Key points
- On small bills, a fixed fee per payment costs more than a higher percentage: €0.25 on a €4 coffee is 6.25 %.
- Cheapest on site: SumUp Plus and Qonto at 0.79 to 0.8 % for consumer cards from the EU, with no fixed fee.
- Online payments with a fixed fee (Stripe, Mollie) cost three to five times as much on typical café bills.
- The cheapest digital payment method is the instant bank transfer via QR code: no percentage of revenue.
Why small bills get expensive
Many providers charge a percentage plus a fixed fee per payment. On an €80 restaurant bill, the fixed fee hardly shows. On a €4 coffee, €0.25 alone is 6.25 % of the revenue. So always calculate with your own average bill, not with the example on the pricing page.
What the providers charge
| Provider | EU consumer rate | Fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| SumUp (no plan) | 1,39 % | – |
| SumUp Plus | 0,79 % | – |
| Qonto | 0,8 % | – |
| Stripe online | 1,5 % | 0,25 € |
| Mollie online | 1,8 % | 0,25 € |
SumUp Plus costs €19 a month or €199 a year; business and premium cards cost 1.39 % there. Qonto applies to its terminal and Tap to Pay and requires a Qonto business account; business and non-EU cards cost 2.6 %, the terminal a one-off €99 or €199 net. Stripe and Mollie are listed with their online rates, e.g. for payment links or paying with QR ordering. All prices as of October 2026.
An EU rule shows how much of this stays with the provider: the fee of the card-issuing bank is capped at 0.2 % (debit) and 0.3 % (credit) for consumer cards (Regulation (EU) 2015/751). The rest is scheme fees and the provider’s margin.
Fee per bill
| Provider | 8 € | 25 € | 50 € |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp (no plan) | 0,11 € | 0,35 € | 0,70 € |
| SumUp Plus | 0,06 € | 0,20 € | 0,40 € |
| Qonto | 0,06 € | 0,20 € | 0,40 € |
| Stripe | 0,37 € | 0,63 € | 1,00 € |
| Mollie | 0,39 € | 0,70 € | 1,15 € |
| QR bank transfer | 0,00 € | 0,00 € | 0,00 € |
Consumer card from the EU, without monthly fees. For QR bank transfers, your bank may add a per-booking charge depending on your account.
When SumUp Plus pays off
Plus saves 0.6 percentage points on consumer cards from the EEA and costs €19 a month. That pays off from around €3,170 card revenue a month, or from around €2,760 with the annual plan (€199). If many guests pay with business or premium cards, the threshold is higher, because these cards cost 1.39 % even with Plus.
Paying online with QR ordering: the most expensive option
If guests order via QR code and pay online straight away, many payments run through online rates with a fixed fee. In a café with small bills, fees can quickly more than double.
Then there are tips: at the terminal or on the POS screen the server holds out, guests tip much more often than alone on their own phone. A good flow: order via QR code, pay at the table with the server. Online payment is mainly worth it for takeaway and pre-orders.
How to cut your card fees
- Calculate with your average bill and your share of card payments.
- From around €3,000 card revenue a month, consider a plan like SumUp Plus.
- Offer instant bank transfer via QR code as an additional payment method. Every guest who pays this way saves you the card fee.
- Have guests pay at the table with the server rather than online.
- Check business and premium cards in your payouts: they cost more with almost every provider.
Frequently asked questions
Which card provider is cheapest for a café?
On site with small bills: providers without a fixed fee per payment. SumUp Plus and Qonto are at 0.79 to 0.8 % for consumer cards from the EU (as of October 2026). Instant bank transfer via QR code works with no card fee at all.
What does SumUp cost per payment?
1.39 % without a subscription. With Payments Plus, 0.79 % for consumer cards from the EEA and 1.39 % for business and premium cards, plus €19 a month or €199 a year.
Can I pass the card fee on to guests?
No, not to consumers for common cards such as girocard, Visa or Mastercard (§ 270a German Civil Code).
Why are online payments more expensive?
Online rates usually have a fixed fee per payment, e.g. €0.25. On small bills it makes up most of the cost.
Does Keksu work with my card terminal?
Yes, with any terminal: enter the amount on the device and book “card” in the POS. SumUp terminals receive the amount automatically.
Sources
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