Payment fees on a $1,000 retainer or order
On $1,000, Stripe US fees are $29.30 (net $970.70); PayPal US G&S is $29.90 (net $970.10). Fixed fees are almost noise; corridor FX (Wise) and platform commissions (Gumroad/Patreon blends) can dwarf card processing. Default-schedule fees on $1000 range from about $0.00 (Zelle) to $129.80 (Gumroad). Intent focus: monthly retainers, large invoices, and storefront orders.
Key takeaways
- Cheapest default on $1000: Zelle at $0.00 (net $1,000.00).
- Stripe US default fee on $1000: $29.30; charge $1,030.18 to net $1000.
- PayPal default fee on $1000: $29.90; charge $1,030.82 to net $1000.
- This URL targets monthly retainers, large invoices, and storefront orders — other amounts below cover different pricing decisions.
Worked estimates using each product’s default schedule in our dated dataset (last verified 2026-11-07). Open a calculator to change country, channel, or reverse-price a different net. See also how to price after fees.
Percent fees and FX dominate at $1,000
At four figures, optimizing plan tier and avoiding unnecessary cross-border markups usually beats worrying about a 30¢ fixed fee. Shopify Plus vs Basic is a $6.50 gap on a $1,000 online card charge in our default schedules — still small next to a bad FX conversion.
Wise corridor estimates (unverified until you generate a live quote) often land near $4–$6 of fee on a $1,000 USD→GBP style send in our planning rows — far below PayPal cross-border commercial rates when FX and receiving fees stack. Always confirm the live Wise quote before you promise a converted total.
Creator marketplace cuts remain the outlier: Gumroad Discover at 30% would take $300 of a $1,000 sale found through Discover, versus the direct 10% + $0.50 platform fee (plus processing on the blended schedule). Direct links matter at this ticket size.
Fee and net on $1000 charged
| Processor | Default schedule | Rate | Fee | Net | Charge to receive $1000 | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zelle | Standard Zelle (most banks) | 0.00% + 0.00 USD | $0.00 | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 | Calculate |
| Wise | USD → GBP (estimate, unverified) | 0.43% + 0.50 USD | $4.80 | $995.20 | $1,004.82 | Calculate |
| Venmo | Venmo Business Profile | 1.90% + 0.10 USD | $19.10 | $980.90 | $1,019.47 | Calculate |
| Cash App | Cash App for Business | 2.60% + 0.15 USD | $26.15 | $973.85 | $1,026.85 | Calculate |
| Stripe | US domestic cards | 2.90% + 0.30 USD | $29.30 | $970.70 | $1,030.18 | Calculate |
| Shopify Payments | Basic plan – online | 2.90% + 0.30 USD | $29.30 | $970.70 | $1,030.18 | Calculate |
| Ko-fi | Free plan – one-time tips (with Stripe est.) | 2.90% + 0.30 USD | $29.30 | $970.70 | $1,030.18 | Calculate |
| PayPal | US Goods & Services (Send/Receive Money) | 2.99% + 0.00 USD | $29.90 | $970.10 | $1,030.82 | Calculate |
| Square | US Free plan – online / invoice | 3.30% + 0.30 USD | $33.30 | $966.70 | $1,034.44 | Calculate |
| Buy Me a Coffee | Standard (platform + Stripe + payout est.) | 8.40% + 0.30 USD | $84.30 | $915.70 | $1,092.03 | Calculate |
| Patreon | New creators (10% platform + processing est.) | 12.90% + 0.30 USD | $129.30 | $870.70 | $1,148.45 | Calculate |
| Gumroad | Direct sales (10% + $0.50 + processing est.) | 12.90% + 0.80 USD | $129.80 | $870.20 | $1,149.02 | Calculate |
Worked $1,000 retainer / order breakdowns
- Stripe default (US domestic cards): fee $29.30, net $970.70; charge $1,030.18 to receive $1000.
- PayPal default (US Goods & Services (Send/Receive Money)): fee $29.90, net $970.10; charge $1,030.82 to receive $1000.
- Wise default (USD → GBP (estimate, unverified)): fee $4.80, net $995.20; charge $1,004.82 to receive $1000.
- Gumroad default (Direct sales (10% + $0.50 + processing est.)): fee $129.80, net $870.20; charge $1,149.02 to receive $1000.
Extra $1,000 check: Wise estimate fee is $4.80 on the default corridor row (confirm live). Gumroad direct blended default fee is $129.80 — platform commission, not card processing alone.
How it’s calculated
Forward: fee = 1000 × percent + fixed, net = 1000 − fee. Reverse to receive $
1000: charge = (1000 + fixed) ÷ (1 − percent), rounded to cents. Creator platforms include
platform commissions in the blended default — they are not comparable 1:1 with raw card processors.
FAQ
How much does Stripe take on a $1,000 payment?
At 2.9% + $0.30 US domestic cards: $29.30 fee, $970.70 net. To receive $1,000 net, charge about $1,030.18.
Is Wise cheaper than PayPal for a $1,000 international transfer?
Often yes on fee transparency, but Wise prices by corridor and amount and is quoted live. Our calculator rows are planning estimates only — generate a Wise quote and compare against PayPal’s commercial + FX schedule for the same currencies.
Does the fixed fee still matter at $1,000?
Barely for ranking card processors against each other. It still matters when you compare a percent-only schedule (PayPal G&S 2.99%) to percent-plus-fixed (Stripe 2.9% + $0.30): on $1,000, G&S stays slightly ahead on fee dollars in our defaults.
Other common amounts
Each amount page keeps its own canonical URL and intent. Prefer the amount closest to your real ticket size rather than treating these as interchangeable copies.