Braintree pricing for nonprofits
Braintree (PayPal Enterprise Payments) gives verified US 501(c)(3) organizations a charity rate of 2.19% plus $0.29 on cards and wallets after PayPal pre-approval, against higher standard pricing. ACH costs 0.75% capped at $5. Cross-border and non-USD cards add surcharges. Current charity terms live on the PayPal Braintree fees page.
Braintree review for nonprofits
Braintree is a full-stack payment gateway nonprofits use for online donation checkout, recurring giving, and event or marketplace payments with PayPal, Venmo, cards, and digital wallets.
The charity rate applies to verified 501(c)(3) organizations after application and pre-approval. It suits nonprofits needing gateway depth with global payment methods rather than a simple donate button.
Typical nonprofit uses:
- Run online donation checkout with cards and wallets.
- Operate recurring giving programs.
- Power event and marketplace payments.
Pros:
- Lower charity rate with Venmo and global methods included.
- Robust APIs and sandbox for custom donation flows.
Cons:
- The old nonprofit landing page is gone, making the program harder to discover.
- Chargebacks and cross-border surcharges add up on international donations.
FAQ about Braintree for nonprofits
What is the Braintree charity rate?
2.19% plus $0.29 per transaction on cards and wallets for verified charities; ACH costs 0.75% capped at $5.
Which organizations qualify?
Verified US 501(c)(3) organizations with PayPal pre-approval.
What are the surcharges?
An extra 1% for non-USD transactions and 1% for non-US cards; fees are not refunded on refunded donations.
When is Braintree a good fit?
For nonprofits needing a full gateway with PayPal and Venmo alongside cards, with developer resources to integrate it.
Alternatives to Braintree
Find more tools with free options and discounts for nonprofits in Payment platforms
Paypal
Confirmed Charity rate 1.99% + fixed fee
Donor-trusted payments with a 1.99% charity rate. PayPal gives approved Confirmed Charities a 1.99% plus fixed-fee domestic rate on donations (standard donation pricing is higher), with an extra...
Dharma Merchant Services
Interchange-plus nonprofit rates from 0.10%
Transparent low-margin card processing for 501(c)(3)s. Dharma publishes nonprofit interchange-plus rates from 0.10% plus small per-transaction fees, with Visa charity passthrough for eligible charity-category processing. Expect a $15...
Stripe
Discounted processing fees for donation-primary accounts
Online donation processing with discounted nonprofit fees on request. Stripe offers discounted processing fees to registered nonprofits in supported regions (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and...
PayAnywhere
Custom nonprofit merchant pricing (quote-based)
In-person and phone payments with custom nonprofit pricing. PayAnywhere builds custom nonprofit merchant accounts with pay-as-you-go or tailored plans, a free virtual terminal and payments hub, offline transactions,...