# What Do International Cards Cost You?

URL: https://www.paydude.io/resources/tools/international-payment-fees-calculator
Type: Free interactive calculator
Summary: Cross-border surcharges and currency conversion stack on top of the base rate. See what international volume actually costs, and what removing the surcharge saves.

International cards are the most commonly overlooked line on a processing bill. The surcharge does not replace the base rate — it stacks on top of it, and currency conversion often stacks again.

## Summary

Cross-border surcharges typically add 1–1.5% on top of the base rate. Currency conversion commonly adds around another 1%. Paydude does not surcharge international cards at all. At 30% international volume this is usually the largest line in any comparison.

## How the surcharges stack

**A $100 payment on a card issued abroad, typical flat-rate provider**

| Component | Cost |
| --- | --- |
| Base rate 2.9% + 30¢ | $3.20 |
| Cross-border surcharge, ~1.5% | $1.50 |
| Currency conversion, ~1% | $1.00 |
| Total | $5.70 — an effective 5.70% |

The same payment on a domestic card costs $3.20. Nothing about the transaction is harder; the card was simply issued somewhere else.

## Why it is so easy to miss

Cross-border fees do not appear as a separate line on most statements — they are folded into the total, which is why a business with growing international sales often sees its effective rate drift upward with no apparent cause.

> **Paydude does not charge one:** There is no Paydude international card surcharge. For a business where 30% of volume is issued abroad, that alone is worth roughly 0.45% of total volume before the lower base rate is counted.

## Work out your own international share

1. **Pull a month of transactions** — Export with the issuing country or BIN included — most processors expose this.
2. **Split by issuing region, not billing address** — A customer living in your country can hold a card issued elsewhere, and it is the card that decides the fee.
3. **Divide international volume by total** — That share is what drives the surcharge.
4. **Multiply by the surcharge rate** — At 30% international and a 1.5% surcharge, that is 0.45% of all your volume, before conversion costs.

Then run it through the calculator above, or through the [effective rate calculator](https://www.paydude.io/resources/tools/effective-rate-calculator) if you would rather start from a real statement total.

**No international surcharge** Published rates that apply wherever the card was issued. — [See the rate card](https://www.paydude.io/pricing)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a cross-border fee?

A surcharge applied when the card was issued in a different country from the merchant. It typically adds 1–1.5% on top of the base rate, and it is charged regardless of currency — a US merchant taking a UK-issued card in dollars still pays it.

### Is currency conversion a separate fee?

Usually yes. Cross-border and currency conversion are distinct charges and frequently both apply, commonly around 1–1.5% and 1% respectively. Together they can nearly double the cost of an international transaction.

### Does Paydude charge for international cards?

No. There is no Paydude surcharge on cards issued outside your country. Most flat-rate providers add 1–1.5% plus a currency conversion charge, so for businesses with meaningful overseas volume this is often the largest difference between providers.

### How do I find my international volume share?

Export a month of transactions with the issuing country or BIN included. Split by where the card was issued rather than where the customer lives — the card determines the fee, not the billing address.