Stripe fee record · PW-MF/STRIPE

Stripe fees (2026): what you really pay on card processing.

The short answer

Stripe’s standard US rates are about 2.9% + 30¢ online and 2.7% + 5¢ in person, as read June 2026, with no monthly fee. The real cost climbs once stacked surcharges apply — +0.5% keyed, +1.5% international, +1% currency conversion.

US rates corroborated across reputable sources (Stripe’s pricing page geo-redirects automated readers). US, as read June 24, 2026. Pricing model: Flat-rate published (interchange-plus on negotiated Custom plans). These are list rates — verify against your own statement.

These are published rates, recorded and dated — not "what others actually pay" (that comes only from verified invoices, of which we hold none yet). The number that tells you whether you're overpaying is your processor markup above interchange.

Published rates · as read 2026-06-24

Stripe's published processing rates

Processing rates — Flat-rate published (interchange-plus on negotiated Custom plans)
Transaction type	Published rate
Online / card-not-present	2.9% + 30¢
In person (Stripe Terminal)	2.7% + 5¢
Manually keyed	+0.5%
International card	+1.5%
Currency conversion	+1%

Monthly software / plan fee

Standard pay-as-you-go$0/mo

Add-on lines to watch

Chargeback / dispute $15 each
Instant payout fees
Per-product fees (Billing, Radar fraud screening, etc.)
ACH 0.8% capped at $5

Read this first: Stripe’s pricing page geo-redirects automated readers to non-US rates; the US figures here are corroborated from multiple reputable third parties. Confirm the current US rates on Stripe’s own pricing page from a US connection.

The forensic read

What the headline rate hides

Stripe · the mechanism

Stripe is developer-first and online-first; its real cost climbs above the 2.9% headline once stacked surcharges apply — international + currency conversion + keyed can add roughly 2–3 points on the wrong transaction. The headline assumes a domestic, tokenized card. As flat-rate, there is no debit-interchange pass-through unless you negotiate a Custom interchange-plus plan (typically high volume).

The benchmark · a fair markup

For contrast, a fair small-business processor markup is roughly 0.25%–0.50% (25–50 bps) plus about 5–10¢ per transaction above interchange, fully disclosed on the statement. It is a range with a disclosure rule, not a universal threshold — markup fairly varies by industry risk, volume, and card-present vs. online mix. What is not transparent is a rate that hides the interchange/markup split.

Find your own effective rate & markup Published rates are a starting point. Your statement’s effective rate (total fees ÷ total card volume) — and the processor markup hidden inside it — is what tells you whether you’re overpaying. See the forensic method (free; no processor commission or affiliate links, ever).

Common questions

Stripe fees — questions

What are Stripe’s fees in the US?

Standard US Stripe pricing is about 2.9% + 30¢ for online payments and 2.7% + 5¢ in person via Stripe Terminal, with no monthly fee, as read June 2026. Surcharges stack on top: +0.5% for manually keyed cards, +1.5% for international cards, +1% for currency conversion, and $15 per dispute.

Is Stripe cheaper than Square?

For domestic online payments the headline rates are similar (~2.9% + 30¢). The difference is in the details: Stripe adds explicit surcharges for international, keyed, and currency-converted transactions, while Square bundles more into one rate. Neither passes through debit-interchange savings on standard pricing — compare your own effective rate.

Are Stripe’s fees negotiable?

Standard Stripe pricing is fixed and not negotiable. Custom interchange-plus pricing is typically available only at high volume (often around $1M+/yr). For most businesses the lever is reducing surcharge exposure — keyed, international, and currency-conversion fees — rather than negotiating the base rate.

Compare other processors

Rates on this page are Stripe's published / advertised rates, US, read June 24, 2026 — point-in-time list figures, not a live feed, and not "what others actually pay" (we hold no verified Stripe invoices). Confidence in this capture: Medium-high — corroborated across reputable sources. Nothing here is financial advice. Rates change and vary by account — confirm with Stripe and your own statement before acting.

Sources (Medium-high — corroborated across reputable sources): NerdWallet — Stripe fees (read 2026-06-24) · Merchant Insiders — Stripe fees (read 2026-06-24)