How Stripe Fees Work: Card Rates, Surcharges and Refunds
Short answer: on standard US pricing Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per successful card payment. An international card adds 1.5%, and a currency conversion adds 1%. In the European Economic Area a standard European card costs 1.5% + €0.25, and in the UK a standard UK card costs 1.5% + 20p. Stripe does not give its fee back when you refund a payment.
To run the numbers for your own prices, use the free Stripe fee calculator. This guide explains what it calculates and why.
Rates are Stripe's standard published list prices, read from Stripe's EEA pricing page and UK pricing page on 25 October 2026, and from Stripe's US pricing page on 17 October 2026. Accounts on custom or IC+ pricing pay different rates. Check your Stripe Dashboard for the rate that applies to you.
The formula
Every card fee has two parts: a percentage of the amount charged and a fixed fee per successful payment.
fee = amount × percentage + fixed fee
payout = amount − feeFor a $49 payment from a US card on US pricing:
fee = $49.00 × 2.9% + $0.30 = $1.42 + $0.30 = $1.72
payout = $49.00 − $1.72 = $47.28The percentage part grows with the price; the fixed part does not. On a $10 payment the fee is 59¢, or 5.9% of the price. On a $100 payment it is $3.20, or 3.2%.
Standard rates by region
United States
| Card | Rate |
|---|---|
| US card | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| International card | +1.5% |
| Currency conversion needed | +1% |
European Economic Area
| Card | Rate |
|---|---|
| Standard EEA card | 1.5% + €0.25 |
| Premium EEA card | 2.8% + €0.25 |
| UK card | 2.5% + €0.25 |
| International card | 3.15% + €0.25 |
| Currency conversion needed | +2% |
United Kingdom
| Card | Rate |
|---|---|
| Standard UK card | 1.5% + 20p |
| Premium UK card | 2.8% + 20p |
| EEA card | 2.5% + 20p |
| International card | 3.15% + 20p |
| Currency conversion needed | +2% |
Stripe decides whether a card counts as standard or premium from the card itself, so you do not choose the rate: your customer's card does.
How the surcharges stack
Surcharges add percentage points to the base rate. A US business charging $100 in US dollars to a card issued in the UK pays the international surcharge:
2.9% + 1.5% = 4.4% → $4.40 + $0.30 = $4.70If that payment also needs a currency conversion, add 1%:
2.9% + 1.5% + 1% = 5.4% → $5.40 + $0.30 = $5.70In the EEA, a €100 payment from a standard European card costs €1.75. From a card issued outside Europe it costs €3.40, and €5.40 if a conversion is required. The difference between your cheapest and most expensive customer can be more than three times the fee.
Subscriptions add Stripe Billing
Recurring payments through Stripe Billing carry a separate charge: 0.7% of billing volume on the pay-as-you-go plan. A $20 monthly subscription paid with a US card therefore costs:
$20 × 2.9% + $0.30 + $20 × 0.7% = $0.58 + $0.30 + $0.14 = $1.02Because the fixed fee is charged per payment, billing yearly instead of monthly saves fees as well as churn. Twelve $20 payments cost 12 × 88¢ = $10.56 in card fees; one $240 annual payment costs $7.26.
Working backwards: the price to charge
If you need to receive an exact amount, for an invoice or a marketplace payout, divide by what Stripe leaves you:
price = (amount you want + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percentage)To receive $100 from a US card:
($100.00 + $0.30) ÷ (1 − 0.029) = $100.30 ÷ 0.971 = $103.30Check: $103.30 × 2.9% is $3.00, plus 30¢ is $3.30, and $103.30 − $3.30 = $100.00. The calculator's Price to receive mode runs this formula and corrects for rounding to the cent.
Refunds, reversals and disputes
- Refunds. Stripe's refund documentation says the processing fees from the original payment are not returned when you refund it. A full refund of a $49 payment still costs you the $1.72 fee.
- Reversals. A refund issued shortly after the payment can appear as a reversal, which removes the charge from the customer's statement. Stripe withholds no fees for reversals.
- Disputes. A chargeback carries a flat fee on top of the disputed amount. In the EEA it is €20 per dispute received, plus €20 if you respond manually, which you get back if you win; in the UK the same amounts in pounds. The US amounts are on Stripe's US pricing page.
Where to see your actual fees
Every payment in the Stripe Dashboard shows its fee and net amount, and so does each balance transaction in the API (fee and net fields). If those figures differ from the calculator, your account is on different pricing or the card fell into a different category. Enter the rate from your Dashboard under Use my own rate to match it.
Lowering what you pay
- Charge less often. Annual plans and bundled purchases pay the fixed fee fewer times.
- Avoid tiny prices. Below about $10 the fixed fee dominates. A $3 add-on loses 39¢, or 13% of its price, to fees.
- Know your customer mix. If most of your customers pay with international cards, budget for 4.4% rather than 2.9%.
- Compare all-in costs. A merchant of record charges more but handles sales tax for you. Stripe vs Lemon Squeezy vs Paddle compares the total.
Before you launch
Pricing is one part of a launch. The other free tools help with the rest: the Open Graph checker shows how your link looks when people share it, and the redirect checker confirms every variant of your domain lands on the right page. When you are ready, list your product on ConfettiSaaS.