This guide models a South African store using a third-party payment provider.
Shopify says third-party transaction fees may apply when such a provider is
used, in addition to the provider’s own charges
Third-party payment provider fees may apply Read off the provider's own published pricing page. Checked this month, on 01 Aug 2026.
How big is the Shopify surcharge?
It depends only on your Shopify plan, read off Shopify’s own pricing
page Third-party payment provider fees by plan Read off the provider's own published pricing page. Checked this month, on 01 Aug 2026.
| Plan | Monthly price | Fee on third-party gateway orders |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $19 (billed yearly) · $25 monthly | 2.0% |
| Grow | $49 · $65 | 1.0% |
| Advanced | $299 · $399 | 0.6% |
| Plus | From $2,300 | 0.2% |
Shopify’s South African pricing states that third-party transaction fees may apply when a third-party provider is used and that the rate depends on the plan. Confirm the current plan, payment method, order and any exclusions in your admin/contract; do not assume every order is treated identically.
This is a Shopify platform charge associated with use of a third-party payment provider, not the provider’s processing fee. It therefore belongs in the cost model as a separate line item where Shopify applies it.
What does a card sale on Shopify really cost?
Stack the two lines. Take Paystack’s local card rate of 2.9% + R1, which on a R650 basket works out to an effective 3.05% before VAT, then add your plan’s surcharge:
Gateway side ex VAT, computed at a R650 basket; your own basket moves it. Swap in any provider’s effective rate from the calculator, then add your plan’s percentage.
Run the same stack with your numbers: work out your gateway’s effective rate at your basket size, then add the applicable plan fee. That produces a modelled payment/platform percentage for the stated inputs, before other plan, app, FX, refund, tax or operational costs.
Should you upgrade the plan or switch the gateway?
Both levers move the same total, so compare them honestly, in dollars, because that is how Shopify bills:
- Basic to Grow drops the surcharge by a full 1% and costs about $30 more a month on yearly billing. On these assumptions, the fee-only breakeven is about $3,000 a month through eligible checkout volume; current plan prices, currency and non-fee features can change the decision.
- Grow to Advanced drops it a further 0.4% for about $250 more a month, which needs around $62,500 a month in sales before the fee saving covers the plan. That is a real store, not a side project.
A gateway change may have no stated setup charge but can carry integration, testing, downtime, contract, reserve and operational costs. Compare the current effective-rate difference and total switching cost with the plan difference; there is no universal order in which to make the changes.
How do you keep the total down?
- Compare effective cost, capability and eligibility. The comparison covers the local providers profiled on this site; the calculator models published rates at your basket and volume.
- Offer instant EFT alongside cards. The bank rails are cheaper on the gateway side, as covered in instant EFT vs cards. Shopify’s surcharge still applies, but the gateway line shrinks.
- Re-check the plan tier once a quarter. The breakevens above are just arithmetic; your volume decides them, and it changes.
- Model it explicitly. If your margin model says “card fees”, make the line read “card fees plus Shopify surcharge”. The stores that get surprised are the ones that budgeted the gateway rate alone.
None of this makes Shopify a bad platform for South Africans; it makes it a platform with a known extra line item. Know the line, add it to the maths, and decide with the true number on the table.
