Stripe Fees and Costs for UK Businesses
Understand Stripe’s UK online card rates, the effect of card mix and the extra costs to include before comparing another payment provider.
The short answer
Stripe’s advertised standard UK card rate is only one part of a comparison. Separate the card categories you actually accept, multiply each rate by its sales, then add the fixed fee for every successful payment. Include any additional services, platform charges and costs of changing the checkout.
In this guide
Which Stripe UK rate applies?
| Online card category | Published rate |
|---|---|
| Standard UK | 1.5% + 20p |
| Premium UK | 2.8% + 20p |
| European Economic Area | 2.5% + 20p |
| Other international | 3.15% + 20p |
Stripe lists an additional 2% where currency conversion is required. Confirm the category assigned to your transactions and your account’s actual tariff. A UK customer address does not, by itself, establish the card’s pricing category.
Build the bill from sales and payment counts
Use a representative month of completed payments. For each card group, record the gross amount charged, payment count, percentage and fixed fee. Keep the same sales profile when comparing providers so that a change in customer mix does not masquerade as a price saving.
- Include tax and delivery amounts where they form part of the processed payment.
- Check whether checkout software or a platform adds its own charge.
- List any separately priced billing, tax, fraud or other services that your setup uses.
- Record setup work and migration costs as one-off amounts, rather than hiding them in the processing rate.
For small baskets, the fixed charge matters more. A percentage-only comparison can therefore give a misleading result even when the percentage has been copied correctly.
Worked example: standard and premium cards
Fictional trading profile using the published rates above. Assume £20,000 a month across 500 payments, split as shown. All payments settle in GBP; there are no refunds, disputes, additional services or platform fees in this calculation.
| Sales group | Percentage charge | Fixed charges | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| £16,000 standard UK; 400 payments | £240 | £80 | £320 |
| £4,000 premium UK; 100 payments | £112 | £20 | £132 |
| Combined | £352 | £100 | £452 |
Applying the standard rate to every payment would instead produce £400. The £52 monthly difference is £624 over twelve identical months. This is an illustration of card mix, not a customer saving or a prediction of your bill.
Allow for refunds and unexpected events
Stripe’s refund documentation says that the original processing fees are not returned. Keep refunded sales in the original processing calculation when those fees remain, and model the money returned to customers separately. Do not simply apply the rate to sales after refunds.
Ask how disputes, currency conversion and any optional services appear on your bill. Establish what evidence staff need, who handles a disputed order and whether the checkout records are available. A low routine processing cost does not describe the cash impact of a lost order.
Our refund cost guide and chargeback guide explain how to keep those costs separate.
Compare a complete alternative
Check that the alternative supports your website, payment methods and refund workflow before calculating a saving. Allow for development, testing, staff time and any overlap between services. Treat time saved as capacity unless it actually reduces expenditure.
Use the calculator’s online sales and transaction counts, with separate card groups where required. Add subscriptions and fixed platform costs. Keep currency conversion, irregular refunds and dispute scenarios in separate workings if they are not represented by the entered charges. For the next comparison, read Stripe vs PayPal.
Common questions
Is Stripe’s lowest UK percentage the rate for every card?
No. The public tariff distinguishes card categories. Use the categories and rates that apply to your account and actual payments.
Can a lower headline rate still produce a higher total bill?
Yes. Fixed transaction fees, card mix, platform charges and extra services can outweigh a percentage reduction. Compare the same sales profile and the complete setup.
Put your own figures to work.
Use the free calculator to organise your costs and keep a report. If something is unclear, you can ask for a free initial review.
No registration required. Calculator entries stay in your open browser page unless you choose to share a report in a review request.
Sources and how to use this guide
Primary references checked on 15 October 2026:
Trading profiles and any explicitly invented quotes or allowances are fictional. Published provider tariffs are identified and dated; they are not personalised quotations. Worked totals include only the stated components and tax assumptions. They are not customer results or market averages. Provider prices, eligibility and terms can change. Check your written agreement before deciding.
Our guides explain costs and comparison methods. They do not rank the whole market or claim hands-on product testing. Source links are references, not a claim of partnership. Read the calculation method and limitations, or about the service.
Researching other options? Browse the payment and EPOS provider directory for provider profiles, official sources and questions to include in your quotation brief.