Businesses often overlook payment gateway fees. However, these fees can decrease profits if businesses don’t monitor them. In the Netherlands, iDEAL dominates domestic online payments, and customers have a growing reliance on cards. Therefore, it’s important to understand payment gateway fees. Whether a business sells locally or across borders, payment method decisions can significantly impact margins.

Below, we explain which gateway fees a business might pay, how these fees are structured, and how to manage costs without compromising the customer experience.

What’s in this article?

• What types of fees do payment gateways charge in the Netherlands?
  
• What additional costs should businesses expect with payment gateways?
  
• How do payment gateway fees impact Dutch ecommerce businesses?
  
• What are cost-effective alternatives for managing gateway fees in the Netherlands?
  

What types of fees do payment gateways charge in the Netherlands?

Dutch payment gateways assess fees based on the payment method and level of service they provide the business. Here are the common types of fees:

Transaction fees

These are the majority of payment gateway costs. For every successful card transaction, businesses typically pay a percentage of the total (usually 1.5%–3%) plus a small fixed fee (generally around €0.10–€0.30). Some alternative methods—such as iDEAL and Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) Direct Debit—come with only a flat fee around €0.20–€0.50 per transaction.

Monthly fees

Some providers charge a subscription fee, especially if a business needs advanced tools, such as analytics capabilities, added fraud prevention, or custom dashboards. These subscriptions can range from €10–€100 per month and more, depending on the features.

Chargeback fees

If a customer disputes a payment (e.g., because of fraud or dissatisfaction with the product), the payment gateway typically charges a chargeback fee. These fees can be €10–€25 per dispute. Even if a business wins the dispute, the payment gateway still might charge an administrative fee.

Payout fees

Most gateways transfer earnings to a bank account for free, but some charge for faster payouts or transfers outside the SEPA area.

What additional costs should businesses expect with payment gateways?

Beyond standard transaction fees, businesses using payment gateways should be aware of additional costs that can affect their profits. Here’s what to look for:

Setup or onboarding fees

Some payment providers charge a one-time setup fee to activate an account or assist with integrations. While some providers such as Stripe do not charge these fees, others still do.

Refund fees

Issuing refunds can carry additional costs for businesses. Some gateways retain the original transaction fee, while others charge an additional fee per refund (e.g., €0.25–€0.50). These fees can add up for businesses with high return rates.

International payment fees

If a business processes payments from customers outside its home country, it will likely pay additional fees:

• Currency conversion fees: Typically 1%–2% of the transaction value
  
• Higher transaction fees for non-EU cards: For example, 2.5%–3.5%
  

Integration and development costs

Businesses can bring developers on board for help with custom integrations and maintaining the payment gateway’s application programming interface (API). Some providers also charge for API access or offer enhanced APIs at a premium.

Minimum usage fees

Some payment processors set a minimum monthly usage threshold. If a business’s transaction volume doesn’t meet the minimum, these payment processors might charge a dormancy fee.

How do payment gateway fees impact Dutch ecommerce businesses?

Payment gateway fees are an important factor in the profitability and operational efficiency of Dutch ecommerce businesses. Here’s how they impact different areas of these businesses:

Margins and profitability

Businesses pay a fee for every online payment processed, whether it’s a percentage-based cost, a fixed cost, or both. For businesses with low margins or those selling lower-cost items, these fees can significantly reduce profits.

• Example: A €5 iDEAL transaction with a €0.29 fee means nearly 6% of the revenue goes to the payment processor.
  

Businesses with higher average order values (AOVs) see less impact from these fees but still need to monitor how the fees influence their earnings.

International expansion costs

The rise of cross-border ecommerce in Europe means businesses often sell internationally. However, this introduces additional fees:

• Higher card processing rates for non-EU cards
  
• Currency conversion fees
  

It’s important for a business to factor these costs into its pricing strategies when expanding beyond the Dutch market.

