Topic hub
Payment Gateways
Payment fees often look small per transaction and large at the end of the month. This hub breaks down domestic vs international rates, fixed vs percentage components, and the trade-offs between Stripe, PayPal, Wise, SumUp, Adyen, and others.
Start with the tool
Run this in five minutes to get a concrete number or draft.
Read the guides
Plain-English explainers for the questions that come up most often in payment gateways.
How to compare card, wallet, and bank transfer fees
A side-by-side look at the fee structures behind cards, digital wallets, and bank transfers — and which one wins for which payment size.
Domestic vs international payment fees
Why your effective payment rate jumps as soon as cross-border transactions appear, and how to plan for it.
Stripe vs PayPal: how their fee logic differs
Headline rates look similar. The trade-offs underneath them are not. A practical breakdown for small businesses.
How payment gateway fees actually work
Percentage rate, fixed fee, currency conversion, refunds, chargebacks — what each component means and where SMBs typically lose margin.
Key terms
The vocabulary you will run into in tools, contracts, and statements.
Editorial insights
Common mistakes and the reasoning behind the numbers.
Common questions
- Which gateway is cheapest?
- There is no single cheapest gateway — it depends on your average order value, international share, and channel mix. Run the Payment Gateway Optimizer with your actual numbers rather than relying on headline rates.
- Why do international card payments cost more?
- Cross-border interchange fees are higher and most providers add a 1–1.5% surcharge on top of the domestic rate. Currency conversion is a separate fee on payout in many cases.
- Are chargebacks worth worrying about?
- Yes. A single chargeback fee is often $15–25 and excessive chargebacks can lead to higher rates or account suspension. The chargeback glossary entry explains what to do when one lands.