Stripe's Fees at a Glance
Stripe's pitch is refreshingly simple: 2.9% + $0.30 per successful online card charge, no monthly fee, no setup fee, no PCI fee. You pay only when money comes in. For most online businesses that headline rate is genuinely what you'll pay on a typical domestic sale.
The nuance — and the reason statements surprise people — is everything around that base rate. Take an international card, get the money out the same day, lose a dispute, or key a number in by hand, and Stripe quietly charges more. None of it is hidden, exactly; it's just spread across a pricing page most people never finish reading. Below is the version that fits on one screen.
The mental model
Think of 2.9% + $0.30 as your floor, not your average. Your real (effective) rate creeps up every time an international card, an instant payout, or a keyed transaction enters the mix. Knowing which ones you trigger is half the battle.
The Base Rates
Stripe charges differently depending on how the card reaches it. These are the US standard-plan rates as of 2026:
| Payment type | Stripe fee | Cost on $100 |
|---|---|---|
| Online card | 2.9% + $0.30 | $3.20 |
| In-person (Terminal) | 2.7% + $0.05 | $2.75 |
| Manually keyed | 3.4% + $0.30 | $3.70 |
| ACH Direct Debit | 0.8% (capped at $5) | $0.80 |
That ACH line is the one worth tattooing on your arm. Because it's capped at $5, a $10,000 invoice paid by bank debit costs you $5 — versus $290.30 if the same customer pays by card. For any large B2B invoice, that one switch dwarfs every other optimization in this guide.
Plug in your own ticket size to see the exact number:
The Add-On Fees People Miss
These don't show up in the headline rate, but they show up on the statement. None are unreasonable — you just want to know which ones you're triggering.
- International cards: +1.5%. When the customer's card was issued outside the US, Stripe adds about 1.5%. If you sell globally, watch your effective rate climb — a foreign sale can land near 4.4% before conversion.
- Currency conversion: +1%. Charging in a currency different from your payout currency adds roughly another 1% on top of the international fee.
- Instant Payouts: 1% (min $0.50). Standard payouts in one to two business days are free. Want the money in minutes? You pay 1% for the privilege.
- Disputes / chargebacks: $15 each. Every disputed charge costs $15, and you pay it regardless of whether you win. Keep your dispute rate down — it's both a cost and a risk flag.
- Invoicing: ~0.4%. One-off Stripe Invoices add about 0.4% per paid invoice on top of the card fee.
- Radar for Fraud Teams: +$0.02/transaction. Basic Radar fraud screening is free on standard pricing; the advanced rules-and-review tier is the paid upgrade.
Selling internationally isn't a reason to avoid Stripe — it's a reason to price it in. If a meaningful share of your customers pay with foreign cards, build that ~1.5%-2.5% into your margins rather than discovering it at month-end.
A Real Cost Example
Say you run a small online studio and process $20,000 a month: mostly domestic cards, a handful of international clients, and a few big project invoices. Here's where the money actually goes:
- $14,000 in domestic card sales at 2.9% + $0.30 across ~120 charges ≈ $442.
- $3,000 in international card sales at ~4.4% ≈ $132.
- $3,000 in project invoices — paid by ACH instead of card, capped at $5 each ≈ $15 (versus ~$90 on cards).
Total: about $589 on $20,000, an effective rate near 2.95%. Put those same invoices on cards instead of ACH and you'd add about $73 a month — close to $875 a year — for nothing. That's the whole game in miniature: the base rate is fine, the choices around it are where the money leaks.
How Stripe Compares
On standard online card payments, Stripe (2.9% + $0.30) lines up almost exactly with Square's API rate and sits a clear notch below PayPal Checkout (3.49% + $0.49). The differences show up at the edges:
- vs PayPal: Stripe is cheaper online; PayPal's in-person Zettle rate (2.29% + $0.09) can win at the counter.
- vs Square: a near tie online; Square is often friendlier for brick-and-mortar with free POS software and a 2.6% + $0.15 in-person rate.
- Where Stripe wins: developer tooling, subscriptions, global coverage, and cheap ACH — which is why software and SaaS businesses gravitate to it.
If you want the full mechanics behind any of these numbers — interchange, assessments, and processor markup — start with our pillar guide:
How to Lower Your Stripe Fees
- Route big invoices through ACH. The $5 cap turns a $290 card fee into a rounding error on five-figure invoices. This is the single biggest lever.
- Stop keying cards by hand. Manual entry costs 3.4% + $0.30 versus 2.9% + $0.30 online and 2.7% in person. Send a payment link instead.
- Skip Instant Payouts unless you need them. Standard payouts are free and arrive in a day or two; 1% adds up fast if you cash out daily out of habit.
- Tune Radar to cut disputes. Every chargeback is $15 plus the lost sale. Good fraud rules pay for themselves quickly.
- Ask about custom pricing at volume. Once you're processing six figures a month, Stripe will discuss volume discounts and interchange-plus deals. The list price isn't the only price.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Stripe charge per transaction?
In the US, Stripe's standard rate is 2.9% + $0.30 online, 2.7% + $0.05 in person through Terminal, and 3.4% + $0.30 for manually keyed cards. There's no monthly fee on standard pricing — you only pay when you get paid.
Does Stripe charge extra for international cards?
Yes — about 1.5% when the card was issued outside the US, plus roughly 1% more if a currency conversion is needed. An international sale can run near 4.4% all-in versus 2.9% for a domestic card.
Is Stripe cheaper than PayPal?
For standard online card payments, usually yes: 2.9% + $0.30 versus PayPal Checkout's 3.49% + $0.49 — about $3.20 versus $3.98 on a $100 sale. PayPal's in-person Zettle rate can undercut Stripe, though.
How can I reduce my Stripe fees?
Use ACH (0.8%, capped at $5) for large invoices, avoid keying cards by hand, skip Instant Payouts unless you need same-day cash, keep disputes low, and ask Stripe about volume or interchange-plus pricing once you're at six figures a month.
Does Stripe have monthly or setup fees?
No. Standard pricing has no monthly fee, no setup fee, and no PCI fee. Add-on products like Billing, Radar for Fraud Teams, or Connect carry their own separate fees if you turn them on.
Key Takeaways
- Stripe's base is 2.9% + $0.30 online, with no monthly, setup, or PCI fees.
- The base rate is a floor — international (+1.5%), conversion (+1%), keyed (3.4%), and instant payouts (1%) push it up.
- ACH (0.8%, capped $5) is the killer feature for large invoices — $5 instead of hundreds.
- Cheaper than PayPal online; near-tied with Square; ask for custom pricing at six-figure volume.
Run Your Own Numbers
Stripe's pricing is honest, but "2.9% + 30¢" is only the start of the story. Drop your real transaction sizes into the calculator, factor in how many cards are international, and route big invoices through ACH — and you'll keep a noticeable slice of every month's revenue.