Stripe Fees WordPress: 3 Ways to Lower Costs

If you operate an online store, you likely appreciate Stripe’s convenience in processing diverse payment options. However, the associated fees can accumulate rapidly, diminishing your earnings. 💸

To increase sales and minimize transaction fees, pay close attention! 👂

Because we utilize Stripe across all our online stores, we’ve identified effective strategies for handling transaction costs while maintaining a positive customer experience.

This article presents tried-and-tested methods for decreasing Stripe transaction costs within WordPress.

How Much Money Are You Losing With Stripe?

Stripe is a powerful payment gateway widely used by WordPress site owners. It offers seamless integration and support for various payment methods.

Stripe typically charges a transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 for each successful credit card transaction. For businesses with substantial sales, these fees can accumulate quickly, significantly reducing profit.

For example, if your WordPress site generates $10,000 in monthly sales, then Stripe would take $290 plus 30 cents for every transaction. For a large number of small transactions, the costs are even higher.

While individual transaction fees might appear minimal, they can substantially reduce your overall income over time.

Lower payment processing fees help you retain more revenue, particularly if you sell relatively low-priced products or services. Consider using payment methods like ACH or Bacs Direct Debit to reduce costs without impacting customer satisfaction.

This also frees up funds for reinvestment in areas like marketing tools, plugin enhancements, or business expansion, contributing to a more economical payment infrastructure.

With that in mind, let’s explore strategies for minimizing Stripe transaction costs within WordPress, employing any combination of these tactics.

Tip 1: Accept ACH Payments in WordPress (For Customers in the U.S.)

If your business is based in the United States, or a significant portion of your clientele resides there, consider integrating ACH (Automated Clearing House) payments into your website.

In contrast to standard Stripe transactions, which incur a 2.9% + 30¢ charge, ACH payments generally involve a flat 0.8% fee per transaction, with a maximum of $5.

The $5 cap means you won’t pay more than that, regardless of payment size, making it ideal for processing substantial transactions.

For instance, a $1,000 purchase on your WordPress platform would normally incur a $29.30 Stripe fee via credit card. With ACH, the fee is limited to $5.

Thus, adopting ACH for this transaction alone yields savings of $24.30. The savings will increase greatly if a larger percentage of customers spend higher amounts.reallyThese fees can quickly add up.

Continue reading to discover the methods for integrating ACH payments into a WordPress payment form or a WooCommerce online store.

Create a WordPress Payment Form with ACH Payment

If you operate a basic membership site or offer a limited selection of products, a WordPress payment form may suit your needs.

In such cases, WP Simple Pay is highly recommended for incorporating ACH payment options into your payment forms. After rigorous testing across diverse scenarios, we’ve found it to be an excellent plugin.

Its intuitive builder, ready-made payment templates, and comprehensive spam prevention are particularly appealing. For an in-depth look at our experience with this plugin, read our WP Simple Pay review.

Begin by installing and activating the WP Simple Pay plugin. If you need help, refer to our guide on installing WordPress plugins.

Upon activation, a setup wizard will appear. Simply click the ‘Let’s Get Started’ button.

You’ll then be prompted to enter your license key, which can be located within your WP Simple Pay account dashboard.

Next, click the ‘Activate and Continue’ button.

Next, link Stripe to your WP Simple Pay account. Note that the plugin requires connection to a new or existing Stripe account to function.

To initiate the connection, click the ‘Connect with Stripe’ button.

To link WP Simple Pay, access your Stripe account. Our tutorial, “how to accept Stripe payments in WordPress,” offers detailed instructions.

Subsequently, adjust the remaining setup wizard options to your preferences.

Then, visit the WP Simple Pay » Payment Forms section in your WordPress dashboard, then select ‘Create Your Payment Form.’

This action navigates you to a template selection area displaying pre-designed templates.

From here, locate the ‘ACH Direct Debit Payment Form’ template and click the ‘Use Template’ button under it.

You’ll then arrive at the ‘Add New Payment Form’ screen, where you can input a title and description.

After that, select your form type as ‘On-site payment form.’

Afterward, in the sidebar, go to the ‘Payment’ tab and specify your desired tax rates using the dropdown menu.

Use the form to input the price for your service or product. For subscriptions, select the ‘Subscription’ option.

Next, add subscription tiers by clicking the ‘Add Price’ button.

After completing that step, proceed to the ‘Payment Method’ area.

In this section, the ‘ACH Direct Debit’ and ‘Card’ payment methods should already be preselected. You can enable additional options like Cash App, iDEAL, or Klarna if needed.

