The real cost of a chargeback, by processor
Take a $40 charge that is disputed and lost, and that you countered. On Stripe, you are out the $40, the goods or the service, the $15 received fee, and the $15 counter fee that is not returned on a loss.
What does Stripe charge when you lose?
On Stripe, you are out the $40, the goods or the service, the $15 received fee, and the $15 counter fee that is not returned on a loss. If you had won, you would still be out the $15 received fee. That structure is on Stripe's pricing page.
What do the other published dispute fees say?
On Braintree, the published chargeback fee is $15. On PayPal checkout disputes, the standard USD dispute fee is $15, and a card chargeback outside a PayPal account is $20. On Helcim, the fee is $15 and the pricing page says it is refunded if you win. On Square, the published dispute-management fee is zero, and the $40 is still held until the case ends. On Frame, the published fee is $25.
Why is the fee the small number?
The $40 dominates every one of those fees. A processor comparison that stops at the fee is a comparison of the small number. The large number is how many of these you have, because Visa's VAMP ratio counts disputes and fraud in the numerator. Ten lost disputes on a small book can be a monitoring event. The fee difference between $0 and $25 cannot repair it.
When is a pre-dispute tool worth paying for?
Pre-dispute programs and Compelling Evidence are worth pricing only if your acquirer says Visa will exclude those counts. The VAMP fact sheet says exclusions depend on the timing of the extract. "We bought a tool" is not an exclusion.
Refund faster when you are wrong. Fight when you have the evidence and the amount justifies the labor. Do not pick a processor because its dispute fee flatters a broken fulfillment process.
01What does Stripe charge when you lose?
On Stripe, you are out the $40, the goods or the service, the $15 received fee, and the $15 counter fee that is not returned on a loss. If you had won, you would still be out the $15 received fee. That structure is on Stripe's pricing page.
02What do the other published dispute fees say?
On Braintree, the published chargeback fee is $15. On PayPal checkout disputes, the standard USD dispute fee is $15, and a card chargeback outside a PayPal account is $20. On Helcim, the fee is $15 and the pricing page says it is refunded if you win. On Square, the published dispute-management fee is zero, and the $40 is still held until the case ends. On Frame, the published fee is $25.
03Why is the fee the small number?
The $40 dominates every one of those fees. A processor comparison that stops at the fee is a comparison of the small number. The large number is how many of these you have, because Visa's VAMP ratio counts disputes and fraud in the numerator. Ten lost disputes on a small book can be a monitoring event. The fee difference between $0 and $25 cannot repair it.
04When is a pre-dispute tool worth paying for?
Pre-dispute programs and Compelling Evidence are worth pricing only if your acquirer says Visa will exclude those counts. The VAMP fact sheet says exclusions depend on the timing of the extract. "We bought a tool" is not an exclusion.
05Where were the figures on this page read?
The sources list names the pages. This edition was read on November 9, 2026. Stripe's US domestic card rate in that reading is 2.9% + $0.30, and a dispute received is $15.
Which sources were checked?
The real cost of a chargeback, by processor cites 1 source link. Fee figures are from the edition dated November 9, 2026. A later reading is dated where it is cited.
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