Every Shopify sale comes with transaction fees. The amount depends on your plan, your payment gateway, and whether the order is domestic or international. Most store owners know their monthly Shopify subscription cost but underestimate how much they pay in fees per order.
This guide breaks down every fee type, compares the real cost across plans, and shows you how to calculate what you are actually paying. We also cover when Shopify Payments saves money versus using a third-party gateway, and how fees affect your profit margins.
In this post
- Credit card rates by plan
- Third-party gateway fees
- When Shopify Payments saves money
- Calculating true cost per order
- Fee impact on margins
- International transaction fees
- Fee comparison table
- How to reduce your transaction fees
- Frequently asked questions
- Related reading
Credit card rates by plan
Shopify charges a credit card processing fee on every transaction made through Shopify Payments. The rate decreases as you move to higher plans. Here are the 2026 rates for US-based stores.
| Plan | Monthly price | Online credit card rate | In-person rate | Third-party gateway fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39/mo | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2.6% + 10 cents | 2.0% |
| Shopify | $105/mo | 2.7% + 30 cents | 2.5% + 10 cents | 1.0% |
| Advanced | $399/mo | 2.5% + 30 cents | 2.4% + 10 cents | 0.6% |
| Plus | $2,300/mo | 2.15% + 30 cents | 2.15% + 10 cents | 0.2% |
These rates are based on annual billing. Monthly billing costs more for the subscription but does not change the credit card rates. Use the CraftShift Fee Calculator to see exactly what you would pay on each plan based on your monthly sales volume.
The difference between Basic and Advanced is 0.4% per transaction. On a $50 order, that is 20 cents. It sounds small, but at 1,000 orders per month, you save $200 in credit card fees alone. The question is whether that $200 saving justifies the $360/month price difference between the plans. For a detailed breakdown of what each plan includes, read the Shopify plan comparison guide.
Third-party gateway fees
If you do not use Shopify Payments and instead use a third-party payment gateway (Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, etc.), Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on top of whatever your gateway charges. This is the column labeled “Third-party gateway fee” in the table above.
On the Basic plan, this is an extra 2.0% per transaction. So if your gateway charges 2.9% + 30 cents, your total fee is 4.9% + 30 cents per transaction. That adds up fast. On a $100 order, you are paying $5.20 in combined fees.
The third-party gateway fee drops with higher plans: 1.0% on Shopify, 0.6% on Advanced, and 0.2% on Plus. But in almost every case, switching to Shopify Payments eliminates this extra fee entirely and is the cheaper option.
When Shopify Payments saves money
Shopify Payments removes the third-party gateway fee completely. You only pay the credit card processing rate for your plan. For most stores, this makes Shopify Payments the cheapest option.
The exceptions are rare. If you have a negotiated rate with a payment processor that is significantly lower than Shopify’s rates (common for very high-volume businesses), the math might favor your existing gateway even with the extra fee. But for stores doing under $500,000/year, Shopify Payments almost always wins.
Shopify Payments is available in 23 countries. If your business is in a country where it is not available, you have no choice but to use a third-party gateway and pay the additional fee. Check Shopify’s documentation for the current list of supported countries.
Calculating true cost per order
Your true cost per order includes more than just the credit card fee. Here is a formula:
True cost per order = (Order total x CC rate) + per-transaction fee + (monthly plan / monthly orders)
Example on the Basic plan with 200 orders/month averaging $60:
- Credit card fee: $60 x 2.9% = $1.74
- Per-transaction fee: $0.30
- Plan cost per order: $39 / 200 = $0.20
- Total per order: $2.24 (3.73% of order value)
The same store on the Shopify plan: ($60 x 2.7%) + $0.30 + ($105 / 200) = $1.62 + $0.30 + $0.53 = $2.45 per order. The Shopify plan actually costs more in this scenario because the higher monthly fee is not offset by enough savings on the credit card rate. Use the CraftShift Profit Margin Calculator to run these numbers for your own store.
Fee impact on margins
Transaction fees eat directly into your profit margin. If your product costs $30 to source and you sell it for $60, your gross margin is $30. After a $2.24 transaction fee, it is $27.76. That is a 7.5% reduction in your actual profit.
For low-margin products (like commodity items or heavily discounted goods), transaction fees can represent 10-15% of your profit. High-ticket items are less affected in percentage terms. A $500 product on the Basic plan costs $14.80 in fees, which is just 2.96% of the sale price.
