Square Payments
One flat rate for every major card, no monthly fee on the Free plan and no contract, whether you tap, type or invoice
Rates verified October 14, 2026See pricingThe Bottom Line
- In-person card rate
- 2.6% + 15¢ (verified Oct 14, 2026). All rates and fees
Key facts
- Free plan: $0 a month and 2.6% + 15¢ for a card tapped, dipped or swiped, with no contract.
- Online and invoice payments cost 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, and a card typed in costs 3.5% + 15¢.
- Next-business-day payouts are free, instant transfers cost 1.95%, and refunded sales keep their fee.
Pros
- No monthly fee on the Free plan, and no contract or early termination fee
- The same rate for Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover
- No chargeback fee and no PCI fee
- Free next-business-day payouts, with a reader from $59 or Tap to Pay on your phone
Cons
- Online and invoice payments cost 3.3% + 30¢ on the Free plan, and a typed-in card costs 3.5% + 15¢
- Processing fees are not returned when you refund a sale
- Square can hold part of your card sales in a rolling reserve, or pause transfers for a review, if it sees risk
- Cards issued outside the US add 1.5%
At a glance
Rates verified October 14, 2026- Pricing model
- Flat rate
- In-person card rate
- 2.6% + 15¢ (Free plan; 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus, 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium)
- Online card rate
- 3.3% + 30¢ (Free plan; 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium)
- Keyed-in rate
- 3.5% + 15¢ (all plans)
- Monthly fee
- Free $0, Plus $49, Premium $149 a month (per location)
- Free plan
- Yes
- PCI fee
- $0 a month. No PCI fee: Square lists no fee for PCI compliance support
- Chargeback fee
- $0
- Bank (ACH) payments
- 1%
- Refunds
- Processing fees are not returned when you refund a payment.
- Payout speed
- Next business day at no charge (payments taken before 5 PM PT), or within minutes for a 1.95% fee
- Contract
- No locked-in contracts. Cancel or switch plans anytime.
- Early termination
- No early termination fee
- Holds and reserves
- Square says it can place a rolling reserve on card payments, setting aside a percentage and releasing it on a rolling basis, for example when you collect payment in advance of delivering goods or services, when chargebacks are high or your processing is irregular, or when you are new to Square. Reserves are reviewed after at least six months and do not apply to ACH bank payments. Square also suspends all transfers while it reviews an account that looks out of the ordinary, which it says usually takes one business day.
- Card reader
- $59 (Square Reader for contactless and chip)
- Terminal
- $299 (Square Terminal)
- Best for
- In-person sellers, Online sellers, Mobile and pop-up sellers
- Other fees to know
- Instant or same-day transfer: 1.95%; Cards issued outside the US: +1.5%; Bank (ACH) payment on an invoice: 1%, $1 minimum; $10 cap on Plus and Premium; Afterpay (buy now, pay later): 6% + 30¢; Online API payments: 2.9% + 30¢; Chargebacks: no fee for dispute management; the disputed amount is held while the case runs, and the processing fee is not returned if you lose
- Countries
- Square's region list is the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, France, Spain and Japan. The rates here are the US ones.
Sources: squareup.com/us/en/pricing, squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5068-what-are-s…, read October 14, 2026
Is it worth it?
About $285 in person, or $380 online a month in fees on $10,000 of card sales
A business taking $10,000 a month in card payments, in about 167 sales of $60, would pay about $285 if every sale is in person (Free plan at 2.6% + 15¢, with no monthly fee), and about $380 if every sale is online (Free plan at 3.3% + 30¢, with no monthly fee). Hardware, PCI fees, chargebacks and other fees are not included, and rates change, so the date above matters.
Read this before you sign up
- Square can place a rolling reserve on card payments, for example when you take payment before you deliver, when chargebacks rise or when you are new to Square. The money stays yours and is released on a rolling basis, and a reserve is reviewed after at least six months.
- Square suspends all transfers while it reviews an account that looks out of the ordinary, which it says usually takes one business day.
- The Free plan has the highest in-person rate (2.6% + 15¢ against 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium), but Plus and Premium are billed per location and only pay off at high card volume.
