Merchant services for US online businesses
Payments with nothing hidden.
Credit card processing for small businesses that sell online. Take cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and see the fee math on every sale, to the cent. Every standard fee, rule and payout date is public, and any custom price is in writing before you agree to it.
- Stripe's price + 1%
- $0 monthly or dispute fees
- Payouts every business day
Interchange is Visa's published rate (effective April 18, 2026). Network fees are from Wells Fargo's published pass-through schedule, including Visa's digital commerce fee. Clear isn't open yet, so every account starts on Simple for now. Your Candor dashboard shows the fee on every payment.
The whole bill
Every fee, on one public list.
If a fee isn't on our pricing page, we don't charge it. These are the fees most businesses see.
- Online card payment, Simple planStripe's 2.9% + 30¢ plus our 1%, card costs included3.9% + 30¢
- Online card payment, Clear plancard costs at cost, plus our fee, not open yet+ 1% + 30¢
- Card issued outside the USno extra on Simple; on Clear, the networks' cross-border fees pass through at cost$0
- Bank payment (ACH)Stripe's bank fee is 0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.501% + Stripe's
bank fee - Bank payment that fails or is returned$0
- Dispute, won or lost$0
- Monthly, setup and PCI fees$0
- Cancelling$0
- Payoutsevery business day$0
How we compare
Candor next to Stripe, Square and PayPal.
On a $100 sale with a US card, all three cost less than we do: Stripe processes our payments, and its own price is 1% lower. With a card from outside the US, we cost less than all three, and unlike Stripe and PayPal, we charge nothing when a customer disputes a payment.
| What it costs | Candor Simple plan | Stripe standard price | Square Free plan | PayPal card payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per payment | 3.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 3.3% + 30¢ | 2.99% + 49¢ |
| A $100 sale, US card | $4.20 | $3.20 | $3.60 | $3.48 |
| A $100 sale, card from outside the US | $4.20 | $4.70 +1.5% for the card | $5.10 +1.5% for the card | $4.98 +1.5% for the card |
| Each dispute | $0, won or lost | $15, plus $15 to respond (returned if you win) | $0 | $20 per chargeback |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
No dispute fees
A dispute costs nothing from us, won or lost. Stripe charges $15 for each one, plus $15 to respond, and PayPal $20 per chargeback.
One price for every card
A card from outside the US costs the same 3.9% + 30¢ as any other. Stripe, Square and PayPal each add 1.5% for one.
A person behind your account
A person reviews every new account. If Stripe holds a payout or asks you for something, we aim to reply within one business day and help you sort it out.
The dashboard
Four answers, before anything else.
How much did I sell? When do I get paid? Does anything need me? Am I in good standing with Visa and Mastercard? The home screen answers all four in plain words. Everything else is one tap away.
- Answer a $89.00 dispute6 days left
- Release or refund 2 held paymentsdue next business day
We warn you at 0.5% and agree a plan at 0.9%. The networks' limit is 1.5%.
Sample data for a made-up business. In your account, your Candor dashboard shows your balance, payouts, payments, refunds and disputes; the home screen above and the card network and declines views are coming later. Open the dashboard preview to click through payments, payouts, disputes and declines.
In writing
What we put in writing, before you agree.
Every fee
Two plans and one fee list. On the Clear plan, interchange passes through at the networks' published rates and network fees at cost, and every payment shows the split between the card's bank, the network and us. Clear isn't open yet, so every account starts on Simple for now.
Every rule
Who we accept, what we check, and when and why money can be held. The rulebook is public, so you know where you stand before you apply.
Every hold, explained
Candor sets no reserves and can't hold your payouts. If Stripe, which processes your payments, ever does, it tells you directly and shows what it needs from you, and we help you sort it out.
Every payout, added up
Sales, minus refunds, disputed amounts and fees, equals your payout. Your Candor dashboard breaks each one down so you can check it.
Card network health
Know where you stand with Visa and Mastercard, every day.
Visa and Mastercard track every business's fraud and dispute rates, and their monitoring programs start at 1.5%. We watch your rate, warn you at 0.5% and work out a plan with you at 0.9%, long before either network's limit. Card network health, coming later to your Candor dashboard, will show it to you every day.
Visa fraud and dispute ratio
HealthySample business, October so far. Visa counts fraud reports and disputes against online Visa payments.
Ways to get paid
Everything an online business needs to get paid.
Six ways to get paid, all from your Candor account page, on the same published pricing. Every one pays into your Stripe account, less our fee.