Finally, configure form fields, personalize the confirmation message, establish email notifications, and design a dedicated page for your payment form via the builder settings.

When finished, click ‘Publish’ to save the configuration.

You have now provided customers with a payment method that lowers your store’s Stripe processing costs.

For comprehensive guidance, check out our tutorial detailing how to enable ACH payments in WordPress.

Offer ACH Payments in Your WooCommerce Store

If you already run a WooCommerce store, the prior approach might not suit your needs perfectly.

If that’s the case, install and activate the Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce plugin. Refer to our guide on installing WordPress plugins for step-by-step instructions.

After activating the plugin, navigate to the WooCommerce » Settings » Payments section. You should see a list of available payment gateways.

Find and select ‘ACH (Stripe) by Payment Plugins’.

This will direct you to a new page where you must first switch to the ‘API Settings’ tab.

Here, go ahead and click the ‘Connect to Stripe’ button to integrate your Stripe account with your online store.

After that’s done, head back to the ‘Local Gateways’ section and choose the ‘ACH’ option.

Check the ‘Enabled’ box to enable ACH payments in your store. Customize the title and description for ACH as needed.

Finally, click ‘Save Changes’ to apply your settings. It’s that easy!

Tip 2: Accept Bacs Direct Debit Payments (For Customers in the UK)

The previously mentioned strategy applies mainly to US-based businesses. If your WordPress site caters to customers in the UK, consider using Bacs Direct Debit to potentially lower Stripe transaction costs.

Bacs Direct Debit typically involves a fee of approximately 1% per transaction, with a maximum charge of £2. This can be a financially advantageous choice for businesses serving UK customers.

Consider a customer paying £500. Credit card processing might incur roughly £14.80 in fees. However, using Bacs Direct Debit for the same transaction could reduce the fee to only £2.

Similar to ACH payments, there are a couple of methods to implement this. You can facilitate Bacs Direct Debit payments via a WordPress form or within your online store.

Create a WordPress Form that Accepts Bacs Direct Debit Payments

We suggest using WP Simple Pay to process these payments using Stripe. It provides a pre-built Bacs Direct Debit Payment Form template, streamlining the setup process.

To get started, you’ll need to install and activate the plugin.

Upon activating the plugin, a setup wizard should appear. Input your license key and establish the connection with Stripe.

This is a critical step, as WP Simple Pay needs this connection to either a new or pre-existing Stripe account to function correctly. Consult our guide on accepting Stripe payments in WordPress for details.

After completing the setup wizard, go to the Navigate to the ‘Payment Forms’ section under ‘WP Simple Pay’ and select ‘Create Your Payment Form.’page and click the ‘Create Your Payment Form’ button.

You’ll be directed to the ‘Select a template’ interface.

Find the ‘Bacs Direct Debit Form’ template and click the ‘Use Template’ button under it.

You will then see the ‘Add New Payment Form’ page, where you’ll need to specify a title and description.

Subsequently, set your form type to ‘On-site payment form.’

Next, go to the ‘Payment’ tab located in the left-hand column.

From the dropdown menu under ‘Tax Collection,’ select your desired tax rates.

Afterward, input the price of the product or service you are offering via the form. For subscription services, choose the ‘Subscription’ option to add pricing tiers.

Then, in the ‘Payment Methods’ area, you’ll see that ‘Bacs Direct Debit’ is already selected.

You can also choose other payment options that fit your preferences.

Next, edit the form fields, add a confirmation message, and set up email notifications according to your form.

Finally, in the ‘Payment Page’ tab, enable the ‘Enable a dedicated payment page’ option. This allows you to create a tailored page for the payment form.

After configuration, save your settings by clicking ‘Publish.’ Your site can now process Bacs Direct Debit payments.

Offer Bacs Direct Debit Payments in Your WooCommerce Store

If you already have a WooCommerce store, then the method above won’t be the best option. In that case, you can install and activate the Stripe Payment Plugin for WooCommerce.

Refer to our guide on WordPress plugin installation for assistance. Once activated, go to theWebToffee Stripepage in your WordPress admin area and select ‘Connect to Stripe.’

You’ll be redirected to a new page. Simply follow the steps outlined to link the plugin with your Stripe account.

Return to your dashboard and navigate to theWebToffee » Local Gateways page.

Go to the ‘Bacs’ tab and select the ‘Enable’ option.

Customize the title, description, and order button text as desired. Click ‘Save Changes’ to apply your configuration.