- Processing fees are not returned when you refund a sale, and not returned if you lose a dispute.
- A card typed in costs 3.5% + 15¢ and cards issued outside the US add 1.5%.
Where these numbers come from
Every rate and price on this page was read from the vendor's own pages on the dates below. Vendors change prices without notice, so check the current figure on their site before you decide.
- In-person, online, invoice, keyed-in and ACH rates; plan prices, trial, contract wording, next-day transfers, country list Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Rates by plan, no fee for chargebacks, PCI support or early termination, international card fee Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Second read of the rate table (same rates) Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Virtual terminal rates, no monthly fee Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Hardware prices Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Next-business-day, instant and same-day transfers (1.95%) Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Rolling reserves Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Dispute fees and processing fees on lost disputes Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Processing fees not returned on refunds Vendor page (2026-10-14)
- Transfers suspended during an account review Vendor page (2026-10-14)
What is Square Payments?
Square Payments is the card processing behind Square's tools for US businesses, from a market stall to a shop with several locations. You can take a card with a reader, on your phone with Tap to Pay, through an online checkout or payment link, on an invoice, or by typing the number in. Every major card costs the same, and the Free plan has no monthly fee.
On the Free plan you pay 2.6% + 15¢ when a card is tapped, dipped or swiped, 3.3% + 30¢ online or on an invoice, and 3.5% + 15¢ when you type the card number in. Plus ($49 a month per location) and Premium ($149 a month per location) lower the in-person rate to 2.5% + 15¢ and 2.4% + 15¢, and the online rate to 2.9% + 30¢. The lower in-person rate only covers the $49 once you take about $49,000 a month in cards in person, so most small businesses start on Free. Square lists no PCI fee, no chargeback fee and no early termination fee, and money reaches your bank the next business day at no charge.
One thing to know: Square does not give back the processing fee when you refund a sale, and it can set aside part of your card sales in a rolling reserve, or pause transfers while it reviews your account, if it sees risk. That is most likely if you take payment well before you deliver, so keep a cash buffer if you sell deposits or pre-orders.
Key details
Free plan: no monthly fee, you pay only when you take a paymentOne flat rate for Visa, Mastercard, American Express and DiscoverTap to Pay on iPhone and Android, no extra hardwareOnline checkout, payment links and invoicesVirtual terminal for cards you type inBank (ACH) payments on invoices at 1%, $1 minimumNext-business-day transfers at no charge on every plan
Explore more
Square Payments FAQ
How much does Square charge per card payment?
On the Free plan: 2.6% + 15¢ when the card is tapped, dipped or swiped in person, 3.3% + 30¢ online or on an invoice, and 3.5% + 15¢ when you type the card number in. Plus lowers the in-person rate to 2.5% + 15¢ and Premium to 2.4% + 15¢, and both lower the online rate to 2.9% + 30¢. Checked on Square's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
Does Square charge a monthly fee for card processing?
Not on the Free plan, which costs $0 a month and charges only when you take a payment. Plus is $49 a month and Premium is $149 a month, both per location, and each starts with a free 30-day trial. Checked on Square's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
What does Square charge for invoices and bank payments?
Card payments on an invoice cost 3.3% + 30¢ on the Free plan and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium. A customer who pays an invoice by bank transfer (ACH) is charged 1% with a $1 minimum, and a $10 cap on Plus and Premium. Checked on Square's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
Does Square give back the fee when I refund a sale?
No. Square says that when you refund a payment, the processing fees for the payment are not refunded to you. Checked on Square's help center on October 14, 2026.
How fast do I get paid, and what does a faster payout cost?
Transfers to your bank arrive the next business day at no charge when the payment is taken before 5 PM Pacific time. Instant and same-day transfers cost 1.95% of the amount, on top of the card fee. Checked on Square's help center on October 14, 2026.
Can Square hold my money?
In some cases, yes. Square can place a rolling reserve on card payments, setting aside a percentage of your sales and releasing it on a rolling basis, for example when you collect payment before delivering goods or services. Reserves are reviewed after at least six months. Square also suspends transfers while it reviews an account that looks out of the ordinary, which it says usually takes one business day. Checked on Square's help center on October 14, 2026.
Source: squareup.com