Topic, verified June 2026

ACH vs Card Cost

ACH Direct Debit costs a fraction of card processing on percentage but settles slower and has different chargeback rules. The break-even basket where ACH beats cards on absolute cost depends on the cap.

0.8%
Stripe ACH
Capped at $5
0.75%
Braintree ACH
Capped at $5
1.0%
GoCardless UK Standard
Capped at GBP 4
2.9%
Typical card
+ $0.30 flat-rate
Direct answer
On any transaction above $620, Stripe ACH at 0.8% capped $5 is cheaper than Stripe card at 2.9% + $0.30. The cap means the per-transaction maximum is $5 on ACH versus growing with basket size on cards. The trade-off is settlement: ACH takes 3-5 business days versus same-day for cards, and ACH chargebacks (R-codes) can come back up to 60 days after settlement.

Vendor ACH map

FeatureVendorRateCap
Stripe0.8%$5 per tx
Braintree0.75%$5 per tx
Square Invoice ACH1.0%$10 (Plus/Premium)
Authorize.net eCheck0.75%+ $0.10 per tx
GoCardless UK Standard1.0% + 20pGBP 4
Helcim ACH/EFT0.5% + $0.25$6

Worked example: $5,000 invoice

Stripe card ($5,000 basket, illustrative example, not a real company)
  1. 01
    Variable (2.9% on $5,000)
    $145.00
  2. 02
    Fixed ($0.30)
    $0.30
Card cost
$145.30
Stripe ACH ($5,000 basket, illustrative example, not a real company)
  1. 01
    0.8% on $5,000 = $40 raw
    $40.00
  2. 02
    Capped at $5
    $5.00
ACH cost
$5.00

ACH saves $140 on this single invoice. The trade-off is 3-5 days to settle and a 60-day chargeback risk window.

Related

GoCardless pricing
Direct-debit specialist.
Stripe pricing
Card + ACH side-by-side.
Recurring billing cost
ACH's natural use case.
Last verified June 2026. Next review September 2026. Rates change without notice; always confirm directly with the vendor before signing a contract.