a Grok Bot a year or two of statements; it separates the fixed part from the mark-up, shows what you really pay, builds the case for a lower rate based on your volume and drafts every email for your OK.

Created byDan Mallatt ยท Franklynn Automotive
๐Ÿ“ฐ Read the original: Dan Mallatt: I used my Grok Bot to negotiate my auto repair shop's credit card processing fees (X post) โ†—
โฑ๏ธ About 1 hour, then a few short emails๐ŸŽฏ Easy๐Ÿ’ต Included in The X Subscription Premium (USD 30/month)๐Ÿ“‹ 8 steps
๐Ÿค– Grok Bot๐Ÿ™‹ Personal post
๐ŸŽฏ What you'll have at the endYou'll know exactly what your card payment provider charges on top of the fixed fees, and you'll have a ready, polite request for a lower rate.

๐Ÿ‘€ What you'll get

Example

Here's the kind of thing you'll have at the end:

๐Ÿ“Š ReportBills Checker ยท Card fees, last 12 months

What you pay

  • Card sales: about MYR 85,000 a month
  • Fixed card-network fees: 0.9% (not negotiable)
  • Provider mark-up and extras: 0.6% (negotiable)

Things that stood out

  • 'Monthly service fee' went from MYR 30 to MYR 55 in May
  • Terminal rental MYR 45 a month on a terminal you could buy

Suggested ask

  • Mark-up from 0.6% to 0.35% and drop the service fee rise
  • Saving if agreed: about MYR 2,600 a year

Next step

  • Pricing review email drafted, waiting for your OK

๐Ÿงช Made-up sample to show the kind of result. Your output will vary.

๐Ÿ’ธ What will this really cost me?

Prices checked 27 Oct 2026
๐Ÿงช To try it once
Free trial credit for new Grok Bot accounts (it runs out by how much work the bot does, within 7 days). After that you need The X Subscription Premium at USDย 30 a month.
๐Ÿ” To keep it running
Included in Premium: USDย 30 a month, or USDย 25 a month paid yearly. Super (USDย 100) and Ultra (USDย 200) give bigger weekly allowances.
โš ๏ธ Watch out for
Changing provider can mean exit fees or a new terminal, so check your contract before threatening to leave. Bots share one weekly allowance; past it, extra work is paid from prepaid credit, so set a monthly limit. The Plus plan (USDย 8) doesn't include Grok Bot.

๐Ÿ”— Official pricing: The X Subscription pricing ยท Grok Bot plans & usage

Prices change often, so check the links before you pay. Amounts exclude tax. Prices are shown in each provider's own currency.

๐Ÿงพ Which plan do I need?

๐Ÿช™ Small upgrade ยท MYR 122/mo

Grok Bot runs in The X Subscription Premium (the trial credit lasts up to 7 days).

Tick what you already pay for:

๐Ÿช™ Small = up to MYR 250 a month more ยท ๐Ÿ’Ž Big = over MYR 250 a month more ยท prices from each provider's pricing page, checked 21 Oct 2026.
โ„น๏ธ How we work this outPrices come from each provider's own pricing page (checked 21 Oct 2026; amounts exclude tax). Small upgrade = up to MYR 250 a month more than you pay now. Big upgrade = more than MYR 250 a month more. Check pricing = the provider doesn't publish a price we could confirm. The badges are worked out in MYR at USD 1 = MYR 4.08 (Bank Negara Malaysia, 19 Oct 2026). Each guide's needs come from its own "What will this really cost me?" box. Your ticks stay in this browser only (no account, nothing sent to us).
Tick all your plans on the home page โ†’

โฑ๏ธ Try it in 10 minutes

๐Ÿงช Dry run ยท nothing to connect

What you'll see: Your real mark-up worked out, every fee explained in plain words, and a polite pricing-review email, from a made-up statement.

๐Ÿงช Dry run. The real thing needs your apps connected, so this tries only the AI's part on a sample you paste in. Nothing is connected, sent or booked.

Copy the prompt, paste it into one of the free AI apps below and press send. The sample is made up, so swap in your own details if you like.

๐Ÿ’ฌ Your 10-minute test
Here is a made-up card payment statement for one month:
Card sales: MYR 85,000
Interchange and scheme fees: MYR 765
Processor service charge (0.45%): MYR 382.50
Monthly service fee: MYR 55 (was MYR 30 last month)
Terminal rental: MYR 45
PCI compliance fee: MYR 25

1. Split the costs into fixed card-network fees and the provider's own charges.
2. Work out the provider's effective mark-up as a percentage of sales.
3. Explain each fee name in one plain sentence.
4. Draft a short, polite email asking for a pricing review with a specific lower target, mentioning the service fee rise.

โœ… Works on: ChatGPT Free ยท Claude Free ยท Gemini app (free) ยท Grok Bot trial credit

Links go to the official plan pages. Free plans have daily limits and can change, so check before you rely on them.

