Pricing
Two plans. Every fee listed.
Our price is Stripe's standard price plus 1%. Pick one flat rate, or pay what each card actually costs plus our fee. Either way, this page lists every fee we charge.
Simple
3.9% + 30¢per online card payment, all-in
One rate on every payment: Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ plus our 1%. Interchange and network fees are included, so the price never changes with the card.
- Same price for every card, including cards issued outside the US
- Bank payments (ACH): 1% + Stripe's bank fee (0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.50)
- Invoices: 4.3% + 30¢ by card or 1.4% + Stripe's bank fee by bank. Subscriptions: 4.6% + 30¢. Both include Stripe's own fee, at cost
- No dispute fees, won or lost
Clear
Card costs + 1% + 30¢per online card payment
You pay what each card costs, with interchange at the networks' published rates and network fees at cost, plus our fee. Every payment shows the split. Clear isn't open yet, so every account starts on Simple for now.
- Interchange and network fees at cost, with no markup on them
- Often cheaper than Simple with debit and standard credit cards; can cost more with premium, business or international cards, or on very small sales
- Cards issued outside the US: the networks' cross-border fees, at cost
- Bank payments (ACH): 1% + Stripe's bank fee (0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.50)
- Invoices and subscriptions: Stripe's 0.4% invoicing or 0.7% billing fee is added, at cost
One sale, both ways
See where every cent goes.
Change the amount, the plan or the card. On Clear, the customer's bank gets its published interchange rate, the card network gets its fees at cost, and we add our fee. On Simple, one rate covers all of it.
Debit cards from large banks usually cost far less to accept, because US law caps their interchange at 21¢ + 0.05%, plus a 1¢ fraud-prevention adjustment. Clear passes that saving to you, except on very small sales: under about $6, the capped debit fee is higher than a rewards card's.
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 fee list
Everything we charge, on one table.
| What | Simple plan | Clear plan |
|---|---|---|
| Online card payment: a payment link, checkout or the API | 3.9% + 30¢: Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ plus our 1% | Interchange and network fees at cost + 1% + 30¢ |
| Invoice paid by card | 4.3% + 30¢: the card price plus Stripe's 0.4% invoicing fee, at cost | Interchange and network fees at cost + 1.4% + 30¢, with Stripe's 0.4% invoicing fee |
| Invoice paid by bank (ACH) | 1.4% + Stripe's bank fee (0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.50) | 1.4% + Stripe's bank fee (0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.50) |
| Subscription payment | 4.6% + 30¢: the card price plus Stripe's 0.7% billing fee, at cost | Interchange and network fees at cost + 1.7% + 30¢, with Stripe's 0.7% billing fee |
| Card issued outside the US | No extra fee | Cross-border network fees at cost (about 1.45% on a US-dollar sale) |
| Bank payment (ACH) | 1% + Stripe's bank fee (0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.50) | 1% + Stripe's bank fee (0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.50) |
| Bank payment that fails or is returned | $0 | $0 |
| Dispute, won or lost | $0. If you lose, the payment goes back to the customer | $0. If you lose, the payment goes back to the customer |
| Early dispute alerts (optional, coming later) | At cost. The price is shown before you turn them on | At cost. The price is shown before you turn them on |
| Declined payment | $0 | $0 from Candor. The networks' per-attempt fees (a few cents) pass through |
| Refund | $0 to send. The original payment's fees aren't returned | $0 to send. The original payment's fees aren't returned |
| Payouts | Free, every business day | Free, every business day |
| Instant payout (optional: in about 30 minutes, any day) | 1.5% of the payout, at least 50¢ | 1.5% of the payout, at least 50¢ |
| 3-D Secure and fraud checks | $0 | $0 |
| Invoice reminders, subscription reminders and payment retries, the subscriber page, the API and webhooks | $0 | $0 |
| Monthly, setup, PCI and cancellation fees | $0 | $0 |
| Higher-risk businesses and sales over $250,000 a month | Priced after review, in writing before you agree to it | Priced after review, in writing before you agree to it |
Prices are in US dollars for US businesses. Your Candor account page shows the price you agreed to, and we give 30 days' written notice before any change.
Calculator
Which plan costs less for you?
Enter a typical month. The Clear estimate uses Visa's published interchange rates, plus network fees, for the card mix you choose. Clear isn't open yet, so every account starts on Simple for now.
Your numbers
Estimated monthly cost
Clear costs about $361.76 less a month at these numbers ($4,341.12 a year).
