Payments · Merchant fees

Credit Card Processing Fees in Singapore (2026)

Credit card processing fees in Singapore run about 2.5% to 3.4% + S$0.50 per domestic sale on published plans. Compare Stripe, HitPay and Airwallex rates.

By 1 POS Pay · 2 November 2026

General information for Singapore businesses, not financial or legal advice. Fees and terms are set by each payment provider and can change. Check the provider's current terms and its licence status on the MAS Financial Institutions Directory.

What is a credit card processing fee in Singapore?

A credit card processing fee is what a business pays its payment provider each time a customer pays by card. In Singapore it is usually a percentage of the sale plus a small fixed fee per transaction, and it is often called the merchant discount rate (MDR). The provider deducts it before the money is paid out to you.

The provider that signs you up to accept cards is called a merchant acquirer. Under Singapore's Payment Services Act, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) describes merchant acquisition as accepting and processing payment transactions for a merchant under a contract, and notes that it usually includes a point-of-sale terminal or an online payment gateway (MAS). So whether you take cards on a payment terminal at the counter or through an online payment gateway, the fee works the same way.

There is no single national rate. MAS told Parliament in March 2026 that international card scheme costs 'can vary from merchant to merchant' (MAS). Your rate depends on the provider, the plan, how you accept the card and which cards your customers use.

What does the merchant discount rate cover?

The merchant discount rate bundles several costs into one figure. Visa explains that interchange reimbursement fees are transfer fees between the acquiring bank and the bank that issued the card, and that merchants do not pay interchange directly. Instead they pay a merchant discount to their own financial institution, typically a percentage per transaction that may include processing services (Visa Singapore).

In practice, that means part of your fee goes to the card-issuing bank, typically part to the card network, and part to your provider for processing, settlement, fraud screening, support and any hardware. Providers that publish a flat rate absorb these parts into one price; providers that quote custom pricing may show them separately.

Because card types and customer mix differ, two shops on the same plan can see different effective costs. Foreign-issued cards and transactions that need currency conversion usually cost more, as the published rates below show.

How much do payment providers in Singapore charge for cards?

Published standard card rates from three providers that list Singapore pricing online range from 2.5% plus S$0.50 (domestic cards in person) to 3.9% + $0.50 (Stripe, international cards), before any currency conversion charge. These are list prices checked on 2 November 2026; providers change them, and larger businesses can often negotiate.

The table shows only what each provider publishes on its own Singapore pricing page. It is not a ranking or a recommendation, and listing a provider here does not mean it is a 1 POS Pay partner. Always confirm the current rate on the provider's page before you sign.

Stripe and Airwallex show amounts with a plain $ sign on their Singapore pages (Stripe lists US-dollar pricing separately as US$), so this guide treats those amounts as Singapore dollars.

Published standard card rates, Singapore pricing pages (checked 2 November 2026)
Provider and channel	Domestic cards	International cards	Source
Stripe, online	3.4% + $0.50	3.4% + $0.50, plus 0.5% (plus 2% if currency conversion is needed)	Stripe pricing
Stripe, in person (Terminal)	3.4% + $0.50	3.4% + $0.50, plus 0.5%	Stripe pricing
HitPay, online	2.8% + S$0.50	3.65% + S$0.50	HitPay pricing
HitPay, in person (terminal or Tap to Pay)	2.5% + S$0.50	3.2% + S$0.50	HitPay pricing
Airwallex, online	3.30% + $0.50	3.60% + $0.50	Airwallex pricing

What does a card payment actually cost you?

On a S$100 sale, the published domestic rates above work out to roughly S$3.00 to S$3.90 per transaction: S$3.00 at 2.5% + S$0.50 (HitPay in person), S$3.30 at 2.8% + S$0.50 (HitPay online), S$3.80 at 3.30% + $0.50 (Airwallex online) and S$3.90 at 3.4% + $0.50 (Stripe). These are simple calculations from the list prices, not quotes.

The fixed part of the fee matters most on small sales. At 3.4% + $0.50, a S$10 purchase costs about S$0.84 in fees, or 8.4% of the sale, while a S$200 purchase costs S$7.30, or about 3.7%. Cafes and restaurants, hawker-style stalls and convenience stores with low average tickets should compare the fixed fee as carefully as the percentage.

To estimate your own cost, take last month's card sales, split them by domestic and foreign cards, and apply each provider's percentage and fixed fee to your average ticket size. The result, divided by your card sales, is your effective rate.

