Stripe supports more than 135 currencies, from USD, EUR, GBP and JPY down to regional currencies like XOF and THB. The Payment app supports charging in all of them. However, "supports 135+ currencies" glosses over the detail that actually matters: the difference between the currency your customer pays in and the currency that lands in your bank account.
Presentment vs settlement currency
There are two currencies involved in every charge:
- Presentment currency is what your customer pays in. This is the currency you pick when creating the charge.
- Settlement currency is what arrives in your bank account. This is determined by your Stripe account's country, and generally cannot be changed.
If you're a US business charging a customer in euros, the presentment currency is EUR and the settlement currency is USD. Stripe converts automatically at the current exchange rate, and your payout arrives in dollars.
What does currency conversion cost?
When the presentment and settlement currencies differ, Stripe applies a conversion fee, typically 1% above the base exchange rate. In some cases, it may be cheaper to charge in your own settlement currency and let the customer's bank handle the conversion instead. However, customers generally prefer seeing prices in their own currency, and fewer surprises at checkout means fewer disputes later.
Zero-decimal currencies
Most currencies subdivide into hundredths: $5.00 is 500 cents. Sixteen currencies do not, including JPY, KRW and VND. These are called zero-decimal currencies, and they charge in whole units, so ¥500 is simply 500. The Payment app handles this automatically when you pick the currency, but it's worth knowing if you ever reconcile charges against your Stripe Dashboard and wonder where the decimal went.
Which currencies can my account use?
The exact set of presentment currencies depends on your Stripe account's country. Most accounts can present in the vast majority of the 135+, but there are regional exceptions. Stripe maintains a live list per country in their documentation, and the Payment app will only offer currencies your account can actually use.
Can I display prices in my customer's currency?
Yes. When creating a charge, you can set the amount in any currency available to your account. For businesses selling internationally, whether at a market stall abroad or over the phone, this saves your customer from doing mental math and saves you from explaining the exchange rate.
Learn more, including the full supported currency list: https://paymentforstripe.com/guides/currencies
