Can I avoid Shopify's third-party transaction fee in Japan?

Only by taking payments with Shopify Payments. Any other provider on Shopify pays Shopify's 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced) or 0.2% (Plus) on top of its own fees. On a platform without that fee, such as PlatformDTC, your own Stripe or PayPal account pays only its own rate.

What does Shopify Payments charge for international cards in Japan?

3.9% on Basic, 3.85% on Grow, 3.8% on Advanced and 3.75% on Plus.

Shopify Payments · Processing fees

What are Shopify Payments fees in Japan?

Checked October 31, 2026

Shopify Payments charges stores in Japan 3.55% per online payment with a standard card on the Basic plan, 3.4% on Grow, 3.25% on Advanced and 2.9% on Plus. American Express and international cards cost 3.9% on Basic. Using another payment provider adds Shopify's own fee of 2%, 1%, 0.6% or 0.2% by plan. Read from Shopify's Japan pricing page on 31 October 2026.

Domestic card: 3.55% (Basic), 3.4% (Grow), 3.25% (Advanced), 2.9% (Plus)
International card: 3.9% (Basic) to 3.75% (Plus)
Third-party provider fee: 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced), 0.2% (Plus)
Monthly fee: ¥4,850, ¥13,500 or ¥58,500 a month (Basic, Grow, Advanced, paid monthly); Plus ¥368,000

What PlatformDTC does

Shopify charges its 0.2%–2% extra fee whenever a store in Japan takes cards through another provider. PlatformDTC charges no such fee and no plan fee: connect your own Stripe account or PayPal business account and the sales carry only that provider's rate, which on the ¥7,500,000 month above saves the ¥150,000 Shopify Basic would add.

Every rate

Shopify Payments online rates for stores in Japan, by plan, from the "Compare all features" table on Shopify's Japan pricing page (read on 31 October 2026). In-person and local payment method rates are listed on the same page.

Fee	Basic	Grow	Advanced	Plus
Plan price, paid monthly	¥4,850	¥13,500	¥58,500	¥368,000
Online card, standard	3.55%	3.4%	3.25%	2.9%
Online JCB card	3.55%	3.4%	3.25%	2.9%
Online card, American Express	3.9%	3.85%	3.8%	3.75%
Online card, international	3.9%	3.85%	3.8%	3.75%
Extra Shopify fee if you use another payment provider	2%	1%	0.6%	0.2%

Shopify plans and Shopify Payments online rates in Japan

A worked month

Assumptions: plans paid monthly, every sale an online payment with a standard card issued in Japan, an average order of ¥7,500, no refunds or disputes. Each line is rounded to the yen.

¥1,500,000 in 200 orders on Basic: 3.55% of ¥1,500,000 = ¥53,250, so card fees are ¥53,250 (3.55% of sales). With the ¥4,850 plan the month costs ¥58,100.

¥7,500,000 in 1,000 orders on Basic: 3.55% of ¥7,500,000 = ¥266,250, so card fees are ¥266,250 (3.55% of sales). With the ¥4,850 plan the month costs ¥271,100.

Grow costs ¥8,650 a month more than Basic and saves 0.15% on every standard card sale, so it pays for itself above ¥5,766,667 of card sales a month.

If the same ¥7,500,000 month on Basic ran through another payment provider, Shopify would add its 2% fee: ¥150,000, on top of that provider's own card fees.

Month	Plan	Plan price	Card fees	Total
¥1,500,000 in 200 orders	Basic	¥4,850	¥53,250	¥58,100
¥1,500,000 in 200 orders	Grow	¥13,500	¥51,000	¥64,500
¥1,500,000 in 200 orders	Advanced	¥58,500	¥48,750	¥107,250
¥7,500,000 in 1,000 orders	Basic	¥4,850	¥266,250	¥271,100
¥7,500,000 in 1,000 orders	Grow	¥13,500	¥255,000	¥268,500
¥7,500,000 in 1,000 orders	Advanced	¥58,500	¥243,750	¥302,250

One month on Shopify in Japan, all standard domestic cards

What raises your fees

The headline is the standard-card rate. These push the real cost up:

American Express: 3.9% on Basic instead of 3.55%.
International cards: 3.9% on Basic, 3.75% on Plus.
Another payment provider: Shopify's own 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced) or 0.2% (Plus) on every sale, plus that provider's fees.
The plan itself: ¥4,850 to ¥58,500 a month paid monthly, which is a large share of a small store's costs.

Frequently asked questions

Can I avoid Shopify's third-party transaction fee in Japan?: Only by taking payments with Shopify Payments. Any other provider on Shopify pays Shopify's 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced) or 0.2% (Plus) on top of its own fees. On a platform without that fee, such as PlatformDTC, your own Stripe or PayPal account pays only its own rate.
What does Shopify Payments charge for international cards in Japan?: 3.9% on Basic, 3.85% on Grow, 3.8% on Advanced and 3.75% on Plus.
Which Shopify plan is cheapest in Japan?: At standard domestic card rates with monthly billing: Grow costs ¥8,650 a month more than Basic and saves 0.15% on every standard card sale, so it pays for itself above ¥5,766,667 of card sales a month. Below that, Basic costs less.

Sources

Shopify pricing — Japan — Shopify