FX markup

Also called currency conversion fee, FX spread, foreign exchange margin

The margin a payment provider adds to the market exchange rate when it converts a player's currency or your payout currency, sometimes charged once at checkout and again at payout.

When a player in Germany pays in euros and you are paid in dollars, someone converts the money and takes a margin. It comes off your revenue the same way a processing fee does.

Published figures run from 1% to 4%, as of September 2026. Stripe adds 1% in the US and 2% in the UK when conversion is needed. Appcharge charges a fixed 1% on non-USD currencies. Braintree adds 1% for non-USD presentment. Paddle reserves the right to charge up to 1.5% on payout conversion, FastSpring charges 2.5% if store and payout currencies differ, and PayPal’s spread is 3% or 4% depending on the transaction (PayPal).

Several providers can charge twice: once when the player’s currency is converted at checkout, and again when your balance is converted at payout. Conversion is also separate from the international-card surcharge, which is 1.5% at Stripe US, so a foreign card paying in a foreign currency can attract both. See hidden fees.