If you sell to customers outside your country, Stripe charges a higher rate than its standard domestic rate. The short answer: Stripe adds 1.5% for international cards and 1% for currency conversion to your base processing fee. These two fees stack when both apply.
That is the headline. What it actually costs you depends on where your account is based, where your customers are, and what currency they pay in. This guide covers international surcharges, the standard rate by country, and practical steps to reduce your costs.
For the full picture of every Stripe fee (including BNPL, wallets, and add-on products), see our complete guide to Stripe fees.
Want to skip straight to the numbers? Our Stripe fee calculator now supports international cards and multi-country settings. Pick the countries, enter your amount, and see exactly what Stripe will charge on any transaction.
Calculate my Stripe international feesWhat Stripe charges for international payments
The 1.5% international card surcharge
When a customer's card is issued outside the country where your Stripe account is located, Stripe adds 1.5% to the transaction. This covers the higher interchange cost for cross-border card payments and the increased fraud risk.
The surcharge is triggered by the card's issuing country, not the customer's billing address or IP. A US business selling to an American customer who happens to pay with a UK card will still be charged the 1.5%.
The 1% currency conversion fee
If the payment currency does not match your settlement currency, Stripe adds a 1% conversion fee. The conversion uses the prevailing mid-market rate plus this 1% margin.
This is separate from the international card fee and applies independently. It can trigger even on a domestic card if you charge in a different currency — for example, a UK business charging a UK customer in USD would pay the 1% conversion fee to settle in GBP.
How the fees stack
The two surcharges apply on top of your country's standard rate. For a US-based seller on the 2.9% + 30¢ base:
Scenario | Total fee |
|---|---|
US card, paid in USD | 2.9% + 30¢ |
UK card, paid in USD | 4.4% + 30¢ (base + international) |
UK card, paid in GBP (settled to USD) | 5.4% + 30¢ (base + international + FX) |
On a $100 sale, that is the difference between paying $3.20 and $5.70 in fees.
Stripe fees by country
Stripe's base processing rate varies by country. Here is what you pay for a domestic card payment in the most common markets.
Country | Standard domestic card rate | International card |
|---|---|---|
United States | 2.9% + $0.30 | +1.5% |
United Kingdom (UK cards) | 1.5% + £0.20 | +1.9% for non-UK EEA cards, +2.9% for non-EEA |
European Economic Area | 1.5% + €0.25 | +1.1% for non-EEA cards |
Canada | 2.9% + CA$0.30 | +0.8% |
Australia | 1.75% + A$0.30 | +2.0% |
Singapore | 3.4% + S$0.50 | +1.0% |
Mexico | 3.6% + MXN$3 | Included in base rate for most cards |
India | 2% domestic | Up to 4.3% international |
Japan | 3.6% | Included in base rate |
Brazil | 3.99% + R$0.39 | +2.0% |
A few things worth noting. The UK and EEA rates are significantly lower than the US base rate for domestic cards (1.5% versus 2.9%), but the international surcharge structure is different.
A UK business taking a US card pays 1.5% + 2.9% = 4.4% + 20p, which is similar to what a US business pays for an international card in the other direction.
Stripe updates country rates periodically. For the current rate in a country not listed here, check Stripe's pricing page directly or run a test transaction through the Checkout Page Stripe fee calculator.
How to reduce Stripe international fees
You cannot avoid international fees entirely if you sell globally, but you can meaningfully reduce what you pay.
Settle in your customer's currency
Stripe lets you hold balances in multiple currencies on a single account. If you sell frequently in euros, sterling, or Australian dollars, settling in that currency avoids the 1% conversion fee on every transaction. You only convert when you pay out to your bank account, which you can do in larger batches at better rates.
