IS IT TIME FOR A NEW VAN?

Last updated: November 4, 2026 · Reviewed by BOLD VAN's EDI team

Have you looked at your VAN bill lately?

Is your monthly VAN bill easy to understand, or do you find yourself wondering what all the charges are for? Businesses that come to us often say their VAN providers are charging fees they didn't expect.

If you suspect you are overpaying, check your bill for the fees below.

What fees do EDI VANs charge?

Fee	What It Usually Covers	What to Ask
Start-up fee	Setting up your account	"Is this one-time, and what does it include?"
Trading partner testing fee	Testing documents with each new partner	"Is testing charged per partner?"
Connection fee	Setting up a connection to a partner or system	"Is this charged for every new partner?"
Transaction fee	Each document or transaction sent or received	"How is a transaction counted?"
Kilo-character (KC) charges	The volume of data exchanged	"How will my bill change as volume grows?"
Peak-time fee	Higher rates during busy periods	"When do peak rates apply?"
Document fee	Charges per document type	"Do some document types cost more?"
AS2 fee	Using AS2 connections	"Is AS2 included or extra?"
Mailbox fee	Maintaining your EDI mailbox	"Is the mailbox included in the base price?"
Interconnect fee	Exchanging documents with partners on other VANs	"Am I charged for each VAN-to-VAN connection?"
Legacy fee	Supporting older systems or connection methods	"What triggers this fee?"

Why are VAN bills so hard to understand?

Many VAN providers promise a simple bill: a low start-up fee, then charges based on kilo-characters used. In practice, customers often find that:

• The bill isn't simple. Line items are hard to interpret and compare from month to month.
• There are more fees than expected. Charges appear that weren't part of the original conversation.

Whatever the reason, a bill you can't understand makes it hard to budget and hard to trust. You deserve good service and a price that's clear. Many VANs still use the same pricing models they have for decades, and those models don't always reflect what today's customers need.

Signs it's time for a new VAN

The goal of a VAN should be to deliver real value at a price that fits your budget. It may be time to switch if you are dealing with:

• Old technology: Clunky portals, limited visibility or outdated connection options.
• Excessive fees: Charges that keep growing or that you can't explain.
• Marginal customer service: Slow responses or support that doesn't solve problems.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Don't let fear of change cost your organization thousands of dollars every year.

How to audit your VAN bill

1. Gather 12 months of invoices. Look at the trend, not just one bill.
2. List every fee type. Compare each one with the table above.
3. Separate fixed and variable charges. Note which costs grow with volume.
4. Compare with your contract. Check whether each fee was in the original agreement.
5. Get a competing quote. Ask other providers to price the same trading partners and volume.

A different approach to VAN pricing

BOLD VAN helps businesses reduce EDI costs with a simpler model:

• Pricing by trading partner: Most customers pay by the number of trading partners they work with, not by the kilo-character, and high-volume programs get a quote built around their volume.
• Real results: Spanx saw an 82% drop in monthly EDI costs after moving to BOLD VAN.
• An easy move: A transmission-only move typically needs about two weeks' notice. You keep your existing IDs, and your trading partners don't need to do anything differently.
• Experts on your side: US-based EDI experts who know your account.

Frequently asked questions