Wise vs PayPal vs Stripe: fees on a 30 and a 100 lesson
Stripe takes less than PayPal from every lesson in the table, and a bank transfer to Wise costs nothing to receive. The fixed part of each fee weighs more on a 30 lesson than on a 100 one.
| Lesson and method | Spain (€) | UK (£) | US ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 lesson, Stripe (standard card) | €0.70 (you keep €29.30) | £0.65 (you keep £29.35) | $1.17 (you keep $28.83) |
| 30 lesson, PayPal | €1.22 (you keep €28.78) | £1.17 (you keep £28.83) | $1.54 (you keep $28.46) |
| 30 lesson, Wise (card, payment link) | €0.30 (you keep €29.70) | £0.30 (you keep £29.70) | $1.17 (you keep $28.83) |
| 30 lesson, Wise (bank transfer) | €0.00 (you keep €30.00) | £0.00 (you keep £30.00) | $0.00 (you keep $30.00) |
| 100 lesson, Stripe (standard card) | €1.75 (you keep €98.25) | £1.70 (you keep £98.30) | $3.20 (you keep $96.80) |
| 100 lesson, PayPal | €3.25 (you keep €96.75) | £3.20 (you keep £96.80) | $3.98 (you keep $96.02) |
| 100 lesson, Wise (card, payment link) | €1.00 (you keep €99.00) | £1.00 (you keep £99.00) | $3.20 (you keep $96.80) |
| 100 lesson, Wise (bank transfer) | €0.00 (you keep €100.00) | £0.00 (you keep £100.00) | $0.00 (you keep $100.00) |
Each column assumes the student pays in the same country and currency as your account. Stripe uses its standard card rate, checked on 15th of October 2026; PayPal, its standard rate for commercial payments. Wise card payments need Wise's approval. If students pay through SmartCookie, add our 0.6% to the Stripe rows.
Stripe: cards and Bizum
Stripe charges 1.5% + €0.25 per standard card payment in Spain, with no monthly fee. On a Spanish account, cards from any country in the EEA count as standard.
A UK card costs 2.5% + €0.25 and a card from any other country 3.15% + €0.25. In Spain, your students can also pay you by Bizum through Stripe. Our Stripe fee calculator shows what you keep for any amount and card.
PayPal: easy for students, expensive for you
PayPal charges 2.9% + €0.35 per commercial payment received on a Spanish account. Many students already have PayPal, which makes paying easy, but every lesson costs you more than with Stripe.
Payments from abroad cost more. A payment from the UK adds 1.29% and one from outside the EEA, the US included, adds 1.99%; payments from the EEA add nothing. If PayPal converts the currency, it charges 3% over its base exchange rate.
Wise: for students abroad who pay by transfer
Wise gives you local account details in euros, pounds, dollars and other currencies, and receiving a domestic transfer in them is free. A student in London can pay you in pounds with a normal UK transfer.
A Wise Business account costs €60 once to get those account details if your business is in Spain (£50 in the UK). Wires and Swift payments carry a fixed fee ($6.11 for dollars), and converting the money to euros has a fee from 0.2% that depends on the currency.
Wise can also take card payments through a payment link: 1% for domestic consumer cards in the EEA and UK, and 2.9% for international or business cards. You have to apply, and Wise says it may not offer it to every business, even in eligible countries.
Which one should you use?
Stripe for students who pay by card, Wise for students abroad who can pay by transfer, and PayPal for the student who won't pay any other way.
- Pick Stripe if your students pay by card (or Bizum, in Spain): it takes less than PayPal from every lesson.
- Pick Wise if your students live abroad and can pay by bank transfer in their own currency: receiving it is free and you convert when it suits you.
- Pick PayPal if a student only wants to pay that way: it's the one many students already know, and you pay for that convenience.
You don't have to choose just one: cards through Stripe for most students and your Wise details for the student in London work side by side.
Every lesson payment in one place
Send payment requests, see who has paid and mark transfers as paid by hand, all in SmartCookie. Try it for 14 days, no card.