Does Alpha Insights Track Payment Gateway Costs?

Yes! Alpha Insights automatically calculates payment gateway fees for each order based on the payment method used, ensuring accurate profit calculations.

How It Works

Automatic Fee Calculation

For each order, Alpha Insights:

1. Detects payment method used (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
2. Looks up fee structure configured for that specific gateway
3. Calculates fee based on order total: (Order Total × Percentage) + Static Fee
4. Deducts fee from profit automatically
5. If your payment plugin stores the actual fee charged (e.g., _stripe_fee meta), uses that exact amount instead

Supported Payment Gateways

All WooCommerce Payment Gateways

Alpha Insights automatically detects all enabled payment gateways in your WooCommerce store, including:

• Stripe
• PayPal
• Square
• Authorize.net
• WooCommerce Payments
• Bank Transfer (BACS)
• Check Payments
• Cash on Delivery (COD)
• Any third-party payment gateway plugin

Note: Only payment gateways that are currently enabled in WooCommerce will appear in Alpha Insights settings.

Setting Up Gateway Fees

Configuration Process

1. Go to Alpha Insights → Settings → General Settings
2. Scroll to Payment Gateway Costs section
3. You'll see a table listing ALL your enabled payment gateways automatically
4. For each gateway, configure:
   • Percent Of Order Value: The percentage fee (e.g., 2.9 for 2.9%)
   • Static Fee: The fixed fee per transaction (e.g., 0.30)
5. The Default gateway applies to any payment method not specifically configured
6. Click Save Changes

Important Notes

• Payment gateways are automatically detected - you don't need to add them manually
• If you enable a new payment gateway in WooCommerce, it will automatically appear in Alpha Insights settings
• If you disable a gateway in WooCommerce, it disappears from Alpha Insights settings
• The system uses the actual fee from your payment plugin if available (Stripe, PayPal, HitPay plugins store this)

Fee Structure Examples

Percentage + Fixed:

	Stripe US: 2.9% + $0.30 Order of $100: Fee = ($100 × 0.029) + $0.30 Fee = $2.90 + $0.30 = $3.20

Percentage Only:

	International card: 3.5% + $0.00 Order of $100: Fee = $100 × 0.035 = $3.50

Fixed Only:

	Bank transfer: 0% + $1.50 Order of $100: Fee = $1.50

Different Rates by Card Type

If you have different rates:

• Domestic cards: 2.9% + $0.30
• International cards: 3.9% + $0.30
• Amex cards: 3.5% + $0.30

Solution: Use average rate or set up separate payment methods in WooCommerce

Viewing Payment Fees

In Order Details

1. Go to order in WooCommerce
2. Scroll to Alpha Insights meta box
3. See profit breakdown including payment fee

Example:

	Order #12345 Profit Breakdown: Revenue: $125.00 - Product Cost: $50.00 - Shipping Cost: $8.00 - Payment Fee: $3.93 (Stripe) = Profit: $63.07

In Reports

Payment fees appear in:

• Profit & Loss Statement (Payment Fees line)
• Order tables (Payment Fee column)
• Cost breakdown charts
• Total Costs metrics

Impact on Profit

Example Impact

	Monthly Analysis: Revenue: $50,000 Payment Fees: $1,500 (3% average) Annual Impact: Revenue: $600,000 Payment Fees: $18,000 This $18,000 affects your net profit!

Why It Matters

• 3% fee on $50 order = $1.50
• If profit margin is 20% ($10), fee takes 15% of profit!
• Accurate profit calculation requires including these fees

Common Payment Fee Rates

US Standard Rates

• Stripe:2.9% + $0.30
• PayPal:2.9% + $0.30 (domestic), 4.4% + fixed fee (international)
• Square:2.6% + $0.10
• Authorize.net:2.9% + $0.30 (+ monthly gateway fee)
• Braintree:2.9% + $0.30

International Rates

• Typically 1% higher than domestic
• Currency conversion fees may apply
• Check your processor's international pricing

Enterprise Rates

• High-volume stores negotiate lower rates
• Can be as low as 1.9% + $0.20
• Update in Alpha Insights when rates change

Troubleshooting

Issue: Payment fees seem wrong

Check:

• Fee structure entered correctly (% and $ amounts)
• Using correct payment method ID
• Your actual processor rates (check contract)

Issue: No payment fee calculated

Causes:

• Payment gateway not enabled in WooCommerce (only enabled gateways are detected)
• Both percentage and static fee are set to 0 for that gateway
• Free order (no payment processed)
• Order total is $0

Solution:

1. Enable the payment gateway in WooCommerce → Settings → Payments
2. Go to Alpha Insights → Settings → General Settings
3. The gateway will appear automatically in the Payment Gateway Costs table
4. Configure the fee structure for that gateway
5. Save changes

Issue: Fee higher than expected

Check:

• International card rates are higher
• Amex typically charges more
• Currency conversion fees included
• Dispute fees or chargebacks

Optimizing Payment Costs

Compare Gateway Fees

Use Alpha Insights to compare:

1. Create report
2. Group orders by payment method
3. Calculate average fee % for each
4. See which gateway is most expensive

Encourage Lower-Fee Methods

• If bank transfer costs less, offer discount for using it
• Highlight lower-cost payment options
• Consider passing fees to customer (controversial but legal in some regions)

Negotiate Better Rates

Use Alpha Insights data:

• Show your monthly transaction volume
• Demonstrate growth trajectory
• Request volume discounts from processor