Shopify Fees in the UK (2026): Plans, Card Rates and the 2% Penalty

By the Profitvana Editorial Team · Updated August 2026

Shopify's UK card rates are markedly lower than its US ones, but the plan ladder is steep and there is one clause that quietly costs more than the plan itself: the transaction fee for not using Shopify Payments. Here are the 2026 numbers and the exact revenue points where upgrading starts to pay.

What each plan costs in the UK

Prices are monthly; the yearly column is the effective monthly price when you pay for a year up front.

Plan	Monthly	Paid yearly	Online card rate	Third-party gateway fee
Basic	£25	£19	2% + 25p	2%
Grow	£65	£49	1.7% + 25p	1%
Advanced	£344	£259	1.5% + 25p	0.6%

UK card rates are much cheaper than the US ones

On Basic, a UK card payment costs 2% + 25p. On a £50 order that is £1.25; on £200, £4.25. The equivalent US Shopify rate is 2.9% + 30¢ — UK and EU interchange caps are the reason, and they work in your favour.

In-person rates through Shopify POS are lower still and carry no fixed fee: 1.7% on Basic, 1.6% on Grow, 1.5% on Advanced.

The 2% penalty — the clause that actually decides your bill

If you take payments through a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds its own transaction fee on top of whatever that gateway charges: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced.

That is not a rounding error. On £10,000 of monthly sales on Basic, the extra 2% is £200 a month — eight times the plan price — and you still pay your gateway's own processing fee on top. For most UK stores the only sane answer is to use Shopify Payments unless a specific payment method your customers need is unavailable through it.

When upgrading a plan actually pays for itself

Upgrading buys you a lower card rate, so the break-even is the revenue at which the rate saving exceeds the extra monthly cost.

Basic to Grow: you pay £40 more a month and save 0.3% per sale, so you need £40 ÷ 0.003 = about £13,300 in monthly card sales before Grow is cheaper.

Grow to Advanced: £279 more a month for a further 0.2%, which needs roughly £139,500 a month. Below that, Advanced is bought for its features — not for its rate.

Upgrade	Extra per month	Rate saved	Break-even monthly sales
Basic → Grow	£40	0.3%	~£13,300
Grow → Advanced	£279	0.2%	~£139,500

VAT, and the true monthly cost

Shopify's UK fees attract 20% VAT. A £25 Basic plan is £30 out of the bank account; VAT-registered sellers reclaim it, sellers below the £90,000 threshold do not.

A realistic Basic-plan month at £5,000 of sales: £25 plan + (2% + 25p across, say, 100 orders) = £25 + £100 + £25 = £150, or 3% of revenue — before apps, which are the cost line most stores underestimate next.

Shopify against a marketplace

The comparison people actually want is Shopify versus Etsy or eBay, and the shape is always the same: Shopify has a fixed monthly cost and a low per-sale rate, marketplaces have no fixed cost and a high per-sale rate — but they bring the traffic.

At £5,000 a month, Shopify costs about 3% all-in while Etsy takes roughly 10–11% and eBay about 14%. The catch is that the marketplace percentage buys you buyers. See Shopify vs Etsy fees for the full comparison, or run your own numbers in the Shopify fee calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Shopify cost per month in the UK?

£25 a month for Basic, £65 for Grow, and £344 for Advanced, before VAT. Paying yearly brings those to an effective £19, £49, and £259 a month.

What does Shopify charge per card sale in the UK?

Through Shopify Payments: 2% + 25p on Basic, 1.7% + 25p on Grow, and 1.5% + 25p on Advanced for online card payments. In person it is 1.7%, 1.6%, and 1.5% with no fixed fee.

Can I use PayPal or Stripe instead of Shopify Payments?

You can, but Shopify adds a transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, or 0.6% on Advanced on top of that provider's own fees. On £10,000 of monthly sales on Basic that is £200 a month in addition to your gateway's charges.

When is it worth upgrading from Basic to Grow?

At roughly £13,300 in monthly card sales. The upgrade costs £40 more and saves 0.3% per sale, so below that revenue you are paying more for the lower rate than the lower rate returns.

Do Shopify UK fees include VAT?

No — 20% UK VAT is added to plan and transaction fees. VAT-registered sellers reclaim it; those below the £90,000 threshold absorb it, which makes a £25 plan cost £30.

Shopify fees in other countries

Shopify prices every market differently — the same sale can cost twice as much depending on where your business is registered. We verify each of these against Shopify’s own published fee page for that country:

Sources

Shopify UK pricing (official)