Stripe Fee Calculator

A worked example on a $60 order

Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents on a domestic card. On $60 that is $1.74 + $0.30 = $2.04, leaving $57.96. The effective rate is 3.4%, not 2.9%, because the fixed 30 cents is a larger share of a $60 charge than of a $600 one.

Run the same order at $6 and the fee is $0.17 + $0.30 = $0.47, an effective rate of 7.9%. The percentage did not move; the fixed part did all the damage.

Where the rate actually moves

International cards add about 1.5%. Currency conversion, when the charge currency differs from your settlement currency, adds roughly 1%. Together they can turn 2.9% into 5.4%.

Disputes carry a fixed fee, commonly $15, and it is charged whether you win or lose. On a $40 order, one chargeback consumes the margin on four other orders.

Refunds do not return the processing fee. You refund the full amount to the customer and Stripe keeps what it charged you, so a refunded sale is a small loss even before the returned stock is counted.

Stripe against Shopify Payments

If you sell on Shopify, the comparison is not Stripe against nothing. Shopify charges an additional fee, commonly 2% on the Basic plan, when you use a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments. On a $60 order that is $1.20 on top of the $2.04 Stripe fee.

Shopify Payments uses Stripe underneath in most regions, so the processing rate is similar and the surcharge disappears. The trade-off is that Shopify Payments is not available in every country, and eligibility depends on your business type.