Payzium versus Stripe
Payzium versus Stripe: online-first rate on a merchant that swipes cards.
Stripe wins on developer surface, subscriptions, and pure-online commerce. Payzium wins for merchants who ring most sales at a physical counter.
Stripe: what the fees page publishes.
| Line | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Online (Payments, standard) | 2.9% + $0.30 | [1] |
| In-person (Terminal) | 2.7% + $0.05 | [2] |
| Manually keyed | 3.4% + $0.30 | [3] |
| International card add-on | +1.5% | [4] |
- Monthly account fee: $0 on standard plan [5]
- Chargeback fee: $15 per dispute (recoverable if won) [6]
Stripe Terminal readers. Sold outright; BBPOS WisePOS E and Stripe Reader S700 are the primary in-person options. [7]
Stripe contract candor.
- Stripe publishes no cancellation fee on standard plan.
- Stripe is not a traditional merchant account; the merchant's contract is with Stripe Payments Company LLC.
- Stripe's blended rate on Terminal (2.7% plus $0.05) is competitive against Square in-person; both charge a blend, not interchange-plus.
Where Stripe wins.
- Best-in-class developer APIs for a pure-online product or SaaS billing.
- Native subscriptions, invoicing, and Stripe Billing.
- Excellent instrument coverage (ACH, wallets, BNPL, international cards).
Where Payzium wins.
- A card-present merchant paying 2.7 percent blended on Terminal is paying substantially more than a merchant on interchange-plus with a 0.30 percent Payzium margin, because most in-person interchange sits below 1.8 percent.
- Payzium's terminal is included with the account (a $5 monthly account fee applies) rather than sold outright.
- Payzium's dual pricing program lets the merchant post a cash and a card price to cover eligible card acceptance costs.
Worked example.
At $40,000 per month, 100 percent card-present, blended card mix. Stripe Terminal blended: 2.7% plus $0.05 per transaction. Payzium: interchange plus assessments (pass-through) plus a 0.30 percent margin on credit volume plus $0.05 per transaction plus the $5 monthly account fee.
Payzium all-in effective rate on this fixture
1.70%
This is the same rate shown across the site. See the full monthly breakdown on the calculator.
FAQ.
Is Stripe a merchant account?
Stripe is a payment facilitator (payfac), not a traditional merchant account. That model is fast to onboard; it does not give the merchant an ISO relationship with the sponsoring member bank.
Do I lose Stripe Billing or the API if I switch?
Nothing about Payzium's card acceptance stops a merchant from using Stripe Billing or the Stripe API for subscriptions on other rails; some merchants run both.
Sources.
- [1] Online payments 2.9% plus $0.30. Verified 2026-07-07. https://stripe.com/us/pricing
- [2] Terminal 2.7% plus $0.05. Verified 2026-07-07. https://stripe.com/us/terminal/pricing
- [3] Manually keyed 3.4% plus $0.30. Verified 2026-07-07. https://stripe.com/us/pricing
- [4] International card add-on +1.5%. Verified 2026-07-07. https://stripe.com/us/pricing
- [5] No monthly fee on standard plan. Verified 2026-07-07. https://stripe.com/us/pricing
- [6] $15 chargeback fee, recoverable if won. Verified 2026-07-07. https://stripe.com/us/pricing
- [7] Terminal hardware. Verified 2026-07-07. https://stripe.com/us/terminal
Ready to see the numbers on your business?
Run your monthly volume through the calculator and see the exact all-in figure your Payzium account would carry.