Agentis analysis of Stripe's own refund documentation shows a fully refunded charge can't be disputed at all, while Stripe's processing fee is never returned either way. Refunding a $60 order costs the $2.04 processing fee you already paid. Losing that same order to a chargeback costs $75, the order value plus a $15 dispute fee.
The value of the order you're deciding whether to refund.
Cost if you refund now (Stripe processing fee, not returned)
$2.04
Cost if it becomes a chargeback and you lose
$75.00
What refunding now saves you
$72.96
| Scenario | Cost | Can a Dispute Still Happen? |
|---|---|---|
| Full refund issued proactively | Processing fee only (2.9% + $0.30, not returned) | No. Stripe states disputes aren't possible on a fully refunded charge |
| Chargeback filed, merchant loses | Full order value + $15 dispute fee | N/A. The dispute already happened |
Source: Stripe Docs: Refund and cancel payments (retrieved August 7, 2026). Shopify Payments' specific refund-fee policy isn't confirmed in its public help docs as of this data refresh, so this table uses Stripe's stated policy only. The dispute-immunity finding (no chargeback on a fully refunded charge) is Stripe-specific in our sourcing, though it reflects standard card-network behavior.
| Order Value | Cost If Refunded | Cost If Chargeback Lost | Savings From Refunding |
|---|---|---|---|
| $30 | $1.17 | $45.00 | $43.83 |
| $60 | $2.04 | $75.00 | $72.96 |
| $90 | $2.91 | $105.00 | $102.09 |
| $120 | $3.78 | $135.00 | $131.22 |
| $180 | $5.52 | $195.00 | $189.48 |
| $250 | $7.55 | $265.00 | $257.45 |
Sources: Stripe: Pricing (retrieved August 7, 2026); Stripe Docs: Refund and cancel payments (retrieved August 7, 2026). Agentis synthesis: Stripe's published 2.9% + $0.30 rate (the sunk cost on a refund) compared against the $15 dispute fee plus full order value (the cost of a lost chargeback), at common order-value bands.
How we calculate this
Stripe's refund policy and processing-fee-non-refund statement come directly from Stripe's own documentation. The chargeback-side figures reuse the $15 dispute fee and order-value-at-risk model already sourced on our true cost of a chargeback page. Read our full methodology →
Expert Insight
Merchants treat refunds as a loss and chargebacks as a bigger loss, which is directionally right but understates the gap. A refund caps your downside at the processing fee you already paid, and Stripe's own policy says a fully refunded charge can't be disputed afterward. A chargeback keeps that processing fee gone anyway and adds the entire order value plus a flat dispute fee on top. If a customer is already asking for their money back, refunding first isn't generosity. It's the cheaper outcome by a wide margin, every time.
Herzel Mishel, CEO & Co-Founder →No. Stripe's own documentation states processing fees from the original transaction aren't returned when you issue a refund, whether it's a full or partial refund. That fee is a sunk cost either way, which is exactly why the comparison on this page is refund cost versus chargeback cost, not refund cost versus zero. At Stripe's published 2.9% + $0.30 rate, refunding a $60 order means writing off the $2.04 you already paid. Losing that same order to a chargeback costs $75: the full order value plus the $15 dispute fee. Stripe's documentation also states a dispute cannot be opened on a fully refunded charge, so a proactive refund closes off the chargeback path entirely. Shopify Payments' refund-fee policy is not confirmed in its public help docs as of this refresh, which is why the table above uses Stripe's stated policy only. If a customer is already asking for their money back, the cheaper outcome for your store is to refund before the bank gets involved.
Agentis analysis of Shopify Payments' and Stripe's published 2026 fee schedules shows every chargeback carries a fixed $15 dispute fee. Lose the dispute, and the full order value gets reversed on top of it. Industry-reported win rates put the odds of getting that money back at under 44%, per Chargebacks911's 2026 data.
Agentis analysis of Stripe's and PayPal's own published 2026 pricing pages shows PayPal Checkout costs 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction versus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30. Merchants absorb that difference silently when checkout offers both without weighting the true blended cost by payment-method mix.
Agentis analysis of Shopify's own discount-combination documentation confirms an order-level discount code combines with a free-shipping discount by default, no special setup required. On an $80 order with 40% gross margin, a 20% discount code cuts gross profit from $32 to $16, and stacking an $8 shipping cost on top drops it to $8, a 75% cut in what the order was expected to earn.
Agentis finds margin leaks automatically.
Data last updated August 7, 2026. Browse all Payment Fees pages →