Lithic Hidden Costs 2026: True Cost Breakdown

Quick Answer

Last verified: June 14, 2026

High confidence

Lithic uses custom pricing as of July 2026 with 5 plans available. Contact Lithic directly for a personalized quote. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

Free tier: No free tier available

Lithic offers 5 pricing tiers: Processor Gateway, Lithic Program Management, Cardholder Support, Disputes & Chargebacks, Fraud & Risk Mitigation.

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Lithic uses custom pricing, and hidden costs like implementation and support add to the quoted price as of July 2026. Contact the vendor for a quote. Hidden costs like implementation and support add significantly to the total. Key hidden costs: virtual card issuance (starter), physical card issuance and shipping, platform subscription fees. Verified from 1 sources by CostBench.

Hidden Costs Breakdown

Virtual Card Issuance (Starter)

medium overage

For companies in the "Starter" program, Lithic charges $0.10 per virtual card.

industry
For "Enterprise" clients, defined as companies with over $250,000 in monthly payment volume, the cost per virtual card is likely less than $0.10

Physical Card Issuance and Shipping

high addon

The cost for issuing and shipping custom physical cards programmatically through an API is not specified in the provided text.

industry
For "Enterprise" clients, defined as companies with over $250,000 in monthly payment volume, the cost per virtual card is likely less than $0.10

Platform Subscription Fees

high addon

Some BaaS platforms, including Lithic according to one report, may charge a monthly platform subscription fee, with estimates around $12,500 per month or $15,000 per month for specific modules in the Australian market.

industry
One Reddit user indicated that several BaaS providers, including Lithic, charge around $12,500 per month for platform access

Per-User/Per-Account Fees

high overage

Some BaaS providers charge a variable fee for each active end-user or account on the platform, often around $0.10 per customer per month, which can accumulate significantly.

industry
One Reddit user indicated that several BaaS providers, including Lithic, charge around $12,500 per month for platform access

Interchange Fees

high overage

Interchange fees, a percentage of each transaction paid by the merchant's bank to the card-issuing bank, can range from approximately 1.5% to 2.5% of a transaction.

industry
Interchange Fees: Lithic's revenue is partly derived from interchange fees, which are a percentage of each transaction paid by the merchant's bank to the card-issuing bank

KYC/KYB Pass-throughs

medium compliance

Costs associated with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) verification for new onboarding are often passed through to the buyer and can be variable.

industry
KYC/KYB Pass-throughs: Costs associated with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) verification for new onboarding are often passed through to the buyer and can be variable

Fraud Monitoring and Dispute Resolution

high support

These are variable costs that can significantly impact the overall expense of running a card program.

industry
Fraud Monitoring and Dispute Resolution: These are variable costs that can significantly impact the overall expense of running a card program

Deposit Account Module Access

high overage

Access to a deposit account module can cost around $10,000 per month in the broader BaaS market.

industry
In the broader BaaS market, monthly platform subscriptions can range significantly, with access to a deposit account module potentially costing around $10,000 per month, and an additional $5,000 for a card program.

Card Program Module Access

high overage

An additional card program module can cost around $5,000 per month in the broader BaaS market.

industry
In the broader BaaS market, monthly platform subscriptions can range significantly, with access to a deposit account module potentially costing around $10,000 per month, and an additional $5,000 for a card program.

Other Transaction Fees

medium overage

Other transaction-based fees can include charges for ACH, wires, or checks.

industry
Other transaction-based fees can include charges for ACH, wires (which can be as high as $30 for international wires), or checks.

KYC/KYB Verification

high compliance

Costs are associated with identity verification, sanctions list checks, and PEP registers for each end-user.

industry
These can include: * KYC (Know Your Customer) and KYB (Know Your Business) Verification: Costs associated with identity verification, sanctions list checks, and PEP (Politically Exposed Persons) registers for each end-user.

Chargeback Operational Expenses

medium overage

Operational expenses for chargebacks can add another $50 to $150 per case.

industry
Chargeback fees in the broader payment processing industry can range from $15 to $100 per chargeback, with operational expenses adding another $50 to $150 per case.

Assessment Fees

medium overage

Standardized charges from card networks may be bundled with proprietary "brand fees," inflating the cost by 10% to 30%.

industry
Assessment Fees: Standardized charges from card networks (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) that processors may bundle with proprietary "brand fees," inflating the cost by 10% to 30%.

Gateway/Platform/Processor Markups

medium overage

Payment gateways can charge $0.10 to $0.30 per transaction plus monthly platform fees, and processors may add markups above interchange.

industry
Gateway, Platform, and Processor Markups: Payment gateways can charge $0.10 to $0.30 per transaction plus monthly platform fees, and processors may add markups above interchange.

Implementation Complexity

high implementation

More advanced card constructs can increase launch complexity, with building in-house issuing infrastructure historically costing upwards of $500,000 and taking over 12 months.

industry
Implementation Complexity: While Lithic aims to streamline card issuing, more advanced card constructs can increase launch complexity.

Frequently Asked Questions

01 What hidden costs should I budget for with Lithic?

Beyond the license fee, budget for: Virtual Card Issuance (Starter) ($0.10); Platform Subscription Fees ($12,500 per month or $15,000 per month); Per-User/Per-Account Fees ($0.10 per customer per month); Interchange Fees (1.5% to 2.5% of a transaction); Deposit Account Module Access ($10,000 per month); Card Program Module Access ($5,000 per month); Chargeback Operational Expenses ($50 to $150 per case); Assessment Fees (10% to 30%); Gateway/Platform/Processor Markups ($0.10 to $0.30 per transaction); Implementation Complexity ($500,000). Exact totals depend on your deployment size and negotiated terms.

02 Does Lithic charge for implementation?

Lithic implementation is not included in the license cost. More advanced card constructs can increase launch complexity, with building in-house issuing infrastructure historically costing upwards of $500,000 and taking over 12 months.. Estimated impact: $500,000.

03 How much does Lithic support cost?

These are variable costs that can significantly impact the overall expense of running a card program..

04 Are there overage or storage costs with Lithic?

For companies in the "Starter" program, Lithic charges $0.10 per virtual card. Estimated impact: $0.10.

05 What add-ons cost extra with Lithic?

Add-on pricing for Lithic varies by feature. The sourced cost breakdown above lists any verified add-on costs we have.

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Prices and terms change; verify against the live pricing page.

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