Running an online store can feel like a balancing act. Between subscriptions, shipping, and payment charges, you may sometimes feel the need to add CC fee on Shopify orders just to stay profitable.
Take Sarah’s story: she sold handmade accessories and noticed her profits shrinking. The culprit? Shopify CC fees and processing charges. She wondered—should she start passing these fees to her customers?
If you’ve had the same thought, you’re not alone. Let’s break this down step by step.
Keynotes at a Glance
- Shopify charges credit card fees on every order.
- Many sellers wonder if they need to add CC fee on Shopify orders.
- Passing fees to buyers directly is often restricted.
- Workarounds like price adjustments can cover Shopify CC fees.
- Tools like PlugBooks make tracking fees simple.
Why Sellers Feel the Need to Add CC Fee on Shopify Orders
Every swipe or click of a card costs money. For small businesses, a 2–3% cut might seem small, but across hundreds of orders, it’s huge. That’s why sellers often feel they need to add CC fee on Shopify orders.
But here’s the reality: Shopify doesn’t allow direct surcharges in most cases, and some regions even have laws against it. So, the smarter question becomes: how do I cover these costs without losing customers?
Along with fees, the Shopify monthly cost is another factor that sellers need to consider when evaluating profit margins.
Understanding Shopify CC Fees
What Are Shopify CC Fees?
Shopify CC fees are charges applied when a customer pays by credit card. These usually include a percentage of the transaction plus a small flat fee.
For example:
- On the Basic Shopify plan, fees are usually 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.
- Higher-tier plans reduce the percentage slightly.
These Shopify CC fees can add up quickly, especially for small-ticket items. To see the full picture of your expenses, it’s helpful to review your Shopify billing regularly.
Shopify CC Processing Fees Explained
Here’s where it gets a little tricky. On top of transaction charges, you may also face Shopify CC processing fees, especially if you don’t use Shopify Payments.
- Shopify Payments: Lower fees, seamless integration.
- Third-party gateways (like PayPal, Stripe): Extra processing charges.
If you want a breakdown of all expenses beyond credit card charges, you should also explore every Shopify fee that applies to your store.
Can You Really Add CC Fees on Shopify Orders?
This is the big question. While you may feel the need to add CC fee on Shopify orders, the answer depends on two things:
- Shopify’s Terms of Service – In most cases, they don’t allow adding surcharges.
- Some U.S. states and countries don’t allow credit card surcharges at all.
👉 Bottom line: Always double-check before trying to pass fees directly to customers.
Smart Alternatives to Cover Shopify CC Fees
Since directly charging buyers isn’t always an option, here are practical alternatives:
- To cover the cost, raise the prices of your products a little bit.
- Encourage other ways to pay, such as bank transfers.
- To get the most value out of each order, provide bundles or set minimum order limits.
- Use apps to get discounts when you pay with cash.
- PlugBooks can help you keep track of your fees so you don’t go overboard.
If you’re also running a physical store, don’t forget to factor in Shopify POS pricing alongside your online fees.
Real-Life Experience: What Worked Best
Sarah, who sells handmade accessories, didn’t want to take the chance of adding CC fees directly. She instead raised prices by 3% and made bundles. Customers were quite quiet. Her sales stayed high, and she was able to pay her Shopify CC fees without losing trust.
This shows that being a little creative is frequently better than charging more at the register.
FAQs
1. Can I add credit card fees directly on Shopify?
Not usually. Shopify and many local laws restrict this practice.
2. What are Shopify CC fees?
They’re the charges Shopify applies for processing card payments.
3. What are Shopify CC processing fees?
Additional costs if you use a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments.
4. Is it legal to add CC fees in the U.S.?
It varies by state. Some states ban surcharges altogether.
5. What’s the best way to cover fees without charging customers?
Adjust your product prices or encourage alternative payment methods.
6. How can PlugBooks help?
PlugBooks integrates with Shopify, QuickBooks, and Xero to automatically track and categorize Shopify CC processing fees. It also supports QuickBooks Shopify integration for smooth accounting.
Last Thoughts
If you want to add a CC fee to Shopify orders, keep in mind that direct surcharges aren’t always the ideal option. Instead, think about smarter ways to get people to pay, like changing prices, offering bundles, or encouraging them to pay with cash instead of a card.
If you use the correct tools, like PlugBooks, it’s easy and stress-free to handle Shopify CC costs and Shopify CC processing fees. You could even look at the price of Shopify stock to get a better idea of the whole firm.