Payment Fee Calculator
Every processor quotes a percentage plus a fixed fee. On small orders the fixed part dominates, and the rate you were quoted stops resembling the rate you pay.
Result
$0.00
Where the money goes
Saving keeps your figures on this device only — nothing is sent anywhere.
The fixed fee is the whole story on small orders
A quoted "2.9% + $0.30" sounds like a 2.9% cost. What you actually pay depends entirely on order size:
| Order | Percentage part | Fixed part | Total | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $0.15 | $0.30 | $0.45 | 9.0% |
| $12 | $0.35 | $0.30 | $0.65 | 5.4% |
| $35 | $1.02 | $0.30 | $1.32 | 3.8% |
| $100 | $2.90 | $0.30 | $3.20 | 3.2% |
| $250 | $7.25 | $0.30 | $7.55 | 3.0% |
On a $5 order the "2.9%" processor costs 9%. That is not a trick and there is nothing hidden about it — it is arithmetic that most sellers never perform, which is why sub-$10 products so often lose money in ways their owners cannot locate.
Which processor is cheapest depends on your order size
This is why the calculator compares three rather than ranking them in the abstract. A processor with a low percentage and a high fixed fee wins on large orders and loses on small ones; the reverse also holds. If your average order is $8, the fixed fee is nearly all of your cost and you should optimise for that. At $150 the percentage is what matters and the fixed fee is noise.
Raising minimum order value is the direct fix
If the effective rate on your average order is uncomfortable, the fastest lever is not switching processor — it is making the average order bigger. A free-shipping threshold, a bundle, or a stated minimum order moves every order up the table above, and the improvement compounds with the fee saving on shipping. Our guide on minimum order value covers where to set it.
The surcharges that are not in the headline rate
Worth checking on your own statement, because they rarely appear in the quoted rate: a cross-border or international card surcharge, currency conversion when you are paid in a different currency than you charged, chargeback fees, monthly account or gateway fees, and payout fees when moving money to your bank. None are usually large individually. Together they are the difference between the rate you believe you pay and the number at the bottom of the statement.
Questions
Why are payment fees so high on small orders?
Because of the fixed per-transaction component. A 2.9% + $0.30 structure costs 9% on a $5 order and about 3.2% on a $100 one — the percentage is constant and the fixed fee is not, so it dominates small amounts. Any product under about $10 needs this checked explicitly before pricing.
Which payment processor has the lowest fees?
It depends on your average order value, which is why the tool compares three side by side. Low-percentage-high-fixed processors win on large orders; low-fixed processors win on small ones. Enter your real average order and your own quoted rates rather than trusting a general ranking.
Do I get payment fees back on a refund?
Often not in full — many processors retain the fixed portion of the fee on a refunded transaction, and policies vary between providers and over time. Check your provider's current refund policy, and model the effect on your margin in the return cost calculator, where unrecovered fees are an input.