Stripe Fee Calculator — How Much Does Stripe Take?
Calculate the exact Stripe fee on any transaction — domestic cards, international cards, currency conversion and ACH — plus your monthly totals.
Last reviewed 2026-10-01. Rates change — verify against the official sources linked below before relying on these figures.
What this is based on
- US online card pricing: 2.9% + $0.30 per successful domestic charge.
- International cards add 1.5%; currency conversion adds a further 1%.
- ACH direct debit is 0.8% capped at $5.00.
- Rates are the published pay-as-you-go prices — volume discounts and custom pricing are not included.
How Stripe pricing actually works
Stripe's headline rate in the US is 2.9% + $0.30 per successful online card charge. The fixed 30 cents matters more than most people realize: on a $5 transaction the effective rate is 8.9%, not 2.9%. If you sell low-priced items, the fixed fee — not the percentage — is what eats your margin.
Two surcharges quietly raise the cost of international sales. Cards issued outside the US add 1.5%, and if Stripe has to convert currency it adds another 1%. A European customer paying in euros on a US account can therefore cost 5.4% + $0.30 — nearly double the headline rate.
Ways to pay less
If you bill US customers, ACH direct debit is the cheapest rail by far at 0.8% capped at $5 — a $1,000 invoice costs $5 via ACH versus $29.30 by card. It settles slower, but for B2B invoices the savings are dramatic.
Businesses processing over roughly $100k/month can negotiate interchange-plus pricing with Stripe sales, which typically saves 20–40% versus the flat rate. Below that volume, the simplest saving is charging in your customers' local currency only when it improves conversion enough to justify the 1% conversion fee.
Stripe vs PayPal on fees
On standard US online transactions Stripe (2.9% + $0.30) is cheaper than PayPal (3.49% + $0.49) at almost every ticket size. On a $50 sale Stripe takes $1.75 while PayPal takes $2.24. PayPal stays relevant mainly for conversion: some buyers complete checkout more often when a PayPal button is present, which can outweigh the higher fee.
Frequently asked questions
- What percentage does Stripe take in the US?
- 2.9% + $0.30 per successful online domestic card charge. In-person (Terminal) payments are cheaper at 2.7% + $0.05.
- How much is Stripe's international fee?
- International cards add 1.5% (total 4.4% + $0.30). If currency conversion is needed, add another 1% for 5.4% + $0.30 total.
- Does Stripe refund fees on refunds?
- No. When you refund a charge, the customer gets their money back but Stripe keeps the original processing fee.
- Is ACH cheaper than cards on Stripe?
- Yes — 0.8% capped at $5. A $2,000 payment costs $5 via ACH versus about $58 by credit card.
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