Stripe fees explained: cost breakdown and calculator (2026)

Stripe is the payment processor most online business owners encounter first. It is powerful, reliable, and trusted by millions of businesses globally. But its fee structure has grown over the years, making it difficult to work out exactly what you will pay.

This guide covers every Stripe fee relevant to selling online in 2026: standard processing rates, country-by-country pricing, digital wallets, buy now pay later, add-on products, and the nonprofit discount. If you sell digital products, run subscriptions, or sell event tickets, the rates in this article apply to you.

Quick summary

Stripe's standard US rate is 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, with no monthly fees on the base plan. The rate you actually pay depends on where your customers are, how they pay, and which Stripe products you use: international cards, BNPL methods, disputes, and add-ons like Billing and Tax all carry additional costs.

This guide covers every charge you are likely to encounter as an online seller: processing rates by country, wallets, and buy now, pay later fees; optional product fees; the nonprofit discount; and practical ways to reduce what you pay. It also explains how using a Stripe-native checkout platform like Checkout Page means you avoid extra per-transaction fees on top of Stripe's standard rates.

What are Stripe's fees?

Stripe charges a percentage plus a fixed amount per successful transaction. In the United States, the standard rate is 2.9% + 30¢ for online card payments. There are no setup, monthly, or hidden fees on the standard plan.

That base rate applies to domestic card payments. You pay more for international cards, manual entry, currency conversion, and certain payment methods. Stripe also offers volume discounts and interchange-plus pricing for high-volume businesses.

Beyond card processing, Stripe has optional paid products: Billing for subscriptions, Invoicing, Tax, Sigma for analytics, and others. Each has its own costs, covered later in this guide.

Stripe fees at a glance

The table below shows the core Stripe fees most online sellers will encounter.

How Stripe processing fees work

Standard online rates

Stripe's base rate for online card payments is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards in the US. This covers Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and most debit cards.

The percentage covers Stripe's processing cost and the interchange fee paid to the card-issuing bank. The fixed 30¢ covers Stripe's operational overhead per transaction. On a $100 sale, you pay a total of $3.20 in fees.

There are no monthly fees, no minimum transaction volumes, and no fees for failed payments on the standard plan.

Fees by country

Stripe sets its rates country by country based on local interchange costs and card types. Here are the standard rates for the most common markets.

International cards and currency conversion

When a customer pays with a card issued outside your account's country, Stripe adds an additional 1.5% to your base rate for international cards. If the payment currency differs from your settlement currency, an additional 1% currency conversion fee applies.

These fees stack. A US business accepting a European card in euros could pay: 2.9% + 30¢ (base) + 1.5% (international) + 1% (conversion) = 5.4% + 30¢.

If you sell primarily to domestic customers, you will rarely see these charges. If you sell globally, it is worth thinking about your settlement currency setup.

Manually entered card payments

If a customer's card number is keyed in manually rather than swiped, inserted, or entered via a browser-based payment form, Stripe adds a 0.5% fee. This covers the higher fraud risk associated with card-not-present, manually typed transactions.

For most online sellers using a checkout form, this does not apply. It mainly affects phone orders or sales via the Stripe Dashboard.

Custom and interchange-plus pricing

For businesses processing large volumes, Stripe offers custom pricing. This can include:

• Interchange-plus pricing, which passes the actual card network cost through to you, plus a fixed Stripe margin
• Volume discounts on the standard percentage
• Multi-product discounts if you use several Stripe products
• Country-specific rate adjustments

To access custom pricing, contact Stripe's sales team. The threshold is not published, but businesses processing several hundred thousand pounds or dollars per month typically qualify.

Digital wallets and buy now, pay later

Digital wallets

Most digital wallets cost the same as a standard card payment. The following all carry the same 2.9% + 30¢ rate: Alipay, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, Cash App Pay, Click to Pay, Google Pay, Link, and WeChat Pay.

Link, Stripe's own accelerated checkout, also offers Instant Bank Payments at a slightly lower rate of 2.6% + 30¢. This is available when customers connect their bank account through Link.

There is no surcharge for enabling wallets, and you do not need to negotiate separate agreements. If you are on standard Stripe pricing, wallets are included.

Buy now, pay later

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) methods carry higher fees than card payments, as Stripe absorbs more risk by paying you upfront while the customer pays in instalments.

BNPL can increase average order value and conversion for higher-ticket items, but the fee is roughly double that of a standard card payment. It makes the most sense for products priced above $100, where the conversion uplift justifies the cost.

Additional Stripe product fees

Beyond payment processing, Stripe offers a range of optional products with their own fees. Most online sellers will only encounter one or two of these, but it is worth knowing what each costs.

A few of these are worth noting:

Stripe Billing is the one most online sellers using subscriptions will encounter. The 0.7% pay-as-you-go rate is added to every recurring charge. On a $30/month subscriber, that is roughly $1.18 in combined Stripe fees when you include the base processing rate.

Stripe Radar is free for accounts on the standard pricing plan. You do not need to do anything to have fraud protection running. Radar for Fraud Teams ($0.02/transaction) is the paid upgrade for businesses that need custom rules and manual review workflows.

Stripe Managed Payments is a merchant-of-record service. Stripe takes on indirect tax compliance, fraud, disputes, and customer support globally in exchange for an additional 3.5% per transaction. For a US seller on standard pricing, the total is 6.4% + 30¢ per transaction. It makes sense for businesses selling digital products across many countries that want to offload global tax obligations entirely. For most straightforward domestic sellers, the added cost is not justified.