Payment links
Send a link by email or text, or put one on your website as a pay button. The customer pays on a secure Stripe page with cards, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Bank payments
ACH for large payments at 1% + Stripe's bank fee (0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.50), so a $5,000 bank payment costs $56.50, against $195.30 by card.
Checkout
A hosted payment page connected to your store's cart. Add your products, and your store's Checkout button sends customers there. Card numbers never touch your website.
Invoices
Itemized invoices with a pay button, by card or bank, and automatic reminders before and after the due date until they're paid. 4.3% + 30¢ by card, with Stripe's 0.4% invoicing fee passed through at cost.
Subscriptions
Monthly or yearly billing with free trials, reminders before a trial ends and before each yearly renewal, retries when a payment fails, and a page where customers update their own card or cancel. 4.6% + 30¢ per payment, with Stripe's 0.7% billing fee passed through at cost.
API and webhooks
For developers and platforms that build their own checkout or want payments inside their software. Read the API docs.
Who it's for
Built for online businesses in the US.
The full list of what we accept, review and decline is on the rules page. Here is the short version.
- Accepted
Ecommerce stores, SaaS and software, digital products, online courses, coaching, agencies and professional services.
- Extra review
Subscriptions with free trials, supplements, hemp-derived CBD with lab certificates, high-ticket offers and travel. What we check and why
- Not yet
In-person card readers, businesses outside the US, crypto exchanges and firearms. Adult content and gambling aren't accepted at all, because Stripe doesn't support them.
Pricing
Two plans, and no monthly fee on either.
Simple
3.9% + 30¢per online card payment, all-in
Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ plus our 1%: the same rate on every payment, whatever card the customer uses.
Clear
Card costs + 1% + 30¢per online card payment
You pay what each card costs, plus our fee. It often costs less, especially with debit and standard credit cards, but can cost more with premium, business or international cards, or on very small sales. Clear isn't open yet, so every account starts on Simple for now.
Guides
Plain answers about card payments.
Credit card processing fees, explained
Where every cent of a card fee goes, with Visa's published rates and a worked example.
How to accept credit card payments
The steps for an online business, from choosing a provider to your first payout.
What is a merchant account?
How merchant accounts differ from Stripe-style accounts, and what underwriting checks.
Credit card processing fee calculator
Work out the fee on a sale, what to charge to keep a set amount, and which plan costs less.
Questions
Questions businesses ask first.
What does Candor Payments cost?
Stripe's standard price for each payment, plus our 1%. On the Simple plan, that's 3.9% + 30¢ per online card payment, all-in. Bank payments cost 1% + Stripe's bank fee (0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.50). There are no monthly, setup, PCI, dispute or cancellation fees. The pricing page lists every fee.
Who processes the payments?
Stripe. Each business on Candor gets its own Stripe account, connected to Candor, and customers pay on Stripe's secure pages, so card numbers never touch your website or ours.
When do I get paid?
Every business day, at no charge, or weekly or monthly if you'd rather: you choose in your Candor settings. Card payments are paid out about two business days after the payment, and bank payments about four. Your first payout takes longer, usually 7 to 14 days after your first payment, while Stripe gets to know a new account. Your Candor dashboard shows your next payout and the day it's due, and we email you when each one is sent. If you need money sooner, an instant payout reaches an eligible bank account in about 30 minutes, any day, for 1.5% of the payout, at least 50¢. Stripe decides which accounts can use them, and new accounts aren't eligible right away.
Can my payouts be held?
Candor sets no reserves and can't hold your payouts. Stripe, which processes your payments, can slow or pause payouts, or keep part of your balance as a reserve, if it sees a risk. It tells you directly and shows what it needs, and we help you sort it out. The rules explain how holds work.
Can higher-risk businesses apply?
Many can. Some kinds of business get extra review and a custom price, in writing before you agree to it. The full list of what we accept, review and decline is public, and Stripe's own rules apply too. The high-risk page explains what we check.
Is Candor Payments open now?
Yes. Candor Payments is open for US businesses that sell online. Opening an account takes a few minutes: your email, a 6-digit code and one tap, with no password and no forms from us. Next time, sign in with Face ID or your fingerprint. You can take payments once Stripe has verified your business, and a person on our team reviews every new account within a business day.
Open your account in minutes.
Your email, a 6-digit code and one tap. Stripe then verifies you on the same page. We never ask for ID numbers or bank details by email or phone.