Offer local payment methods
Card-based international surcharges only apply to cards. Methods like SEPA Direct Debit in Europe, iDEAL in the Netherlands, Bancontact in Belgium, and Sofort in Germany carry their own fees (often lower than cards) and avoid the 1.5% international surcharge for European customers paying a US-based business. For Asia-Pacific sellers, Alipay and WeChat Pay work similarly.
Bill domestic customers in their local currency
If you sell subscriptions or payment plans to customers in a specific country, pricing in their currency and settling locally avoids stacking fees on every recurring charge. Over a year of monthly payments, the savings add up.
Apply for custom pricing at high volume
If you process more than $250,000 in international transactions a year, it is worth contacting Stripe's sales team. They can negotiate on both the base rate and the international surcharges under interchange-plus pricing.
Choose a checkout platform that does not add its own fee
Some platforms layer a 1-2% transaction fee on top of whatever Stripe charges. Checkout Page is a Stripe Verified Partner and charges a flat monthly subscription rather than a percentage per sale. You pay Stripe's rates and nothing extra per transaction, which matters more than it sounds once international fees are already stacking up.
Selling globally with Stripe and Checkout Page
Stripe handles the payment layer. What it does not provide is a checkout experience built for the realities of selling internationally: collecting VAT numbers and country-specific customer data, running branded multi-step flows, adding order bumps and one-click upsells, and supporting you to sell digital products globally.
That is where Checkout Page fits in. As a Stripe Verified Partner, Checkout Page connects directly to your Stripe account and uses your existing Stripe settings — including your international pricing, currencies, and local payment methods. You pay Stripe's standard processing rates and a flat Checkout Page subscription. There is no additional percentage fee on each sale, which matters more once international surcharges are already stacking.
With Checkout Page you can:
☑ Add unlimited custom fields to collect VAT numbers, tax IDs, shipping details, and anything else you need per country (Stripe Checkout limits you to three)
☑ Build multi-step checkout flows that convert better than single-page checkouts, especially on higher-ticket international sales
☑ Add order bumps and one-click upsells to lift revenue per sale, the easiest way to offset international fees
☑ Embed your checkout directly on your website, or open it as a pop-up for a seamless buyer experience
☑ Sell product variants (sizes, colors, tiers, regional editions) without needing custom code. Variants are painful to set up in Stripe alone (separate products, metadata, custom UI); in Checkout Page you add them from a dropdown, and they just work
☑ Offer any local payment method Stripe supports (SEPA, iDEAL, Bancontact, Alipay, Klarna, and more) without custom code
☑ Connect to Zapier, Mailchimp, and Google Sheets for automated fulfillment, tax-report exports, and post-sale follow-up
It is well-suited to creators and online businesses selling globally, digital products, courses, coaching, events, or subscriptions. You get full control over the checkout experience without writing code or paying a percentage on top of Stripe's international fees.
For a full comparison of what each offers, see our Stripe Checkout vs Checkout Page guide.
If you are already on Stripe, adding Checkout Page takes minutes.
Start your 7-day free trial — no credit card required.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How much does Stripe charge for international payments?
Stripe adds 1.5% for cards issued outside your account's country and 1% if the payment currency differs from your settlement currency. Both are on top of your country's standard processing rate. A US seller taking a European card in euros would pay 2.9% + 1.5% + 1% = 5.4% + 30¢.
Does Stripe charge a currency conversion fee?
Yes. Stripe adds 1% when the payment currency does not match your settlement currency. The conversion uses the mid-market rate plus this margin. It applies independently of the international card surcharge.
Can I avoid Stripe's international fees?
You cannot remove them entirely, but you can reduce them by settling in multiple currencies, offering local payment methods like SEPA or iDEAL, billing in your customer's currency, and negotiating custom pricing at high volume.
Do Stripe fees vary by country?
Yes. The standard domestic rate ranges from 1.5% + £0.20 in the UK to 3.99% + R$0.39 in Brazil. International surcharge rules also differ by region; UK and EEA sellers have a tiered structure depending on whether the customer's card is EEA or non-EEA.
