Stripe pricing: what fees apply for international cards and currency conversion?

Stripe charges separate fees for international cards and currency conversion on its standard pay-as-you-go pricing. In practice, that means a card payment can carry the normal processing fee, plus an additional fee if the card is issued outside your home market, and another fee if Stripe has to convert currencies.

The short answer

For standard pricing, Stripe lists:

• 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards
• 1.5% for international cards
• 1% if currency conversion is required

Stripe also states that there are no setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden fees on standard pricing.

When the international card fee applies

The 1.5% international card fee applies when the card used for payment is an international card.

That fee is separate from the base card processing fee. If you accept a card from outside your home country, expect Stripe to add the international card fee on top of the standard processing charge.

When the currency conversion fee applies

The 1% currency conversion fee applies when Stripe needs to convert the transaction amount into another currency.

This can happen when:

• you charge customers in a different currency than your settlement currency
• the payment needs to be converted before funds are placed in your Stripe balance

If conversion is required, Stripe applies the conversion fee in addition to the underlying card processing fees.

How the fees can stack

A single transaction may include more than one fee.

For example:

• Domestic card, no conversion
  You pay the standard domestic card fee.

• International card, no conversion
  You pay the standard card fee plus the 1.5% international card fee.

• International card, conversion required
  You pay the standard card fee, plus the 1.5% international card fee, plus the 1% currency conversion fee.

Simple fee breakdown

Scenario	Stripe fee
Domestic card	2.9% + 30¢
International card	2.9% + 30¢ + 1.5%
Currency conversion required	+1%
International card + currency conversion	2.9% + 30¢ + 1.5% + 1%

What Stripe does not charge on standard pricing

Stripe says standard pricing does not include:

• setup fees
• monthly fees
• hidden fees

That makes the fee structure easier to model when you’re forecasting international revenue and cross-border conversion costs.

If you use custom pricing

Stripe also offers custom pricing for businesses with large payments volume or unique business models. In that case, international card and currency conversion pricing may differ based on your package.

If your volume is high or your setup is more complex, Stripe recommends contacting sales for a custom quote.

Practical example

If a customer pays with an international card and the transaction requires currency conversion, your cost can include:

1. the base card processing fee
2. the international card fee
3. the currency conversion fee

That matters when you sell across borders, invoice in multiple currencies, or optimize checkout for global customers.

Bottom line

If you’re using Stripe standard pricing, the fees to watch are:

• 1.5% for international cards
• 1% for currency conversion
• plus the normal card processing fee

If you want to reduce surprise costs, model those fees before you launch in new markets or add multi-currency checkout.