Bacs Direct Debit is now available as a payment option in your WooCommerce store.

Suggestion 3: Move to Enhanced Payment Plugins (Applicable Globally)

One highly effective method for minimizing transaction fees on your WordPress platform involves upgrading to a premium plugin. This strategy limits your expenses to the plugin’s premium cost, bypassing supplementary charges in addition to Stripe’s typical transaction fee.

Complimentary payment processing plugins frequently impose supplementary fees, occasionally 1% or higher, layered onto Stripe’s standard fee (2.9% + 30¢ per transaction). Upgrading to the premium version helps you avoid these added expenses, restricting your payments to only Stripe’s fee.

If a straightforward payment form integrated with Stripe is what you’re seeking, consider WP Simple Pay Pro. This option eliminates extra platform costs included in the free plugin version, ensuring that you are only charged Stripe’s standard transaction fee.

Conversely, for businesses focused on selling digital goods, the Easy Digital Downloads Pro edition also omits additional fees, presenting a favorable solution. Consult our in-depth Easy Digital Downloads review for further information.

Likewise, WPForms Pro facilitates payment collection without incurring supplementary platform costs, guaranteeing you only pay Stripe’s standard transaction fee.

We suggest this upgraded plugin if your website focuses on selling a single product. Consult our WPForms review for a deeper understanding.

Conversely, the YITH WooCommerce Stripe plugin can remove the extra transaction charges that some payment gateways impose.

It’s particularly helpful for WooCommerce-based businesses selling tangible goods.

By upgrading, you guarantee that only Stripe’s standard fees apply, which cuts your expenses and expands functionality.

Bonus Tip: Pass Payment Processing Fee to Customers in WordPress

As another option, you have the ability to transfer Stripe’s processing charges directly to your clientele, thus keeping your profit margins intact.

When you shift the payment processing fee, the additional expense is assumed by your customers rather than you.

For instance, if a buyer purchases an item priced at $100 and Stripe levies a $3 charge, you could incorporate this $3 into the overall charge, leading the customer to remit $103 instead of $100.

Be aware that shifting extra charges to customers might affect sales. Consider doing market research before increasing the final price.

If you have an established business, price hikes without prior notification could harm user experience. Alerting customers as to why prices are changing fosters trust and prevents alienating them.

For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to pass the payment processing fee to customers in WordPress.

FAQs: Reducing Stripe Transaction Fees in WordPress

Here are some questions frequently asked by our readers about reducing the Stripe transaction fees in WordPress:

How can I reduce losses from chargebacks and dispute fees?

Chargebacks can quickly eat into your profits if not handled properly. As of mid-2025, Stripe charges $15 for every dispute and an additional $15 if you contest it.

These fees can add up, especially if disputes happen often. To reduce these losses, it’s important to be proactive:

• Use fraud prevention tools like Stripe Radar or add a CAPTCHA on checkout forms to block suspicious activity.
• Offer clear refund and return policies so customers don’t feel the need to file a dispute.
• Provide excellent customer service and communicate quickly when issues arise.

By being transparent and responsive, you can prevent many disputes before they escalate. This saves you both time and money while building trust with your customers.

Can switching payment platforms (like Square or PayPal) help lower fees?

Some WordPress site owners wonder if switching from Stripe to another platform might save them money.

For example, Square’s online fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, which is the same as Stripe in many regions. In some places, Square’s fee can be slightly lower—around 1.4% + $0.25.

Before making a switch, consider these points:

• Check how well the new payment gateway works with WordPress plugins like WooCommerce or WPForms.
• Think about your customers’ experience—they may prefer Stripe because it’s fast and familiar.

Changing platforms can sometimes bring savings, but it’s important to make sure the transition doesn’t hurt your checkout experience or add extra technical work.

Besides tweaking WordPress settings, are there other methods to lower Stripe fees?

Certainly. Some straightforward approaches can cut costs, irrespective of the platform you use. Stripe recommends these practices:

• Establish a minimum transaction amount. This prevents fees from being disproportionately high for very small purchases.
• Verify the configuration of your payment gateway. Incorrect setups might lead to unnecessarily high transaction processing rates.
• Maintain current versions of your WordPress plugins and Stripe integration. Using outdated software can lead to errors or additional charges.

While these actions won’t eliminate Stripe’s fees, they can result in significant savings over time.

We trust this article has shown you effective methods for decreasing Stripe transaction fees within WordPress. You might also find our beginner guides on integrating Bancontact and Giropay payments into WordPress useful.

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