Every time a customer taps their credit card to pay for a job, a percentage of your money goes to the card networks before it ever reaches your account. Most plumbers accept this as the cost of doing business. It doesn't have to be. Here's exactly how much it's costing you — and the one change that puts most of it back in your pocket.

Where the money goes on a card payment

When a customer pays a $400 invoice with their Visa card, the payment doesn't arrive whole. Before a single dollar reaches your bank account, two fees come out — Stripe's processing fee and CashWrench's platform fee.

A $400 job paid by credit card
Invoice total$400.00
Stripe processing fee (2.9% + $0.30)− $11.90
CashWrench platform fee (1%)− $4.00
You receive$384.10

$11.90 gone to large banking networks. On one job that feels small. Across 20 jobs a week, that's $238 a week in fees — over $12,300 a year — quietly leaving your account on every single card payment.

Now here's the thing most plumbers don't know. There's another way for customers to pay that costs a fraction of that. It's called ACH — a direct bank transfer from their account to yours. And the difference in fees is significant enough to change how you run your business.

"Every card payment costs you 2.9% + $0.30 to the card networks. An ACH bank transfer costs 0.8% — capped at $5 no matter how large the job."

The same $400 job — paid by bank transfer

A $400 job paid by ACH bank transfer
Invoice total$400.00
Stripe ACH fee (0.8%)− $3.20
CashWrench platform fee (1%)− $4.00
You receive$392.80

Same job. Same CashWrench fee. But the Stripe fee drops from $11.90 to $3.20 — a saving of $8.70 on a single job — because ACH bypasses the card networks entirely and routes the money directly from their bank account to yours.

What this looks like across a week

A solo plumber doing 20 jobs a week at an average of $400 per job. Here's the full week comparison:

All card payments
Jobs per week20
Average job value$400
Weekly revenue$8,000
Stripe fees$238
CashWrench fees$80

$318 / week in fees

$16,536 per year

All ACH payments
Jobs per week20
Average job value$400
Weekly revenue$8,000
Stripe fees$64
CashWrench fees$80

$144 / week in fees

$7,488 per year

Weekly saving by switching to ACH

Same jobs. Same CashWrench. Different payment method.

$174

/wk

$9,048 per year

That's not a rounding error. That's nearly $9,000 a year that goes from Stripe's pockets back into yours — purely by offering customers a bank transfer option instead of defaulting to card every time.

What does $9,000 a year look like? It's a new set of tools. It's three months of insurance. It's a van service and new tyres. It's the difference between a business that's covering its costs and one that's building something.

Run the numbers for your own jobs

Your weekly fee calculator
Average job value$400
$100$2,000
Jobs per week20
150

Card fees/week

$318

$16,536/yr

ACH fees/week

$144

$7,488/yr

You save/week

$174

$9,048/yr

Why don't more plumbers use ACH?

Mostly because they don't offer it. Most invoicing tools default to card payment because it's easier to set up and customers are used to tapping their phone. ACH requires the customer to enter their bank account and routing number — one more step that most contractors don't want to ask their customers to take.

There are two scenarios where ACH makes particularly strong sense. The first is larger jobs — anything over $500. At $500 a card payment costs $14.80 in Stripe fees alone. The same payment by ACH costs $4.00. The second is repeat customers — homeowners or property managers who call you regularly. Set them up on ACH once and it becomes their default method.

When to suggest ACH to a customer

  • Jobs over $400

    The saving per job becomes significant enough to be worth mentioning. "We also accept bank transfer if that's easier — same payment link, slightly different option."

  • Repeat customers

    Set them up once and it becomes their default. Saves you on every job they book going forward.

  • Commercial clients

    Businesses and property managers often prefer ACH anyway — it integrates with their own accounting. You're making their life easier and saving on fees at the same time.

  • When a customer asks about payment options

    Always mention ACH alongside card. Most customers don't have a strong preference — they just need to know it's available.

ACH settles in 2–3 days — is that a problem?

Worth addressing directly because it's the main reason contractors hesitate. Card payments settle the next business day. ACH takes 2–3 business days. For emergency callouts or same-day jobs where you need the cash fast — card is the right call. For planned work, installations, and anything booked in advance — ACH makes sense.

The practical approach is to offer both and let the job type guide the method. Emergency repair on a Tuesday evening — card. Scheduled bathroom installation booked a week in advance — suggest ACH and save $15 on the Stripe fee alone.

"You don't have to choose between speed and savings. Use card when you need the money fast. Use ACH when you can wait two days and save on every large job."

The $200 a week isn't theoretical. It's sitting in Stripe's processing fees on every card payment you accept without offering an alternative. It adds up to a number worth paying attention to — and it takes one conversation with your regular customers to start bringing it back.

— The CashWrench Team

Want the full breakdown of every CashWrench fee? Read: Here's exactly what CashWrench charges →

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