Worked examples using published domestic list prices (illustration only)
Sale amount	2.5% + S$0.50	2.8% + S$0.50	3.4% + $0.50
S$10	S$0.75 (7.5%)	S$0.78 (7.8%)	S$0.84 (8.4%)
S$50	S$1.75 (3.5%)	S$1.90 (3.8%)	S$2.20 (4.4%)
S$100	S$3.00 (3.0%)	S$3.30 (3.3%)	S$3.90 (3.9%)
S$200	S$5.50 (2.75%)	S$6.10 (3.05%)	S$7.30 (3.65%)

Which other card fees should you check?

The headline rate is only part of the cost. Before you sign, check these items on the provider's pricing page or contract:

Currency conversion: Stripe adds 2% when conversion is required, and HitPay lists an additional 2% for foreign currency card transactions (Stripe, HitPay).

Disputes and chargebacks: Stripe lists a $15.00 fee for each dispute received (Stripe). A dispute fee can be charged even when the sale was genuine, so ask each provider whether it refunds the fee if you win the dispute.

Hardware and in-person extras: Stripe lists card readers from $89 and adds $0.15 per authorisation for Tap to Pay, while HitPay lists Tap to Pay as free and a WisePad 3 reader at S$85 (Stripe, HitPay). Our payment terminal guide covers the hardware choices.

Set-up, monthly and settlement terms: HitPay states that no set-up or monthly fees are required (HitPay). For any provider, also ask about payout timing, reserves, refund fees and contract length, since these affect cash flow even when they are not listed as fees.

Are PayNow and NETS cheaper than credit cards?

Generally, yes. MAS told Parliament in March 2026 that international card schemes are generally higher cost, while domestic schemes such as NETS EFTPOS, PayNow and SGQR are significantly lower in cost (MAS). Exact savings depend on your provider and plan.

Published rates show the gap. Stripe lists PayNow at 1.3% per successful payment, against 3.4% + $0.50 for domestic cards (Stripe). HitPay lists in-person PayNow at 0.4% (minimum S$0.10), against 2.5% + S$0.50 for domestic cards in person (HitPay).

Some customers will still want to pay by card, so most businesses need to accept both. A practical approach is to offer a PayNow or SGQR code at checkout alongside card acceptance, so customers who are happy to pay by QR can do so at a lower cost to you.

How can a Singapore business lower its card processing costs?

Start by knowing your effective rate: total fees divided by total card sales for the last one to three months. Then work through these levers.

Match the plan to your ticket size. A lower fixed fee helps businesses with many small sales; a lower percentage helps businesses with large sales.

Encourage lower-cost local methods such as PayNow, SGQR and NETS where customers are willing, as MAS notes they cost significantly less than international card schemes (MAS).

Ask for custom pricing once volumes grow. Stripe, for example, states that custom pricing is available for businesses with large payment volumes (Stripe).

Watch your international and currency-conversion mix, since those carry extra percentages on the published price lists above. Reduce disputes with clear descriptors on statements, receipts and refund policies.

Compare providers on total cost, not the headline rate. Add hardware, dispute fees and any monthly charges to the per-transaction fees for a fair comparison. 1 POS Pay can help you compare options for in-store and online payments.

How do you check that a payment provider is licensed by MAS?

Search the provider's legal entity name in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory (MAS FID). Merchant acquisition is one of the payment services regulated under the Payment Services Act, and providers need a licence from MAS to offer it unless they are exempted (MAS).

Check the exact company name on your contract, not just the brand, because a payment brand may operate through more than one legal entity. A low rate from an unlicensed provider is not a saving if your funds are at risk.

1 POS Pay works with MAS-licensed payment providers. Contact us with your monthly card volume and average ticket size, and we will help you compare options.

Common questions

Is there a standard credit card processing fee in Singapore?

No. Each payment provider sets its own merchant discount rate, and MAS has said international card scheme costs can vary from merchant to merchant. Published standard domestic card rates from Stripe, HitPay and Airwallex were between 2.5% + S$0.50 and 3.4% + $0.50 when checked on 2 November 2026.

Who pays the interchange fee, the merchant or the customer?

Visa explains that interchange passes between the acquiring bank and the card-issuing bank, and that merchants do not pay it directly. Merchants pay a merchant discount to their provider, which covers interchange and the provider's own services.

How much more do international cards cost to accept?

Providers price foreign-issued cards higher on their published rate cards. For example, Stripe adds 0.5% for international cards and a further 2% when currency conversion is needed, and HitPay lists 3.65% + S$0.50 for international cards online against 2.8% + S$0.50 for local cards.

Is PayNow cheaper than card payments for merchants?

Generally yes. MAS has said domestic schemes such as NETS EFTPOS, PayNow and SGQR are significantly lower in cost than international card schemes. Published PayNow rates, such as Stripe's 1.3% or HitPay's 0.4% in person, are below their card rates.