Monthly Nocturne Fee Cost by Payments (20, 50, or 100) — Fee-Only Estimate

Estimate Nocturne fee per payment monthly cost with one formula: monthly total = number of payments × $0.30. Fee-only totals are $6.00 for 20 payments/month, $15.00 for 50 payments/month, and $30.00 for 100 payments/month.

Nocturne publishes this cost guide so you can forecast your No-KYC virtual debit spending fees before you mint and use a Nocturne virtual card. This is a fee-only estimate: it covers the Nocturne $0.30 flat fee charged per payment fee event, not your purchase amounts, network-side crypto costs, or merchant-specific charges.

Cost table: 20 vs 50 vs 100 payments (fee-only)

Nocturne’s payment-fee math is intentionally simple. Count the number of virtual debit card payments expected in a month, then multiply by $0.30.

Item	Price range
20 transactions in a month	$6.00 fee-only monthly cost
50 transactions in a month	$15.00 fee-only monthly cost
100 transactions in a month	$30.00 fee-only monthly cost
Each additional processed payment	+$0.30
Each avoided processed payment	-$0.30
Shadow card mint price	$25 one-time card price, plus $0.30 per payment
Aurora card mint price	$50 one-time card price, plus $0.30 per payment

This table separates the card product cost from the payment-use cost. Shadow costs $25 to mint, and Aurora costs $50 to mint. After that, the same $0.30 per processed payment model applies in this guide.

How much does Nocturne cost per transaction?

Nocturne costs $0.30 per transaction under the payment-fee model described here. In practical terms, one processed payment equals one $0.30 charge.

That makes the monthly formula:

Monthly Nocturne payment fees = monthly payment count × $0.30

Examples:

• 12 payments: 12 × $0.30 = $3.60
• 30 payments: 30 × $0.30 = $9.00
• 75 payments: 75 × $0.30 = $22.50
• 120 payments: 120 × $0.30 = $36.00

The fee is not a percentage of purchase size. A $12 online purchase and a $120 online purchase have the same $0.30 fee if each is one processed payment.

What is the fee-only monthly cost for 20 payments?

For 20 payments, the fee-only monthly cost is:

20 × $0.30 = $6.00

This is the clean estimate for 20 transactions when each transaction is processed once and no extra processed events occur from retry behavior, split captures, or additional merchant payment attempts.

What is the fee-only monthly cost for 50 payments?

For 50 payments, the fee-only monthly cost is:

50 × $0.30 = $15.00

This is a realistic planning number for a moderate monthly payment count, such as recurring services, online purchases, app subscriptions, and a few in-person wallet transactions where the Nocturne virtual card is accepted through a compatible payment flow.

What is the fee-only monthly cost for 100 payments?

For 100 payments, the fee-only monthly cost is:

100 × $0.30 = $30.00

At 100 transactions, the model still scales linearly. There is no percentage step-up in this fee-only estimate: every additional processed payment adds another $0.30.

What changes your monthly fee total

Your monthly cost changes when your monthly payment count changes. The dollar amount of your purchases does not change the per-payment fee in this model; the number of processed payment events does.

The main driver: monthly payment count

The monthly payment count is the number to track. If you make more separate payments, your total rises. If you combine purchases or reduce unnecessary attempts, your total falls.

Use these quick ranges:

• Light use: 10 payments/month = $3.00
• Low-to-moderate use: 20 transactions/month = $6.00
• Moderate use: 50 transactions/month = $15.00
• Heavy use: 100 transactions/month = $30.00
• Very heavy use: 150 payments/month = $45.00

A user making ten $100 payments pays $3.00 in Nocturne payment fees. A user making one hundred $10 payments pays $30.00 in Nocturne payment fees. Same total spend, different payment count, different fee total.

Payment retry behavior

A payment retry can increase the count if each retry reaches processing as a separate payment event. If a merchant checkout fails before any payment attempt is processed, it may not add a fee event. If the merchant submits the payment attempt again and it reaches processing, treat that retry as another possible $0.30 item in your planning model.

For example:

• One clean checkout: 1 × $0.30 = $0.30
• First attempt plus one processed retry: 2 × $0.30 = $0.60
• First attempt plus two processed retries: 3 × $0.30 = $0.90

This is why retry discipline matters. Before retrying, check card details, billing fields, merchant support for virtual cards, balance, network choice, and whether the first attempt is still pending.

Auth hold and capture timing

An auth hold is common when a merchant checks card validity or reserves an estimated amount before finalizing the charge. Capture timing is the point when the merchant finalizes all or part of that authorization.

In a simple case, one authorization followed by one final capture may behave like a single purchase flow. In more complex cases, merchants can run separate authorizations, adjust amounts, split shipments, or process additional captures. Your fee-only estimate should focus on how many processed payment events occur, not only how many items you bought.

For predictable planning, assume each distinct processed authorization or charge-like event may add $0.30 until you confirm how that merchant handles settlement vs reversal.

Refund, partial capture, and final capture

A refund does not reduce the original monthly fee estimate automatically. The original payment was still processed. Whether a refund creates an additional fee event depends on how the underlying card processing event is handled. For conservative planning, count the original payment and do not subtract the $0.30 unless your activity record shows the fee impact clearly.