โžก๏ธ Like it? The full setup adds: In the full setup a Grok Bot reads 12-24 months of your real statements and drafts each email in the negotiation for your OK. Go to the steps โ†“

โšก One-click install

Checked install pages (app stores, official sites and template pages): tap to get it straight away.

โฌ‡๏ธ Get Grok Bot on iPhoneApp Storeโฌ‡๏ธ Get Grok Bot on AndroidGoogle Playโฌ‡๏ธ Download for desktopOfficial download page

๐Ÿงฐ Before you start

โฑ๏ธ Time neededAbout 1 hour, then a few short emails
๐Ÿ’ต Rough costIncluded in The X Subscription Premium (USD 30/month)

๐Ÿชœ Step by step

๐Ÿฃ Beginner mode: showing the 8 essential steps only. Extra steps are hidden; tap ๐Ÿš€ Advanced at the top to see all 8.
โœ… 0 of 8 steps done ๐Ÿ“„ Printable page
  1. 1
    โ˜

    Get Grok Bot

    Install Grok Bot (buttons below) and sign in. In Settings, look for Usage & Billing and set a monthly spending limit so it can never surprise you.

  2. 2
    โ˜

    Make a bot for supplier bills

    Create a new bot called Bills Checker. Give it no payment access: it only reads and drafts.

  3. 3
    โ˜

    Upload your statements

    Add 12-24 months of statements. More months show your real volume, which is your bargaining power.

  4. 4
    โ˜

    Find the real mark-up

    Paste the 'Fee breakdown' prompt. It splits each month into the fixed card-network fees (called interchange: not negotiable) and the provider's own mark-up and extras (negotiable), and works out your effective rate.

  5. 5
    โ˜

    Check two months yourself

    Pick two statements and check the totals match. Ask the bot to explain any fee name you don't understand in plain words.

  6. 6
    โ˜

    Ask for a pricing review

    Use the 'Pricing review email' prompt. Read the draft, then let the bot send it, or send it yourself.

  7. 7
    โ˜

    Counter the first offer

    Providers often offer a small cut first. Paste their reply and ask the bot for a polite counter-offer based on your volume and what competitors publish.

  8. 8
    โ˜

    Get it in writing

    Once you agree, ask for the new pricing in writing, then ask the bot to check the next statement shows it.

๐Ÿ’ฌ Copy-paste prompts

Tap Copy prompt, paste it into your AI (Grok, ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini), then replace the [yellow bits] with your own details.

๐Ÿ’ฌ Fee breakdown
Here are my last [12-24] months of card payment statements. For each month, separate: (a) the fixed fees set by the card networks (interchange and scheme fees), which I can't negotiate, and (b) the provider's own mark-up, monthly fees, terminal rental and any other extras, which I can. Make a table: month, card sales, fixed fees, provider mark-up and extras, effective mark-up as a percentage of sales. Then list every fee name you found with a one-line plain-English explanation, and flag any fee that appeared suddenly or went up. Don't contact anyone.
๐Ÿ’ฌ Pricing review email
Draft a short, polite email to my card payment provider [provider name], account [account number]. Say we've processed about [amount] a month by card for [time], that our current mark-up works out at about [x]% over interchange, and ask for a pricing review with a specific target of [y]% plus removal of [named extra fee]. Mention we're comparing options but would like to stay. Keep it friendly and factual. Show me the draft and wait for my OK.

โš ๏ธ Tips & common mistakes

๐ŸŒŸ Why it's worth it

๐Ÿ’ก Why it mattersCard fees are a bill most owners set up once and never look at again, and the statements are hard to read. Even a small cut in the mark-up adds up when lots of your sales are by card, and the bot does the tedious reading and the back-and-forth drafting.
๐Ÿท๏ธ Real exampleDan Mallatt (@dan_mallatt on X), owner of Franklynn Automotive, an auto repair shop that takes about USD 2M a year in card payments, posted on 21 Oct 2026 that he used his Grok Bot to negotiate the shop's credit card processing fees and it's saving about USD 5k a year. AI Business Plays' write-up says the bot read 24 months of statements, drafted the emails and counter-offer he reviewed, and the mark-up went from 0.35% to 0.10% over the card networks' fixed fees (they say).
๐Ÿ”Œ Connects to:Your card payment statements (PDF)Your email (drafts, sends only with your OK)
๐Ÿ™‹ Proof level: Personal postOne person's own account on X, Reddit, YouTube or a blog. Nobody has checked it: treat any numbers as their results, not a promise.
๐Ÿ“ฐ Found via X (Twitter): Dan Mallatt: I used my Grok Bot to negotiate my auto repair shop's credit card processing fees (X post) โ†—

๐Ÿ”— Helpful links

๐Ÿ”— Dan Mallatt's post (source) โ†—๐Ÿ”— AI Business Plays: the write-up with a ready prompt โ†—๐Ÿ”— Grok Bot docs: get started โ†—

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