Every credit card payment you accept through Stripe comes with a processing fee. This fee covers the cost of moving money securely from your customer's card to your account. This article breaks down what you pay Stripe, when you pay extra, and how to plan for it.
Key concepts and terms
Transaction fee - The percentage and flat amount Stripe charges on each successful card payment.
Interchange fee - A fee set by card networks (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) and paid to the customer's card-issuing bank. This is part of your overall Stripe processing cost.
Cross-border fee - An added charge Stripe applies when a customer's card is issued in a different country than your business.
Currency conversion fee - An added charge Stripe applies when a payment needs to convert from one currency to another.
Things to keep in mind
Refunding a payment does not return the original Stripe processing fee. You lose that fee even if you refund the full amount.
Stripe deducts fees automatically before your payout arrives, so the amount you receive already reflects these charges.
Rates can vary by country, card type, and payment method, so always confirm your exact rate in your Stripe account settings.
If your monthly volume is high, you may qualify for custom Stripe pricing. Reach out to Stripe support to check eligibility.
Standard fees for online payments
Stripe's standard rate applies to every successful domestic card transaction. This rate is a percentage of the sale plus a small flat fee. For example, on a one hundred dollar sale, you pay a percentage-based fee plus a fixed cents-based charge.
Manually entered cards (typed in rather than tapped, swiped, or autofilled) carry a small additional percentage, since they carry higher fraud risk.
Fees for international or converted payments
Two situations add extra cost on top of Stripe's standard rate:
International cards. If a customer's card is issued outside your business's country, an added percentage applies.
Currency conversion. If the payment needs to convert currencies to settle, an added percentage applies. This can stack with the international card fee if both apply to the same transaction.