How to lower Stripe fees
Published August 3, 2026
Quick answer
The single biggest saving is moving large payments to ACH Direct Debit at 0.8% capped at $5. Any payment above roughly $625 costs a flat $5 instead of a percentage, so a $10,000 invoice costs $5 rather than about $290. After that it is minimum order values and avoiding unnecessary currency conversion.
ACH for anything large
The cap is what makes this dramatic. At 0.8% with a $5 ceiling, the effective rate falls the larger the payment gets. For B2B invoicing or high-ticket sales this is usually the largest single cost reduction available anywhere in your stack, and it costs nothing to offer alongside cards.
Mind the fixed fee on small payments
At $100 the $0.30 fixed fee is trivial. At $3 it is 10% of the transaction on its own, pushing the effective rate above 12%. If you sell low-value items, a minimum order value or bundling changes your margin far more than any percentage negotiation would.
Watch international and conversion costs
International cards add roughly 1.5% and currency conversion about 1% more, taking a card payment to around 4.4% + $0.30. If a meaningful share of your revenue is international, pricing in local currency and settling appropriately is worth investigating before you accept those rates as fixed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to accept payment through Stripe?
ACH Direct Debit for anything large, at 0.8% capped at $5. For a $10,000 payment that is $5 against roughly $290 on a card.
Can I negotiate Stripe's rates?
Custom pricing is generally available at high volume. Below that, structural changes such as offering ACH or raising minimum order values save far more than rate negotiation would.
Does Stripe charge extra for international cards?
Yes, roughly 1.5% more, plus about 1% for currency conversion, which takes the total to around 4.4% + $0.30.