Stax pricing, a subscription instead of a percentage.

What it actually is

Stax is a payment processor that charges for interchange-plus as a subscription rather than as a percentage. Interchange and assessments are passed through at cost — its pricing page says 0% markup on direct-cost interchange — and the margin arrives as a fixed monthly fee plus a few cents a transaction.

The subscription is tiered on annual processing volume: $99 a month up to $150,000 a year, $139 from $150,000 to $250,000, and $199 or more above that. Per-transaction costs are 8¢ card-present, 15¢ card-not-present, and ACH at 1% capped at $10.

You are underwritten as a merchant in your own right rather than running as a sub-merchant. Merchant account versus aggregator.

The model is legitimate and its logic is simple: as you grow, a fixed fee becomes a smaller and smaller share of your volume, while a percentage margin never does. Subscription pricing.

$10,000 — Stax$116.80

$10,000 — 0.40% margin$57.80

$50,000 — Stax$187.90

$50,000 — 0.40% margin$288.90

Every published price

Stax publishes these at staxpayments.com. Read 2026-10-08.

Also published:

• ACH 1% per transaction, capped at $10
• Surcharging starts at $99/mo; debit surcharge 1.25% + $0.25

Published prices change. These are list prices for a business buying direct, read on the date above, and a quote you are given may differ.

What it costs in practice

Because interchange is passed through identically under any interchange-plus arrangement, the honest comparison is margin against margin.

At a $45 average ticket:

$10,000 a month (222 transactions): Stax margin is $99 + $17.76 = $116.76. A 0.40% percentage margin plus 8¢ would be $40 + $17.76 = $57.76. Stax costs twice as much.

$25,000 a month (556 transactions): Stax $99 + $44.48 = $143.48. A 0.40% margin $100 + $44.48 = $144.48. Dead level.

$50,000 a month (1,111 transactions): Stax $99 + $88.88 = $187.88. A 0.40% margin $200 + $88.88 = $288.88. Stax saves $101 a month.

So the crossover against a 0.40% margin is around $25,000 a month, and against a flat 2.6% rate it is much earlier — somewhere around $12,000 to $15,000. Square against Stax and Helcim against Stax.

Watch the tier unit. Stax’s tiers are annual. A business at $30,000 a month is at $360,000 a year and in the top tier at $199+, which pushes its own crossover further out.

What it is good at

The model genuinely works above the crossover, and the advantage grows with every extra dollar of volume rather than shrinking.

Interchange is passed through at cost with no percentage markup, which is the cleanest possible version of interchange-plus and makes the statement fully auditable. Interchange-plus pricing.

It is published. A subscription schedule, per-transaction costs, the ACH rate and the surcharging program are all on the page. Most providers offering this model quote privately.

The terminal protection plan at $19 a month with unlimited swaps for defects, accidents and wear is a real benefit for a business whose readers take daily abuse, and it is priced openly.

No cancellation fees, listed as a subscription feature.

Where it costs you

Below the crossover it is simply expensive. $99 a month on $8,000 of volume is 1.24% before interchange, which is a large margin. The model is not wrong; it is just the wrong model at that size.

Seasonality is the real risk. You pay the subscription in a dead January as well as a busy July. A business doing $60,000 in summer and $8,000 in winter should run the comparison on its annual total split by month, not on its best month.

The tier unit catches people out. Annual processing, not monthly, so the top tier arrives sooner than it looks.

Disclosure gaps. No chargeback fee, no funding timetable and no monthly minimum are published. Three things to get in writing before signing.

Hardware is priced separately and not published.

The surcharging program starts at $99 a month with a debit surcharge of 1.25% + $0.25. If you intend to pass card costs to customers, read the network rules before the pricing, because the compliance requirements are specific. Surcharging rules.

Who it suits, and who it does not

Stax suits an established business comfortably above the crossover with steady volume, especially a growing one, where a fixed margin instead of a proportional one is straightforwardly cheaper and gets cheaper.

It does not suit a small business, a seasonal business, or one whose volume swings hard — Helcim charges a percentage and nothing monthly, which is the better shape for all three.

Run the three-way comparison before choosing: Stax against Helcim if your volume is near $25,000 a month, against Dharma if it is near $53,000, and against your current flat rate if you are on one.

What we charge

Interchange + 0.50% + 10¢ in person, interchange + 0.75% + 25¢ keyed, with no contract, no monthly fee and no monthly minimum.

Stax and we are the same kind of pricing, so the comparison is margin against margin and nothing else — interchange is identical either way. Send us a statement and we will put the two side by side at your own volume. If theirs wins, it wins.

While we are on the subject

Does Stax really charge 0% markup on interchange?

Its pricing page says so. The margin arrives as the monthly subscription plus the per-transaction cents instead. Verify on your first statement that interchange is itemised.

When does a subscription beat a percentage?

Against a 0.40% margin, around $25,000 a month in card volume. Against a flat 2.6% rate, around $12,000 to $15,000.

What happens in a slow month?

You pay the subscription regardless. For a seasonal business that is the main argument against the model.

Are the subscription tiers monthly or annual?

Annual processing volume. A business at $30,000 a month is at $360,000 a year and in the top tier.