Merchants have more payment options than ever. But traditional processors still dominate — largely out of habit, not merit. In this comparison, we break down how stablecoin payments stack up against credit cards, wire transfers, and PayPal on the metrics that matter most.
Fees
Credit cards: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Stripe, Square, and most payment processors charge around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. For international cards, add another 1-1.5%. On a $100 sale, you lose $3.20 immediately — and that's before monthly fees, PCI compliance costs, and chargeback fees ($15-25 each).
Wire transfers: $25-50 per transfer
International wire transfers cost the sender $25-50 and may incur intermediary bank fees that reduce the received amount. For B2B payments under $1,000, this is particularly painful.
Stablecoins via Fivo: 0.5% on withdrawals
Fivo charges 0.5% only when you withdraw from your Fivo wallet to an external address. There are no per-transaction fees, no monthly fees, and no setup costs. On L2 chains (Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism), the customer's gas fee is typically under $0.01.
Settlement speed
- Credit cards — 1-3 business days (Stripe), up to 7 days for new accounts
- Wire transfers — 1-5 business days internationally
- PayPal — Instant to PayPal balance, 1-3 days to bank account
- Stablecoins (Fivo) — Seconds on same-chain, under 2 minutes cross-chain. Funds are in your wallet immediately.
Chargebacks
Chargebacks are one of the biggest pain points for online merchants. Credit card chargebacks cost $15-25 per dispute, and merchants lose roughly 60% of disputes even when they're in the right. Friendly fraud (customers disputing legitimate charges) costs US merchants over $100 billion annually.
Blockchain payments have zero chargebacks. Once a stablecoin transaction is confirmed on-chain, it is final and irreversible. The customer can't dispute the charge through their bank because no bank is involved.
Global reach
Credit card acceptance varies by country. Many regions have low card penetration, and cross-border payments incur additional fees. PayPal is unavailable in dozens of countries. Wire transfers work globally but are expensive and slow.
Stablecoins are borderless by default. Anyone with a crypto wallet and internet access can pay you, regardless of their country, currency, or banking status. There are no currency conversion fees — USDC is universally $1, EURC is universally 1 EUR.
Privacy and data
Credit card payments require collecting and securing sensitive card data (PCI DSS compliance). With stablecoin payments, the customer connects their own wallet and authorizes the transaction directly. You never handle sensitive financial data — reducing your compliance burden and liability.
When to use what
- Credit cards — best for consumer-facing businesses where customers expect card payments
- Wire transfers — best for large B2B invoices where fee percentage matters less
- Stablecoins — best for digital products, SaaS, international commerce, freelancer payments, and any business tired of chargebacks and held funds
Many merchants offer stablecoins alongside traditional payment methods. Fivo doesn't require you to replace your existing checkout — just add the widget as an additional payment option and let customers choose.
Try it yourself
Create a free Fivo account and run a testnet payment to see how it compares. No credit card required, no commitment. See the Quick Start Guide for setup instructions.