Customer experience and payment options

To serve Dutch customers, businesses should offer iDEAL, but they’ll pay a flat fee per transaction. For international customers, businesses should also consider offering these payment methods:

• Credit cards (e.g., Visa or Mastercard)
  
• Digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay)
  
• Buy now, pay later (BNPL) options
  

Every payment method a business accepts can improve conversion rates. However, offering multiple payment methods can also increase payment gateway costs. Businesses need to balance the number of payment methods they accept with the amount of fees they can pay.

Scalability and volume-based costs

For businesses growing rapidly, transaction fees increase with sales volume. Gateways or enterprise plans might offer tiered pricing or volume discounts, but smaller businesses might have to pay higher standard rates.

Higher transaction volumes can also include:

• Increased chargeback risks, especially with international sales
  
• More refund-related costs
  

Operational efficiency

Managing multiple payment providers can become time-consuming. For example, a business might rely on iDEAL for domestic transactions and Klarna for BNPL. Each charges its own fees. Therefore, using multiple methods can increase administrative overhead and make reconciliation more complex. This can make an all-in-one payment service provider such as Stripe an attractive option.

Pressure on competitive pricing

With the tight margins of ecommerce, businesses either absorb payment gateway costs or pass them on to customers. However, if a business increases prices to account for these fees, it risks losing a competitive edge in a crowded market. Higher prices can also increase rates of cart abandonment, especially if customers see fees they weren’t expecting at checkout.

What are cost-effective alternatives for managing gateway fees in the Netherlands?

If you want to manage your payment gateway fees in the Dutch market, there are practical strategies and operational adjustments you can adopt. Here are some of these strategies:

Prioritize iDEAL for domestic transactions

iDEAL is the most popular online payment method in the Netherlands, and it’s also one of the cheapest options for businesses. Flat fees per transaction make it predictable and cost-efficient, particularly for high-volume, lower-ticket purchases.

Improve payment method selection

Encourage your customers to use payment methods that cost you less by displaying them more prominently or offering incentives, such as small discounts or free shipping. Many businesses choose to prioritize bank transfers such as SEPA Direct Debit, which charges low fees that make it ideal for subscriptions and recurring payments.

Negotiate better rates for higher volumes

If your transaction volume is growing, talk to your payment provider. By sharing your growth projections or actual sales, the gateway might offer you tiered or volume-based pricing that can include:

• Lower percentage fees for businesses with high sales volumes
  
• Reduced flat fees for businesses processing significant numbers of iDEAL or SEPA transactions
  

Batch international payments

Currency conversion fees can quickly add up. To mitigate these costs, use multicurrency bank accounts (e.g., in EUR, USD, GBP) to hold funds in local currencies, alleviating immediate conversions.

Carefully manage refunds and chargebacks

Refunds and chargebacks hurt your revenue and require paying extra fees. Here’s how to proactively manage them:

• Establish return policies and up-front communication to reduce refund requests.
  
• Implement fraud prevention tools (e.g., 3D Secure) to minimize disputes.
  
• Regularly analyze chargeback data to identify patterns or regions with higher dispute rates.
  

Encourage bank transfers for larger transactions

For big-ticket sales, SEPA transfers are much cheaper than percentage-based credit card fees. SEPA transfers are direct and widely used across Europe.

Highlight bank transfers as an option during checkout for purchases over a certain threshold, and provide customers with clear instructions on how to use them.

Use subscription models for recurring payments

If you run a subscription-based business, SEPA Direct Debit is more affordable than cards for recurring payments. It reduces transaction fees and the risk of failed payments with expired cards.

Consolidate payment methods to reduce overhead

Managing multiple payment providers can lead to inefficiencies and high fees. To manage your money effectively, consider:

• Choosing a single gateway that supports all the key payment methods, including cards, iDEAL, SEPA, and digital wallets
  
• Refining your payment flows to reduce administrative work and reconciliation time