Compare the same order amount first
Published fee components checked November 9, 2026. This table calculates advertised service/processing components only, not full net payouts or a universal cheapest-provider ranking. Dollar-equivalent order sizes are used for arithmetic; actual billing currency and conversion conditions must be checked.
| Product/component | Public pricing basis | $10 order | $100 order | $1,000 order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BitPay, monthly volume below $500,000 | 2% + $0.25 per transaction | $0.45 | $2.25 | $20.25 |
| BitPay, $500,000–$999,999 monthly volume | 1.5% + $0.25 | $0.40 | $1.75 | $15.25 |
| BitPay, monthly volume at least $1 million | 1% + $0.25 | $0.35 | $1.25 | $10.25 |
| NOWPayments advertised service fee | 1% component | $0.10 | $1.00 | $10.00 |
| Coinbase Business payment links | Completed-payment fee; view applicable fee after signing in | Obtain quote | Obtain quote | Obtain quote |
| PayIn link/POS tool use | Currently free; no permanent-free promise | $0 tool-use charge | $0 tool-use charge | $0 tool-use charge |
Sources: BitPay pricing, NOWPayments pricing, Coinbase Business payment-link help and PayIn. BitPay notes higher fees for high-risk industries. The PayIn row is a tool-use statement, not an all-in network, conversion or payout quote. Add every applicable separate charge before comparing products. No unknown Coinbase rate has been filled with an assumed number.
See why fixed fees matter on small sales
| BitPay's published below-$500,000 tier | Processing component | Share of order |
|---|---|---|
| $10 sale | $0.45 | 4.5% |
| $100 sale | $2.25 | 2.25% |
| $1,000 sale | $20.25 | 2.025% |
A larger monthly-volume tier changes the tariff; a larger individual invoice alone does not move a merchant into that tier. Network, conversion, payout and exception charges remain separate where applicable.
Choose by use case: for small counter sales, inspect fixed fees and customer preparation; for larger invoices, inspect conversion spread and payout access; for API payments, compare infrastructure billing independently of merchant-service tariffs. Provider profiles explain what each product actually supplies. Network fee examples explain the chain component.
A low network fee is only one part of accepting USDC. The customer may need to obtain the asset, the payment service may charge for processing, and the merchant may later convert the receipt or withdraw it. Count the steps your business actually uses and identify who pays each one.
This worksheet is part of the merchant payment series. It compares cost structure, not live quotes or a promise of savings.
Separate customer cost from merchant cost
| Cost item | When it may apply | Record this |
|---|---|---|
| Obtaining the accepted asset | Customer swaps, purchases or withdraws before payment | Purchase/withdrawal fee and conversion rate |
| Payment-service processing | Provider charges for a completed payment or invoice | Percentage, fixed fee, tier and billing party |
| Network execution | Transfer or sponsored settlement is submitted | Fee payer and actual included/excluded charges |
| Receiving-account preparation | A required account must be initialized | One-time or repeated cost and who funds it |
| Conversion after receipt | Merchant changes asset or currency | Fee, spread, amount and quote expiry |
| Bank withdrawal | Merchant transfers converted proceeds to a bank | Minimum, fixed/percentage fee and bank charges |
| Refund or recovery | Another transfer or provider operation is needed | Fee, approval and manual handling time |
Do not add the same underlying gas charge twice if a provider includes it in its service price. Conversely, do not omit it just because the customer does not pay it directly. The gasless-payment guide explains that distinction.
Use a consistent comparison formula
For a specific merchant route:
Merchant cost = processing charges + merchant-paid execution/setup + conversion cost + withdrawal cost + applicable exception costs.
Compare customer preparation separately. A slightly cheaper merchant route may still be unsuitable if every customer must buy another token or bridge a balance before paying.
For conversion, compare the net amount received against an agreed reference quote, rather than adding a stated fee while ignoring the exchange rate. Keep fees charged in USDC separate from local-currency amounts until you use an explicit conversion assumption.
Example: an 18 USDC counter sale
Assume a hypothetical provider charges 1% plus 0.20 USDC per payment. This is an invented teaching example, not PayIn pricing or another provider's quote.
| Illustrative component | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage fee | 18 × 1% | 0.18 USDC |
| Fixed payment fee | Assumed | 0.20 USDC |
| Processing subtotal | 0.18 + 0.20 | 0.38 USDC |
| Share of sale | 0.38 ÷ 18 | About 2.11% |
Network, conversion and bank costs are not included in that subtotal. The fixed component matters more on small sales. If the merchant keeps the receipt in USDC, immediate conversion and bank withdrawal may not occur, but future spending can still have costs.
A counter also has operating costs: preparing a wallet, identifying a receipt or resolving an uncertain payment. These are business-process questions, not measured savings attributable to a tool.
Example: a 1,000 USDC invoice
Using the same invented tariff, processing is 10 + 0.20 = 10.20 USDC. If a separate, hypothetical conversion costs 0.5% of the remaining 989.80 USDC, that component is 4.949 USDC, before any withdrawal charge or rounding policy.
The combined illustrated cost is 15.149 USDC, or about 1.51% of the original invoice. The percentage base matters: applying conversion to the original amount produces a different figure. Confirm the actual provider's sequence rather than assuming this model.
Keep infrastructure prices separate from merchant tariffs
A developer facilitator may charge for onchain settlement activity while a merchant product charges for completed sales. These are different services. A checkout operator's infrastructure cost is not automatically a fee charged to every merchant using its interface.
Use current official pricing for CDP Facilitator, BitPay or the selected merchant service. Record the date, product, tier and exclusions beside the quote. Avoid applying a free tier to an unrelated product under the same company name.
How PayIn fits this worksheet
PayIn's current hosted USDC link creation and POS use are free and require no merchant registration; this is not a permanent pricing promise or a statement that every wallet, network or conversion operation is free. The tool does not itself provide automatic bank conversion. Check the current receiving flow and your intended after-receipt route.
For provider selection, use the merchant comparison. For device preparation and queue efficiency, use the counter-speed guide, rather than treating chain fees as the entire experience.