Paying to Be Paid Tonight
Waiting a day or two for your money is usually free. Getting it in minutes has a price, and each processor posts its own.
Friday, 6 p.m. Rent on the shop is due Monday and the weekend's sales are still in transit. The button that says "get it now" looks tempting. Before you press it, know what it takes.
The slow lane is free
Stripe's pricing page says payouts on its standard schedule are free. Patience costs nothing there. The fee only shows up when you skip the line.
What the fast lane costs
Stripe's pricing page says Instant Payouts cost 1.5% of Instant Payouts volume with a minimum fee of 50¢. On a $2,000 weekend that is $30, gone so the money lands a day sooner.
Clover's pricing page says Rapid Deposit gets funds within minutes of a credit card sale for a 1.75% fee.
Ask what a day is worth to you
Picture a late fee on a supplier bill. If moving the money early saves a bigger charge, the fee earns its keep. If it is only nerves, the free schedule wins. Set a rule now, while nothing is due, so the button is not a Friday habit.
Count it as a processing cost
A shop that pays for speed every week has quietly raised its card rate. Add a month of fast payout fees to your card fees and divide by sales. That is the true cut, and it is the one to hold up against another company's sheet. How the sale itself is priced, before any payout fee, is in a forty dollar sale at the counter.