Platform Fees

Stripe Fee Calculator UK (2026)

Stripe's UK rates depend on which region issued the customer's card. UK cards: 1.5% + £0.20. European: 2.5% + £0.20. International: 3.25% + £0.20. The calculator shows real net per transaction so you know your true cost across customer geographies.

Last verified: 25 April 2026 Source: Stripe UK pricing Next review: 25 October 2026

Gross transaction —

Stripe processing —

Total Stripe fees —

After Stripe fees —

Profit (after COGS, before tax) —

Effective fee % —

£50 charge — UK card

£50 · UK card · Standard transaction

£50 × 1.5% = £0.75. Plus £0.20 fixed. Total £0.95 (1.9% effective). Net £49.05. UK cards are Stripe’s cheapest tier.

£50 charge — European card

£50 · European card · Standard

£50 × 2.5% = £1.25. Plus £0.20 fixed. Total £1.45 (2.9% effective). Net £48.55. European card surcharge is ~1pp on percentage, same fixed.

£50 charge — international card

£50 · International card (US, etc.) · Standard

£50 × 3.25% = £1.625. Plus £0.20 fixed. Total £1.82 (3.6% effective). Net £48.18. International cards (US, Canada, Australia) cost roughly 2× UK rates. Add ~2% currency conversion if you’re settling to GBP from a non-GBP charge.

Stripe is the dominant payment processor for UK online businesses, particularly tech-forward e-commerce, SaaS, and creator platforms (Substack, Memberful, Patreon all run on Stripe). The pricing is published transparently but the card-region tiers can be confusing.

Three rates by card region

UK cards (issued by UK banks): 1.5% + £0.20 - Visa, Mastercard, Maestro UK-issued - The cheapest tier; default for most UK transactions

European Economic Area cards (issued in EU + EEA countries): 2.5% + £0.20 - 1pp higher than UK rate - Reflects higher cross-border interchange fees Stripe pays card networks

International cards (US, Canada, Australia, Japan, rest of world): 3.25% + £0.20 - Highest tier, ~2× UK rate - For UK businesses with significant international customer bases

Plus optional currency conversion at ~2% if charge currency differs from settlement currency.

Effective rate by transaction size

Transaction	UK card	EEA card	International card
£5	5.0%	6.0%	7.3%
£10	3.5%	4.5%	5.3%
£20	2.5%	3.5%	4.3%
£50	1.9%	2.9%	3.6%
£100	1.7%	2.7%	3.5%
£500	1.5%	2.5%	3.3%

The £0.20 fixed component dominates small transactions. Below £10, effective rate is double or more the headline percentage. For micro-payment businesses (donations, tips), Stripe is rarely the right tool — look at Patreon, Ko-fi, or Buy Me a Coffee with bundled processing.

When to negotiate

Volume thresholds for custom pricing (rough guidelines):

Under £5k/month: published rates only
£5-£75k/month: published rates, but worth contacting account manager about specific high-volume products (subscriptions, marketplaces)
£75k-£250k/month: 5-15% discount on percentage component typically available
£250k+/month: significant custom terms, including potentially flat per-transaction fees

Don’t ask in month 1. Build the relationship with a few months of clean processing first.

Stripe vs alternatives for UK creators

Use case	Best fit	Reason
E-commerce checkout	Stripe + PayPal	Coverage of customer preferences
SaaS / subscriptions	Stripe Billing	Mature subscription tooling
Newsletter/Substack	Built-in (Stripe under hood)	No choice — Substack uses Stripe
Creator donations	Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee	Lower fees on small charges
In-person retail	Square, SumUp	Designed for card-present
B2B invoicing	Wise Business, Stripe Invoicing	Lower wire/SEPA fees
Marketplace payouts	Stripe Connect	Mature multi-party flows

What this calculator doesn’t include

Currency conversion (~2%)
Disputed transaction fees (£20 per chargeback)
Instant payout fees (1% of transfer, min £0.50)
Stripe Tax (separate product, varies by jurisdiction)
BNPL / Klarna / Afterpay (different fee structure)
Custom volume discounts (published rates only)

For tax treatment of Stripe fees as deductible expenses, see the side hustle tax calculator.

