You sure that wasn't a mob account?

I sold phone card ... online .... delivered digitally .... back in the dark ages of the 90s (when have bank executives didn't understand what the internet was)  and only paid 2.9% +$0.30 (plus another $0.30 or so for addresss & fraud screening).

I know CC are bad but 14%?  Someone was screwing you over and it wasn't the credit card companies.