What card processing actually costs on a small ticket
Eight published rate cards, four columns each. Databoat derived the effective rate at every ticket size and the ordering flips completely — the cheapest processor at $5 is not the cheapest at $500.
- Source
- Stripe, Square and PayPal published US rate cards
- Period
- Rates verified August 2026
- Published
- August 10, 2026
- Built with
- Databoat
13.29%
is what a $5 sale really costs, on a card advertised at 3.49%
PayPal · Checkout
- Stripe · Terminal3.70%
- PayPal · QR code4.09%
- Square · In person5.60%
- Square · Keyed in6.50%
- Stripe · Online8.90%
- Square · Online9.30%
- PayPal · Card12.79%
- PayPal · Checkout13.29%
Each line is one rate card, ranked cheapest to dearest at eight ticket sizes. Nothing about the advertised percentage predicts where a line ends up.
Every curve converges on its headline rate — but only above a few hundred dollars.
- PayPal · Checkout3.49%→13.29%
- PayPal · Card2.99%→12.79%
- Square · Online3.30%→9.30%
- Stripe · Online2.90%→8.90%
- Square · Keyed in3.50%→6.50%
- Square · In person2.60%→5.60%
- PayPal · QR code2.29%→4.09%
- Stripe · Terminal2.70%→3.70%
The bar is the gap between the number on the pricing page and the number you pay.
| $2 | $5 | $10 | $25 | $50 | $100 | $250 | $500 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe · Online | 17.90% | 8.90% | 5.90% | 4.10% | 3.50% | 3.20% | 3.02% | 2.96% |
| Stripe · Terminal | 5.20% | 3.70% | 3.20% | 2.90% | 2.80% | 2.75% | 2.72% | 2.71% |
| Square · In person | 10.10% | 5.60% | 4.10% | 3.20% | 2.90% | 2.75% | 2.66% | 2.63% |
| Square · Online | 18.30% | 9.30% | 6.30% | 4.50% | 3.90% | 3.60% | 3.42% | 3.36% |
| Square · Keyed in | 11.00% | 6.50% | 5.00% | 4.10% | 3.80% | 3.65% | 3.56% | 3.53% |
| PayPal · Checkout | 27.99% | 13.29% | 8.39% | 5.45% | 4.47% | 3.98% | 3.69% | 3.59% |
| PayPal · Card | 27.49% | 12.79% | 7.89% | 4.95% | 3.97% | 3.48% | 3.19% | 3.09% |
| PayPal · QR code | 6.79% | 4.09% | 3.19% | 2.65% | 2.47% | 2.38% | 2.33% | 2.31% |
Teal is cheap, amber is dear. Read down a column and the ordering rearranges as you go right.
Steep means fixed-fee heavy. Flat means the percentage is doing the work.
- PayPal · QR code$1,459.20
- Stripe · Terminal$1,496.00
- Square · In person$1,848.00
- Square · Keyed in$2,280.00
- Stripe · Online$2,592.00
- Square · Online$2,784.00
- PayPal · Card$3,395.20
- PayPal · Checkout$3,635.20
4,000 transactions at a $12 average. Same volume, same customers.
Method
Eight published US rate cards, four columns each. Databoat derived nine columns from them — effective rate at eight ticket sizes plus a monthly cost — and generated every view above from the result. The table and the formulas it added are at the foot of this page, and every chart downloads as a PNG.
Standard published rates for accounts without negotiated or interchange-plus pricing, verified August 2026. Square's rates vary by plan; the free plan is shown.
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