Common mistakes

Quoting one Stripe fee without specifying card region. UK 1.5% + £0.20 only applies to UK-issued cards. Most UK businesses see 60-90% UK card share, so blended effective rate is typically 1.6-2.2%, not exactly 1.5%.
Forgetting currency conversion. If you accept payment in a non-GBP currency and settle to GBP, Stripe charges ~2% above wholesale rate. £100-equivalent charge in non-GBP: subscriber pays the local-currency equivalent of ~£130 inclusive of conversion margin; you receive ~£100 - 2% = £98 in GBP. Not modelled in the calculator above.
Confusing Stripe with Square or PayPal. All three handle different fee structures and integration models. Stripe is API-first (developer-facing); Square is in-person retail; PayPal is wallet-focused. Compare carefully — flat-fee differences hide implementation cost differences.
Not negotiating volume discounts. Stripe’s published rates apply up to ~£1M/year of processing. Above that, custom pricing is available — typically 5-15% discount on the percentage component. Worth contacting your account manager once monthly volume exceeds ~£75k.
Treating Stripe fees as a deduction at gross level. Stripe deducts fees from the payout, but the GROSS amount is your taxable revenue (then fees are an allowable expense). For UK accounting, record the gross sale and the Stripe fee separately — both flow through your P&L.

What this calculator doesn't cover

Calculator assumes single-card-region transactions. Real Stripe accounts process a mix; weight by your actual % UK / EEA / International to get blended rate.
Doesn’t include currency conversion (~2% above wholesale).
Doesn’t include disputed-transaction fees (£20 per chargeback) or instant-payout fees.
Doesn’t cover ACH/SEPA Direct Debit (cheaper, different fee structure).
Doesn’t include Stripe Tax, Klarna, Afterpay, or other Stripe products with separate fee structures.
Volume discounts not modelled — published rates only.

Frequently asked questions

What's the actual Stripe rate for UK businesses?

Depends on card mix. UK 1.5% + £0.20, EEA 2.5% + £0.20, International 3.25% + £0.20 — all plus £0.20 fixed. Most UK businesses see 60-90% UK card share, blending to 1.6-2.2% effective rate. International-heavy businesses (B2B SaaS targeting US) can see 3%+ blended.

Stripe vs PayPal — which is cheaper for UK e-commerce?

Stripe is consistently cheaper on percentage fees. PayPal commercial domestic is 2.9% + £0.30; Stripe UK card is 1.5% + £0.20. Cross-border: PayPal jumps to ~4.4% with surcharges; Stripe stays at 3.25% for international cards. PayPal still has utility for consumer trust (some UK shoppers prefer PayPal checkout) — many UK e-commerce sites offer both.

How does currency conversion work?

If your business is set up to settle to GBP and you accept a non-GBP charge (e.g. EUR), Stripe converts at the time of the transaction. The rate is ~2% above mid-market. £100-equivalent EUR charge: customer is billed in EUR; you receive £100 minus ~£2 conversion = £98 GBP. Stripe’s rate is comparable to most consumer-facing forex services but worse than wholesale exchange. For high-volume cross-border, consider settling in the source currency (multi-currency Stripe account) and converting via Wise/Revolut Business at lower spread.

Are Stripe fees a deductible business expense?

Yes, fully deductible against UK trading income. Track gross revenue and Stripe fees separately in your accounting. Stripe Dashboard exports CSVs of all transactions and fees for accounting integration.

Why does Stripe charge a £0.20 fixed fee?

Card networks (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) charge per-transaction interchange fees that don’t scale with transaction size. Stripe’s £0.20 covers the fixed component plus its margin on the network fees. The £0.20 hurts small charges proportionally — the % rate alone doesn’t reflect the real cost.

About this calculator. Maintained by Jordan — a UK seller and creator who actually uses these platforms (Etsy, eBay, Vinted, DistroKid). Built to be accurate, mobile-fast, and honest about its limits. Spot a bug? Email hello@payoutmath.co.uk.