Simple costs the same for cards from outside the US. Clear plan estimates use Visa's published interchange rates and network fees for the mix you pick, and for cards from outside the US they add the networks' cross-border fees (about 1.45%); those cards' own interchange can differ. Your real Clear cost follows each card exactly, and your statement lists it line by line. Monthly network fees, such as Visa's Fixed Acquirer Network Fee, and the networks' few-cent fees on declined attempts pass through at cost on Clear and are included on Simple.
How Clear works
Three layers, and only one is ours.
Interchange to the customer's bank
Visa and Mastercard publish these rates. They depend on the type of card and how it's used. For example, Visa's rate for a Traditional Rewards credit card used online is 2.04% + 10¢, and a Signature Preferred card is 2.50% + 10¢ (rates effective April 18, 2026).
Network fees to Visa or Mastercard
Smaller fees for using the network. On a US Visa credit card payment online, that's 0.14% of the sale, 1.95¢ per authorization, and Visa's digital commerce fee of 0.0075% (at least 0.75¢). Some network fees are charged monthly, such as Visa's Fixed Acquirer Network Fee; on Clear they pass through at cost, line by line.
Candor's fee to us
1% + 30¢ per payment. It's the only part we set, and it's the same for every card.
Interchange rates are from Visa's published interchange table. Network fee figures are from Wells Fargo Merchant Services' pass-through fee schedule (April 2025). The networks change their fees from time to time; on Clear you always pay the rate in force on the day of the payment.
Questions
Pricing questions, answered.
Why is your price Stripe's price plus 1%?
Stripe processes every payment, and its standard price for a US card payment is 2.9% + 30¢. Stripe bills that to us, not you, along with its fees for paying you out every business day, disputes, cards from abroad and failed bank payments. Our 1% pays for those and for the people who answer when you need help, so your price is one number, with no extra fee for any of them.
Are there any fees that aren't on this page?
No. If a fee isn't in the table above, we don't charge it. On the Clear plan, card-network fees pass through at cost, and each one is listed on your statement.
Why is there no monthly fee?
We earn our fee on each payment. If you sell nothing in a month, you pay nothing that month.
What do invoices and subscriptions cost?
When Stripe sends an invoice or bills a subscription, it charges its own fee on top of its card price: 0.4% for an invoice and 0.7% for each subscription payment. We pass that fee through at cost and add nothing to it. On Simple, an invoice paid by card costs 4.3% + 30¢, an invoice paid by bank costs 1.4% + Stripe's bank fee, and each subscription payment costs 4.6% + 30¢. Reminders, extra tries when a renewal fails, and the page where subscribers update their card or cancel cost nothing more. For a one-off payment that needs no reminders, a payment link costs less, at 3.9% + 30¢.
What does a bank payment cost?
1% + Stripe's bank fee (0.8%, never more than $5, plus $1.50), the same on both plans. A $100 bank payment costs $3.30, $1,000 costs $16.50 and $10,000 costs $106.50. Nothing is charged if a bank payment fails or is returned. Bank payments suit larger invoices; on small amounts, a card payment can cost less.
What does a declined payment cost?
Nothing from Candor on either plan. On Clear, the networks' per-attempt fees, a few cents each, pass through, because the networks charge them on authorizations whether they're approved or declined.
What happens to fees when I refund a payment?
Sending a refund is free. The fees on the original payment aren't returned.
What does a dispute cost?
Nothing from Candor, win or lose. If you lose, the payment goes back to the customer. If you refund a customer before their bank opens a dispute, there's no dispute at all.
Can I switch plans?
Yes. Tell us and the new plan starts on the first day of the next month, once you've confirmed it on your Candor account page. Clear isn't open yet, so every account starts on Simple for now.
Do you charge for 3-D Secure or fraud checks?
No. Every card payment gets a security-code check and is screened by Stripe Radar, Stripe's fraud detection, with 3-D Secure when the card's bank asks for it. That's included on both plans.
Is pricing different for higher-risk businesses?
Yes. Businesses in categories that need extra review, and businesses selling more than $250,000 a month, get a written price after review. It's shown on your Candor account page, and you agree to it before you set up your account. Every other fee is the same as on this page. The high-risk page explains how review works.
Is there a contract or a cancellation fee?
No. Cancel any time, with no fee.
Ready when you are.
Opening an account takes a few minutes, and you agree to your price, in writing, before you take your first payment.