StripeCost.com is an independent pricing guide. Stripe is a trademark of Stripe, Inc. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Stripe, Inc.

Stripe Hidden Fees

The charges that don't make it to the headline pricing page — and how much they're likely costing you.

High ImpactMedium ImpactLower Impact

International Card Surcharge

+1.5% per transactionHigh impact

Any card issued outside the US triggers an automatic 1.5% surcharge, regardless of what currency the payment is in. A UK customer paying in USD still pays this fee because their card is UK-issued.

Example: 30% international customers on $100K/month = $450/month extra ($5,400/year).

Currency Conversion Fee

+1.0% per transactionHigh impact

If a customer pays in their local currency (GBP, EUR, CAD, etc.) and you settle in USD, Stripe charges 1% to convert. This stacks on top of the international card surcharge, bringing the combined international premium to +2.5%.

Example: A €1,000 payment from a German customer costs €29 (2.9%) + €15 (1.5% intl) + €10 (1.0% conversion) = €54 in fees — a 5.4% effective rate.

Stripe Radar — Default Screening Fee

$0.05 per transactionMedium impact

Radar is Stripe's fraud detection system. It's included by default on most accounts. Many businesses don't realize they're paying $0.05 per transaction for it, because it's framed as 'included' — but you're paying separately for each transaction screened.

Example: 1,000 transactions/month = $50/month ($600/year) just for Radar screening, before any manual review fees.

Radar Manual Review Fee

$0.07 per flagged transactionMedium impact

When Radar flags a transaction as suspicious, it goes to a manual review queue. Each of these costs an extra $0.07. High-fraud categories (crypto, travel, digital goods) see higher review rates — sometimes 10–20% of all transactions.

Example: 5% review rate on 1,000 transactions = 50 reviews × $0.07 = $3.50/month extra.

Chargeback / Dispute Fee

$15 per chargebackHigh impact

Every time a customer disputes a charge with their bank, Stripe charges you $15. This fee is applied immediately when the dispute is opened, before any investigation. If you win the dispute, Stripe refunds the $15. If you lose, you pay the $15 AND the original transaction is reversed.

Example: Industry average chargeback rate is 0.5–1%. On 1,000 transactions: 5–10 disputes/month = $75–150/month in fees alone (not counting lost revenue).

Stripe Billing Markup

0.5–0.8% on subscription/invoice revenueHigh impact

Stripe Billing adds 0.5% on recurring subscription revenue and 0.8% on invoice-based revenue. This is a hidden multiplier on top of all processing fees. Most SaaS companies don't factor this into their payment processing line item.

Example: $200K/month SaaS revenue × 0.5% = $1,000/month = $12,000/year extra just for subscription management.

Stripe Connect Per-Account Fee

$2 per active connected account per monthMedium impact

Stripe Connect is used by marketplaces and platforms. In addition to the 0.25% Connect volume fee, Stripe charges $2/month for every 'active' connected account (one that had any payout in the billing period). This can add up dramatically for marketplaces with many small sellers.

Example: 100 active sellers = $200/month ($2,400/year) just in account fees, before volume fees.

ACH Return Fee

$15 per failed ACHLow impact

When an ACH bank transfer fails (insufficient funds, invalid account, etc.), Stripe charges $15. ACH failure rates range from 2–8% depending on the use case. This is separate from chargeback fees.

Example: 5% failure rate on 100 ACH transactions = 5 returns × $15 = $75/month.

Refund Processing Fee

Original fee not returnedMedium impact

When you issue a full refund, Stripe returns the percentage fee (2.9%) but keeps the fixed $0.30 fee. This isn't a hidden charge per se, but many businesses assume a full refund means zero net cost. On high-refund products, this adds up.

Example: 10% refund rate on 1,000 transactions = 100 refunds × $0.30 = $30/month in non-refunded fees.

Stripe Tax — Per-Transaction Not Per-Month

$0.50 per tax-calculated transactionHigh impact

Stripe Tax is priced per-transaction, not as a monthly SaaS fee. At $0.50 per transaction, it's extremely expensive at volume. A business processing 5,000 transactions/month pays $2,500/month for tax calculation — more than most dedicated tax software.

Example: 5,000 transactions/month × $0.50 = $2,500/month vs $200–500/month for Avalara or TaxJar.

The Real Numbers

A typical business with 30% international customers, Radar enabled, a 0.5% chargeback rate, and Stripe Billing for subscriptions pays an effective rate of 4.2–4.8% — not 2.9%. The difference on $1M/month is $13K–$19K/year in fees above the advertised rate.

Find out exactly what you're paying

Use the calculator with your real numbers. Then get a free audit to see where you can cut fees.

Calculate My True Cost →Overpaying? Get a Free Audit