Black Friday $100 Sale: What PayPal, Stripe and Square Actually Take in 2026
On a $100 Black Friday sale, Stripe leaves you the most money: $96.80 after its 2.9% plus $0.30 fee. Square takes $3.60, so you keep $96.40. PayPal Checkout takes the most at $3.98, leaving you $96.02. The difference on a single order is less than a dollar — but across a Black Friday weekend of 500 orders, the gap between Stripe and PayPal Checkout is $390, and that is money you never see again.
The $100 Math, Processor by Processor
| Processor | Rate | Fee on $100 | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 | $3.98 | $96.02 |
| PayPal goods & services | 2.99% + $0.49 | $3.48 | $96.52 |
| Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 | $3.20 | $96.80 |
| Square Online | 3.3% + $0.30 | $3.60 | $96.40 |
PayPal has two common rates, which is why sellers get confused. PayPal Checkout — the button buyers click on your site — charges 3.49% plus $0.49. A standard goods-and-services payment through a PayPal account charges 2.99% plus $0.49. If most of your buyers pay through PayPal Checkout, use the 3.49% number when you model your margins. Stripe charges a flat 2.9% plus $0.30 for domestic cards, and Square Online charges 3.3% plus $0.30. All three rates are the standard US pricing published by the processors for 2026, and your own account may differ if you negotiated volume pricing.
Why the Fixed Fee Hits Small Orders Hardest
On a $100 sale the percentage does almost all the work. On a $10 sale the fixed fee takes over. Stripe’s $0.30 fixed fee is 3% of a $10 order all by itself, and PayPal’s $0.49 is nearly 5%. That is why the cheapest processor for $100 orders is not automatically the cheapest for $10 orders — and why sellers of low-priced items should run the same comparison at their real average order value instead of a round $100.
Work it out for your own store: if your average order is $25, PayPal Checkout costs $1.36 per order, Stripe costs $1.03, and Square costs $1.13. The ranking stays the same, but the spread widens in percentage terms: PayPal costs about a third more than Stripe per order at $25. At $100 the gap is 24%. If you sell mostly small items, our PayPal micropayments guide shows when PayPal’s small-payment rate changes the answer entirely.
What 500 Black Friday Orders Really Cost
Multiply the per-order fee by your expected volume and the choice stops looking trivial:
- 100 orders at $100 each: PayPal Checkout $398, Stripe $320, Square $360.
- 500 orders: PayPal Checkout $1,990, Stripe $1,600, Square $1,800.
- 1,000 orders: PayPal Checkout $3,980, Stripe $3,200, Square $3,600.
The $780 difference between PayPal Checkout and Stripe at 1,000 orders pays for a lot of Black Friday advertising. That does not mean every seller should switch to Stripe — the next section is the catch — but it does mean the processor line on your profit-and-loss statement deserves a look before the biggest selling weekend of the year. Use our PayPal fee calculator and Stripe fee calculator to test your exact average order value instead of trusting a round-number example.
When the Cheapest Processor Is Not the Best Deal
Fees are only half the equation. PayPal’s checkout button converts well because millions of buyers already trust it and do not have to type in card details. A seller who saves $0.78 per order on Stripe but loses 2% of checkouts to extra friction has made a bad trade. Square wins for sellers who also sell in person, because online and in-store sales land in one dashboard and one payout. Stripe wins for sellers who want the deepest control over checkout design and subscriptions.
The honest test is revenue after fees, not the fee rate. Run both options for a week if you can, compare completed orders and not just the rate card, and then decide. If you are repricing for Black Friday, our reverse fee calculator guide shows how to set a price that lands exactly where you want after fees are taken out.
How to Model Your Own Numbers
Do not budget from a blog post’s round numbers — plug in your real average order value, your real refund rate, and the share of sales that come through each payment method. A store where 60% of buyers choose PayPal and 40% choose cards pays a blended rate, and the blend is what your margin feels. Start with the calculators linked above, then add your marketplace fees if you also sell on eBay or Etsy — our holiday seller checklist walks through fees, refunds and chargebacks together, so the Black Friday plan covers the whole cost stack rather than one line at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which processor is cheapest for a $100 sale in 2026?
Stripe, at $3.20 in fees on a $100 domestic card sale, leaving you $96.80. Square Online costs $3.60 and PayPal Checkout costs $3.98 on the same sale.
Why does PayPal cost more than Stripe?
PayPal Checkout charges 3.49% plus a $0.49 fixed fee, against Stripe’s 2.9% plus $0.30. The higher percentage and the higher fixed fee both add up, though PayPal’s standard goods-and-services rate of 2.99% plus $0.49 is closer to Stripe.
Do these rates include international cards?
No. International cards add extra percentage points at every processor — Stripe adds 1.5% for international cards, PayPal adds a cross-border fee, and Square’s online rate applies to domestic cards. Model international orders separately.
Should I switch processors before Black Friday?
Only if you can test the new checkout first. A cheaper rate that breaks checkout or confuses buyers costs more than it saves. If you switch, do it at least two weeks before the sale and watch conversion daily.