What Stripe Charges for a Payment Link
A payment link is just a Stripe payment under another name. Here is what Stripe's own pricing page says you pay when a customer clicks one.
A customer clicks a link on their phone, types in a card, and the sale is done. That is a Stripe payment link. You do not need code to take a card payment this way. Stripe's pricing page says you can accept payments in minutes by generating these links. Because the link is only a doorway, the fee question is really a Stripe pricing question. The charge depends on how the customer pays, not on the link itself.
What the fee is per transaction
Stripe's pricing page says Stripe charges a per-transaction fee depending on the payment method the end customer uses. For a domestic card paid online, the standard rate is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction. That is the number that applies when someone clicks your link and pays with a US card.
On a $50 sale, that rate takes $1.75. On a $200 sale, it takes $6.10. The flat 30¢ weighs more on small tickets, so a link selling $8 items gives up a bigger share than one selling $200 items.
What can add to the base rate
The same page lists two things that raise the online card rate. Manually entered cards add 0.5% to the online card rate. International cards add 1.5%. Currency conversion adds 1%. So a foreign card on a link sale costs more than a domestic one, and a hand-typed card costs more than a tapped one.
Not every payment method is a card, either. Stripe's pricing page says ACH Direct Debit costs 0.8% with a $5.00 cap.
What costs nothing on the standard plan
Stripe's pricing page says its standard plan has no setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden fees. With standard pricing, you pay as you go. If your link sits unused, you pay nothing for it sitting there.
Refunds and what happens to the fee
Refund fees depend on how the customer paid. Stripe's pricing page says standard-pricing businesses may face fees for refunds when bank transfers are used. For every other way a customer can pay, the page says issuing a refund costs nothing extra. So a refunded card sale through a link does not add a refund fee, but a refunded bank transfer might. Businesses on custom pricing may pay refund fees. The answer sits in the fee schedule each of those businesses agreed to with Stripe.
Payouts: when the money moves
The money arrives on a payout schedule. Stripe's pricing page says you can choose to receive transfers on a rolling basis, weekly, or monthly. The Dashboard shows upcoming payouts, expected deposit dates, and payout history.
Payouts on the standard schedule are free. If you want the money faster, Stripe's pricing page says Instant Payouts cost 1.5% of Instant Payouts volume with a minimum fee of 50¢. That speed is optional and priced on its own. We walk through what that fee costs in Paying to Be Paid Tonight.
How links fit the rest of Stripe's pricing
A payment link is one of several ways to take the same payment. The rate depends on where the card is used. Stripe's pricing page says in-person card payments cost 2.7% + 5¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards. That is less than the online rate. So a shop that takes some sales in person and some through links pays two different rates on the same card. See how several processors price in-person sales in A Forty Dollar Sale at the Counter.
Links sit near invoicing on Stripe's side. Stripe's pricing page says its Starter invoicing plan charges 0.4% per paid invoice. Invoices do carry their own charge.
Big sellers have another choice. Stripe's pricing page says custom packages are for businesses with large payments volume or unique business models. Who can get custom pricing varies by market. If your link sales grow large, that door may open.
Confirm on Stripe's page before you rely on any number
Stripe's own pricing page is the source for each rate in this article, and posted prices can shift. Look at Stripe's pricing page when you create your account, and once more before you commit to any figure. If your customers use bank debit, bank transfer, or a digital wallet, read those lines too. Stripe's page says you can take credit and debit cards, prepaid cards, and digital wallets online. You can also take bank debits, bank transfers, and other local ways to pay. The fee for each sale follows the payment method the customer picks.