Business
How Stripe (and other payment gateways) actually charge you
The fee structure most founders never read carefully — and how to negotiate.
The standard fee
- Domestic cards: 2.0–2.5% + ₹3–5 per transaction.
- International cards: 3.5–4.5%.
- ACH / UPI: ₹1–2 flat or 0% for UPI in India.
The hidden fees
- FX conversion: 1–2% above mid-market.
- Chargeback fee: ₹1500–₹2500 per dispute.
- Failed-payment retries: same fee on the retry.
How to negotiate
- Volume tier (>₹10L/month gets 10–20 bps off).
- Annual commitment in exchange for rate.
- Get quotes from 2–3 PSPs.
Watch your effective rate
True cost = (gross fees + chargebacks + FX) ÷ GTV. Often 30–50 bps higher than the advertised rate.
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