Stripe fees for nonprofits

Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits can apply for Stripe's discounted rate of 2.2% + 30¢ per transaction for US card payments. To qualify, you need to:

• Hold IRS-recognised 501(c)(3) status
• Have at least 80% of your Stripe volume come from donation payments
• Provide your EIN and supporting IRS documentation

The nonprofit rate applies only to donation processing. It does not apply to ticket sales, membership payments, tuition, or other non-donation transactions. If your nonprofit sells event tickets or memberships through Stripe, those transactions are charged at the standard rate.

The nonprofit discount has no monthly fee.

Stripe fee calculator

Use the Checkout Page Stripe fee calculator to work out exactly what you will pay on any transaction amount, including international card surcharges and currency conversion.

The results will show you your total Stripe fees, net amount after fees, and effective rate:

For a quick manual estimate, multiply your sale amount by 2.9% and add 30¢. On a $50 sale, that is $1.75. On a $200 sale, it is $6.10.

A few additional factors to keep in mind:

• International sales add 1.5% for the international card surcharge, plus 1% if currency conversion applies
• Disputes cost $15 each, which can dwarf the original transaction fee on a low-value sale
• BNPL methods roughly double the effective fee compared to a card payment
• Add-on products like Billing or Tax add their own per-transaction costs on top

For subscription businesses on the pay-as-you-go Billing plan, add 0.7% to every recurring charge. A $30/month subscriber costs roughly $1.18/month in combined Stripe fees.

How to reduce your Stripe fees

You cannot negotiate away the standard Stripe rate unless you are processing at high volume, but there are several practical ways to reduce your effective fee.

1. Sell to domestic customers where possible

The 1.5% international card surcharge adds up quickly. If you can focus your marketing on your home market, you will pay less per transaction.

2. Use ACH for large B2B payments

ACH Direct Debit charges 0.8%, capped at $5, which means a $10,000 invoice costs you $5 rather than $290. For invoices above $670, ACH is cheaper than card processing. Not every customer will pay by bank transfer, but offering it as an option for B2B sales makes a real difference.

3. Avoid BNPL for low-ticket items

At 6% + 30¢, Affirm and Afterpay are expensive. If your average order value is under $50, the uplift from BNPL rarely justifies the cost. Test it carefully before enabling it across your checkout.

4. Apply for volume discounts

If you process $250,000 or more annually, it is worth contacting Stripe’s sales team to inquire about custom pricing. Even a 0.3% reduction pays for the conversation quickly.

5. Reduce disputes

Each dispute costs $15 regardless of the outcome. Clear product descriptions, accurate delivery timelines, and easy refund policies prevent most disputes from becoming chargebacks. Stripe Radar (included free on standard pricing) also helps catch fraudulent transactions before they are processed.

6. Use a Stripe-native checkout

Some third-party platforms add a transaction fee on top of Stripe's rate. Checkout Page is a Stripe Verified Partner and charges a flat monthly fee rather than a per-transaction percentage. You pay Stripe's standard rates and nothing extra on each sale.

Selling with Stripe and Checkout Page

Stripe handles the payment processing. What it does not provide is a flexible, customisable checkout experience: multi-step forms, order bumps, upsells, custom fields for collecting customer information, and branded layouts.

That is where Checkout Page fits in. As a Stripe Verified Partner, Checkout Page connects directly to your Stripe account. You pay Stripe's standard processing fees and a flat Checkout Page subscription. There is no additional percentage fee per transaction.

With Checkout Page you can:

• Add unlimited custom fields to your checkout (Stripe Checkout limits you to three)
• Build multi-step checkout flows for better conversion
• Add order bumps and one-click upsells after payment
• Embed your checkout on your website or open it as a popup
• Connect to Zapier, Mailchimp, and Google Sheets for fulfilment and follow-up

It is well-suited to creators and online businesses selling digital products, courses, coaching, events, or subscriptions. You get full control over the checkout experience without writing any code or paying a percentage on top of Stripe.

Stripe handles the payment layer. Checkout Page gives you the selling layer: the forms, flows, and automations that turn a payment link into a complete checkout experience. If you are already on Stripe, adding Checkout Page takes minutes.

Start your 7-day free trial of Checkout Page today — no credit card required.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What are Stripe's fees?

Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per successful online card transaction for US domestic payments. There are no setup or monthly fees on the standard plan. Additional fees apply for international cards (+1.5%), currency conversion (+1%), manually entered cards (+0.5%), and disputes ($15 each).

Does Stripe charge a monthly fee?

No. Stripe's standard plan has no monthly fee. You pay only when you process a transaction. Some optional add-on products, including Stripe Billing (high-volume plan), Stripe Sigma, and Stripe Tax (Complete plan), do have monthly costs, but these are separate from the core payment processing fee.

How much does Stripe charge for international payments?

For international cards, Stripe adds a 1.5% surcharge to the base processing fee. If the payment currency differs from your settlement currency, an additional 1% currency conversion fee applies. These stack, so a US merchant accepting a European card paid in euros would pay 2.9% + 1.5% + 1% = 5.4% + 30¢.

Does Stripe have lower fees for nonprofits?

Yes. IRS-recognised 501(c)(3) nonprofits can apply for a discounted rate of 2.2% + 30¢ per transaction. To qualify, at least 80% of your Stripe volume must come from donation payments, and you need to provide your EIN and IRS documentation. The discount does not apply to ticket sales, memberships, or tuition fees.

How much does Stripe charge per transaction?

Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per successful online card transaction in the United States. On a $100 sale, the total fee is $3.20. For international cards, add 1.5%, and if currency conversion applies, add another 1%. The exact amount depends on the customer’s card type, country, and payment method.

What are Stripe’s payment processing fees for small businesses?

Stripe’s fees are the same regardless of business size: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction on the standard plan, with no monthly fees, no setup costs, and no minimum volumes. Small businesses pay the same rate as larger ones unless they qualify for custom pricing, which typically requires processing several hundred thousand dollars annually.