How do card fees work, and who should pay them?
Two fees come out of a card payment: the processor’s and the platform’s. On a $180 session, Stripe’s US rate takes $5.52 and WorkWith’s 0.75% takes $1.35. You pay them, and the place for them is inside your price. A fee added at checkout reads as a surprise.
Stripe’s standard rate for US cards. Cards from other countries cost more, and Stripe’s pricing page lists them.
Why small payments feel it more
The 30¢ is the same on every payment, so it weighs more on a small one. Together the fees come to 4.3% of a $45 session and 3.7% of a $5,000 project.
Should the client pay them?
Through your price, yes. A price that already covers the fees is just the price, and nobody questions it. A line at checkout adding 3% for paying by card is different: it turns up at the one moment the client is deciding, as a number they didn’t expect. WorkWith charges the price you set, with nothing added.
What to charge counts payment fees in the rate it gives you, at 3.5% to start, so the fees are covered before you choose a price.
When a payment is refunded
Our 0.75% comes back in proportion. Stripe keeps its own fee on the original payment.
Sources: Stripe’s US pricing, for card fees. Checked 2026-10-10.