Every time a customer pays you by card, a small part of the payment goes in fees before the money reaches you. It is usually a percentage of the sale plus a few pence. On one sale it looks small, but it comes off every order, so it is worth knowing before you choose where to build your shop.
This guide compares what each shop website charges on a standard UK card, using the prices on their own websites, and the extra fees that catch people out.
What each one takes from a £30 sale
Here is what each one charges on a standard UK card, worked out on a £30 sale, and on 100 sales of £30 in a month.
| Shop website and how it takes cards | Its fee | On a £30 sale | On 100 sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic, on Shopify Payments | 2% + 25p | £0.85 | £85 |
| Shopify Grow, on Shopify Payments | 1.7% + 25p | £0.76 | £76 |
| WooCommerce, on WooPayments | 1.5% + 25p, plus VAT on the fee | £0.70 | £70 |
| Squarespace Core, on Squarespace Payments | 2% + 25p | £0.85 | £85 |
| Wix, on Wix Payments | 2.1% + 20p | £0.83 | £83 |
| Stripe, used by BigCommerce and Mediatopia | 1.5% + 20p | £0.65 | £65 |
The fixed few pence matter more than they look. On a cheap product they can be a bigger part of the fee than the percentage, which is one reason very low prices are hard to make money on.
Other cards cost more
The fees above are for standard UK cards. Others cost more:
- Squarespace charges 3% + 25p on business cards and American Express, and 1% more on cards from outside the UK.
- Wix charges 3.1% + 20p on American Express.
- WooPayments charges 2% more on cards from outside the UK, and another 2% if the money has to be changed from another currency.
The fees people forget
- Using a different payment company. On Shopify's Basic plan, Shopify charges an extra 2% if you take payments through another company instead of Shopify Payments. BigCommerce charges an extra 2% on its Core plan for payment companies it doesn't build in.
- Refunds. Wix and WooPayments both say the original fee isn't given back when you refund a customer. So on a refunded order you have lost the fee as well as the sale.
- Disputes. When a customer asks their bank to take a payment back, WooPayments charges £15 and Wix charges £15.
- VAT on the fee. WooPayments adds 20% VAT to its fees unless you are registered for VAT.
What this means for your prices
Card fees are one of the costs that come off every sale, along with what you pay the supplier and the delivery. Our profit calculator lets you pick your card fee and shows what you keep from each sale, and our guide to pricing your products explains how to set a price that covers them.
Work out your profit on each sale → Compare the shop websites →
