What taking a payment really costs a small merchant

A card payment taken with Tap to Pay costs you 1.9% + €0.20 per payment, all in, with a card issued in the European Economic Area (EEA). With a card issued outside the EEA, it costs 3.4% + €0.20. On a small ticket, the same payment costs you proportionally more than on a large one. The schedule is the same in both cases: the fixed part of €0.20 per payment makes the difference.

This article takes apart, item by item, what a payment really costs a merchant in France, then separates what you have to accept from what you decide: the channel, the stablecoin you ask for, the rail.

FiatFlex is open to merchants established in the euro area with a euro bank account, and Tap to Pay on iPhone is available in France.

The headline rate is not the cost

On the card side, a percentage quoted on its own says nothing about a small ticket, because it leaves the fixed part that comes with it in the shade: €0.20 per payment on Tap to Pay, €0.25 per payment on a payment link. It does not move with the amount taken.

So the same €0.20 weighs far more on a small ticket than on a large one. Same line, same schedule, and no headline percentage shows it.

The practical conclusion fits in one sentence: compare totals in euros on your real average basket, never percentages against each other. A merchant with an €8 average basket and a merchant with an €80 one are not reading the same schedule, even when it is the same schedule.

The two rails, item by item

Cards. With a card issued in the EEA, Tap to Pay costs 1.9% + €0.20 per payment and a payment link 2% + €0.25 per payment. With a card issued outside the EEA, Tap to Pay costs 3.4% + €0.20 and a payment link up to 3.65% + €0.25. Every line, including Visa, Mastercard and CB business cards on a payment link, is on the pricing page.

Stablecoins. We accept USDC and EURC on Solana. Converting them into euros and sending the money to your bank account costs 1% in EURC and 1.5% in USDC, with the SEPA transfer included. That price is a percentage of the amount converted, with no fixed part: the same rate applies to a small amount as to a large one.

On a small ticket, the stablecoin keeps its advantage

Received in EURC or USDC, a small ticket is charged the same percentage as a large one, because the conversion has no fixed part. Tapped on a card, the same ticket carries the €0.20 per payment in full: in proportion, the stablecoin's lead is therefore wider there than on a large ticket.

The cause comes down to one line of the schedule: the card's fixed part. A fixed part weighs all the more heavily the smaller the ticket, whatever the technology; a plain percentage stays the same share of every amount.

Grouping conversions does not change the price

The conversion price is a percentage of the amount converted, with the SEPA transfer included: it depends neither on the number of transfers nor on how often you make them.

Converted one at a time, ten sales cost the same in total as the same ten sales converted in a single transfer. Only the conversion minimum may lead you to let very small amounts build up before you convert: a conversion is possible from 5.06 EURC or 5.06 USDC.

The moment of conversion is still yours: choose it for your cash flow, not for your fees.

What a card dispute costs

A dispute is the item price lists highlight least often, and the one that hurts most on a small volume. Each dispute received costs €20 (none if the payment went through the CB network), plus €20 if you contest it, returned if you win in full. The disputed amount is debited and the sale's fees are not returned; network fees can apply in rare cases.

A refund does not return all of the payment's fees; the detail is in the terms and conditions.

A payment received in stablecoins, for its part, has neither disputes nor chargebacks: a transfer confirmed on Solana is final, and a refund means sending a new payment.

What verification asks of you

There is no sign-up fee. Opening an account goes through verification carried out by Stripe and by Bridge: your identity, your company details where there is a company, the usual regulatory checks, then an IBAN in the SEPA area for your withdrawals. The list of documents expected is in the app.

This item is not paid in euros, it is paid in preparation: gathering the documents before you start saves you from coming back to it in stages.

FiatFlex is not a bank, not a payment institution and not an electronic money institution. The regulated parties in the chain are Stripe for cards and Bridge for stablecoins. The wallet we operate on your behalf is custody: FiatFlex holds those funds until you ask for a conversion or a withdrawal.

We publish no settlement time, here or anywhere else: our partners, Stripe and Bridge, have confirmed none to us, and an unconfirmed timeframe is a promise, not information.

No subscription, no terminal

• No subscription.
• No sign-up fee.
• No terminal to buy.

What you have to accept, and what you decide

Three items are imposed on you: the fixed part of the card rail, the type of card your customer presents and the arrival of a dispute, which you do not choose.

Four decisions, on the other hand, remain yours.

• The channel. With a card issued in the EEA, Tap to Pay costs less than a payment link. Face to face, tap rather than send a link.
• The stablecoin you ask for. EURC costs less than USDC to turn into euros.
• The moment of conversion. It does not change the price, which stays the same percentage for a single sale as for a batch: it is a cash-flow choice, and it is entirely yours.
• The rail. Whatever the ticket, a stablecoin costs less than a card. When your customer can pay in stablecoins, the gap is real.

On cards alone we are not the cheapest, and we would rather write it than leave it out: cheaper all-in offers exist. Read a provider's published tariff yourself on the day you decide, then compare totals in euros on your own average basket: the method is in how to compare card rates in France, and the full schedule in our pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a small ticket cost proportionally more?

Because of the fixed part. The €0.20 per payment on Tap to Pay is the same on a small ticket as on a large one, so it weighs more the smaller the ticket is. The stablecoin conversion has no fixed part.

What does a card dispute cost?

Each dispute received costs €20 (none if the payment went through the CB network), plus €20 if you contest it, returned if you win in full. The disputed amount is debited and the sale's fees are not returned; network fees can apply in rare cases. A payment received in stablecoins has no disputes.

What can I actually act on?

On the channel, on the stablecoin you ask your customers for, and on the share of your takings you receive in stablecoins rather than on cards. The moment you convert does not change the price. The rest of the schedule is imposed.

Does opening an account cost anything?

No: no subscription, no sign-up fee, no hardware to buy. You need an account verified by Stripe and by Bridge, and an IBAN in the SEPA area for your withdrawals. Then all it takes is to download the app: the schedule applied is the one on the pricing section.