This is why plan selection matters. The break-even point between Basic and Shopify plans depends on your average order value and monthly order count. The Plan Comparison tool shows you the exact crossover point where upgrading starts saving money. Apps with flat monthly pricing, like Rubik Variant Images, do not add per-transaction costs, which helps keep your fee structure predictable.
International transaction fees
Selling to customers in other countries adds extra costs. Shopify Payments charges an additional 1.5% on international transactions for US-based stores. If the transaction also involves a currency conversion, there is a separate 1.5% currency conversion fee.
So an international order in a foreign currency could have: 2.9% (Basic CC rate) + 1.5% (international fee) + 1.5% (currency conversion) = 5.9% + 30 cents. On a $100 order, that is $6.20.
If you sell internationally, consider enabling Shopify Markets. It lets you set local pricing in each currency, which can offset some of the fee impact by adjusting your prices for each market. For stores expanding internationally that need visibility in AI-powered search across markets, structured data and localized content become important alongside fee management.
Fee comparison table
Here is what each plan costs in total fees for different monthly revenue levels, assuming Shopify Payments and domestic transactions only.
| Monthly revenue | Avg. order value | Orders | Basic total | Shopify total | Advanced total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $50 | 100 | $214 | $405 | $674 |
| $10,000 | $50 | 200 | $389 | $675 | $924 |
| $25,000 | $50 | 500 | $914 | $1,485 | $1,674 |
| $50,000 | $50 | 1,000 | $1,789 | $2,865 | $2,949 |
| $100,000 | $50 | 2,000 | $3,539 | $5,505 | $5,499 |
| $200,000 | $75 | 2,667 | $6,987 | $10,714 | $10,467 |
Notice that Basic is the cheapest option until you reach roughly $100,000/month in revenue. At that point, the lower credit card rates on Advanced start to offset the higher monthly fee. The Fee Calculator runs these exact numbers with your store’s data so you can find your own crossover point.
How to reduce your transaction fees
There are a few practical ways to lower what you pay in fees:
- Use Shopify Payments. This eliminates the third-party gateway fee entirely.
- Increase average order value. The 30-cent per-transaction fee has less impact on larger orders. Bundling products or setting free shipping thresholds helps.
- Choose the right plan. Run the numbers. Upgrading is not always cheaper. It depends on your volume.
- Pay annually. Annual billing saves 25% on the subscription cost, lowering your per-order plan cost.
- Minimize chargebacks. Chargebacks cost $15 each on Shopify Payments. Good product page descriptions and clear return policies reduce disputes.
Also consider your app costs alongside transaction fees. Apps that charge a percentage of sales add another layer of per-order cost. Apps with flat monthly pricing, like Rubikify, keep costs predictable regardless of order volume.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shopify charge transaction fees on all plans?
Yes. Every Shopify plan includes credit card processing fees. The rates decrease on higher plans. The additional third-party gateway fee only applies if you do not use Shopify Payments.
How do I avoid the third-party payment gateway fee?
Use Shopify Payments as your payment processor. This eliminates the additional 0.2-2.0% third-party gateway fee. Shopify Payments is available in 23 countries.
Are Shopify Payments fees the same as Stripe?
Shopify Payments is powered by Stripe, but the rates are set by Shopify and vary by plan. Standard Stripe pricing is 2.9% + 30 cents. Shopify Payments on the Advanced plan is 2.5% + 30 cents, which is lower than standard Stripe.
Does Shopify charge fees on shipping costs?
Yes. The credit card processing fee applies to the total transaction amount, which includes shipping and taxes. If a customer pays $50 for the product and $10 for shipping, the fee is calculated on $60.
What are Shopify’s international transaction fees?
For US-based stores using Shopify Payments, international cards incur an extra 1.5% fee. If currency conversion is involved, there is an additional 1.5% conversion fee. These are on top of your standard credit card rate.
When should I upgrade my Shopify plan to save on fees?
Upgrade when the monthly savings in transaction fees exceed the price difference between plans. For most stores, the Basic plan stays cheapest until monthly revenue reaches roughly $100,000. Use a fee calculator to find your specific break-even point.
Do refunds get the transaction fee back?
Shopify Payments does not refund the credit card processing fee when you issue a refund to a customer. You lose both the sale and the fee. This is standard across most payment processors, not just Shopify.
