Stripe fees: the real commission, card by card, and how to reduce it

Stripe’s price list in France, line by line

On Google France, “frais stripe” (Stripe fees) is searched 1,000 times a month and “commission stripe” 390 times. The answer fits in one public price list, not negotiable for a small business: a percentage of the amount, plus a fixed part per successful transaction. Stripe says so itself: no setup or monthly fees.

What you pay depends on your customer’s card, not on your plan:

• Standard card issued in the European Economic Area: 1.5% + €0.25. This covers the vast majority of French customers.
• Premium EEA card (high-end cards, corporate cards): 2.8% + €0.25.
• UK card: 2.5% + €0.25.
• Card issued outside the EEA and the UK: 3.15% + €0.25.
• Currency conversion, if the customer pays in a currency other than your account’s: 2% on top.
• SEPA Direct Debit: €0.35 per debit. Klarna (pay in instalments): from 4.99% + €0.40.
• Dispute (the customer challenging a payment with their bank): €20 per dispute received.

Worked examples: what a €9, €29 or €89 basket costs

The examples below apply the public price list to three hypothetical baskets. They show a point that is often forgotten: the fixed part crushes small amounts.

A €9.00 basket paid with a standard EEA card: €0.39 in fees, or 4.3% of the amount. With an international card: €0.53, or 5.9%.

A €29.00 basket paid with a standard EEA card: €0.69 in fees, or 2.4% of the amount. With an international card: €1.16, or 4.0%.

A €89.00 basket paid with a standard EEA card: €1.59 in fees, or 1.8% of the amount. With an international card: €3.05, or 3.4%.

The practical conclusion: selling a product at €9.00 costs proportionally 2.4 times more in payment fees than a bundle at €89.00. It is one of the reasons we group small products into bundles on our own sites.

The costs that surprise you at the end of the month

The commission per payment is only part of the bill. Four items come up in every merchant’s questions:

• Disputes: €20 per dispute received, whether you win it or not. A clear product page, a recognisable business name on the bank statement and reachable customer service prevent most of them.
• Currency conversion: selling in dollars to an American customer when your account is in euros adds 2%. Showing the price in euros, or opening a balance in that currency if your volume justifies it, avoids it.
• Refunds: Stripe publishes a dedicated page on how the fees of a refunded payment are handled. Read it before setting your returns policy.
• Premium and corporate cards: 2.8% + €0.25. If you sell mainly to businesses, your average rate will be higher than the “standard card” line.

Stripe or PayPal: how to choose

“Stripe ou PayPal” (Stripe or PayPal) is searched 50 times a month in France. The right question is not “which is cheaper” but “which gets more customers to pay”. For a small business both publish comparable public price lists; the difference is in the journey.

Stripe provides a hosted payment page (Checkout) or ready-made payment links, with cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Link, its wallet that prefills the customer’s details. PayPal reassures some buyers who do not want to type in their card. Many shops offer both. What costs the most is not a tenth of a point of commission: it is a buyer who abandons because their preferred payment method is missing.

Reduce your payment bill without losing sales

The levers that work do not involve negotiation, but the structure of your offer:

1. 1
   Increase the basket: group small products into coherent bundles, so the fixed part is spread over a higher amount.
2. 2
   Sell in your account’s currency: show prices in euros in France and Europe, to avoid conversion.
3. 3
   Prevent disputes: a clear business name on the statement, an accurate description, the delivery time displayed, fast answers to questions.
4. 4
   Offer SEPA Direct Debit for subscriptions and large business-to-business amounts, when the collection delay allows it.
5. 5
   Calculate your real margin: selling price minus product cost, delivery, payment commission and the estimated share of returns.

What French law requires at the moment of payment

Whatever the provider, in France the button that confirms the order must bear the words “commande avec obligation de paiement” (order with obligation to pay) or an unambiguous equivalent wording, or the order is void, as the DGCCRF (the French consumer protection authority) points out. The total price, fees included, must be visible before that button: Google also requires it for products shown in Shopping.