A partial capture can matter when a merchant authorizes a higher amount but captures only part of it. A final capture can also matter when the merchant completes the transaction after an authorization period. If a merchant uses one authorization and one capture inside the same payment flow, your fee impact may remain simple. If the merchant creates multiple processed captures or separate payment events, each can add $0.30.

The important distinction is settlement vs reversal. Settlement means the transaction is finalized. Reversal means an authorization is released or undone. Track processed payment events in your Nocturne activity, especially with merchants that use preauthorization, delayed shipping, deposits, hotel-style holds, rental-style holds, or order adjustments.

Shadow and Aurora do not change the per-payment math

Do Shadow or Aurora change the $0.30 fee? No. Shadow and Aurora have different mint prices, but the fee-only payment model remains the same: $0.30 per processed payment.

• Shadow: $25 mint price, then $0.30 per payment
• Aurora: $50 mint price, then $0.30 per payment

If you are estimating monthly payment fees only, Shadow versus Aurora does not change the 20, 50, or 100 payment totals. The monthly payment fee estimate remains $6.00, $15.00, or $30.00 for those three usage levels.

Example scenarios: monthly spend with different checkout patterns

These examples show how the same Nocturne $0.30 flat fee behaves under different payment patterns. The purchase amounts are included for context, but the fee-only total is based on the number of processed payments.

Scenario 1: 20 clean payments, no retries

A privacy-seeking user mints a Nocturne virtual card with No-KYC onboarding, funds on-chain, and uses it for small online purchases and subscriptions.

• Monthly purchases: 20
• Processed retries: 0
• Extra capture events counted separately: 0
• Fee calculation: 20 × $0.30
• Monthly cost: $6.00

This is the cleanest version of the 20 transactions estimate. The merchant sees a card payment, while the user benefits from a tokenized card number and does not need a bank account or exchange login for the card funding flow.

Scenario 2: 50 planned payments plus 5 processed retries

A user expects 50 payments in a month. Five checkouts fail on the first attempt, then the user retries and each retry reaches processing.

• Planned payments: 50
• Processed payment retry events: 5
• Total counted payment events: 55
• Fee calculation: 55 × $0.30
• Monthly cost: $16.50

The base 50-payment estimate is $15.00. The five extra processed retries add $1.50.

Scenario 3: 100 payments with subscriptions and small purchases

A high-frequency user makes many virtual debit card payments across subscriptions, digital tools, marketplaces, and everyday online purchases.

• Monthly payments: 100
• Additional processed events: 0
• Fee calculation: 100 × $0.30
• Monthly cost: $30.00

At this volume, the fee-only model remains straightforward. The user’s focus should be on avoiding accidental duplicate payments, repeated checkout attempts, and merchants that split orders into multiple processed charges.

Scenario 4: 35 purchases, but 42 processed payment events

A user makes 35 intended purchases. Several merchants use authorization, delayed capture, or split order handling, resulting in 42 processed events visible for fee planning.

• Intended purchases: 35
• Counted processed payment events: 42
• Fee calculation: 42 × $0.30
• Monthly cost: $12.60

This example shows why intended purchases and processed payment events are not always identical. For a fee-only estimate, count the processed events.

Scenario 5: one larger payment versus five smaller payments

A user can either pay one invoice once or split it into five smaller card payments.

• One payment: 1 × $0.30 = $0.30
• Five payments: 5 × $0.30 = $1.50
• Difference: $1.20

When the merchant allows it and it does not create operational risk, fewer processed payments are cheaper than many separate payments.

Quick checklist to keep your fee total predictable

Use this checklist before and during the month if you want the simplest possible monthly cost forecast.

1. Start with expected payment count. Estimate how many virtual debit card payments you plan to make this month.
2. Multiply by $0.30. Use the formula: payment count × $0.30.
3. Add a retry buffer. If you often retry checkouts, add 5–15% more payment events to your estimate.
4. Watch merchants with auth holds. Travel, deposits, rentals, preorders, and delayed shipping can create more complex authorization and capture patterns.
5. Check before retrying. Confirm card number, expiration, CVV, billing fields, balance, and merchant acceptance before another attempt.
6. Track partial capture behavior. Split shipments or adjusted order totals can affect the number of processed events.
7. Do not assume refunds erase fees. A refund may return the purchase amount, but the original processed payment still occurred.
8. Separate mint cost from usage cost. Shadow is $25 and Aurora is $50, while the monthly per-payment fee model is separate.

If you want to mint a crypto-funded no-KYC card and keep payment fees predictable, Nocturne keeps the core usage math simple: $0.30 per processed payment, no monthly fee.

FAQ

What’s the simplest way to estimate my monthly Nocturne fees?

The simplest way is: monthly payment count × $0.30. If you expect 20, 50, or 100 payments, the fee-only estimate is $6.00, $15.00, or $30.00.

Do payment retries increase the number of charged payments?

Yes, payment retries can increase the number of charged payments if each retry reaches processing as a separate payment event. One original attempt plus one processed retry should be estimated as two payment events, or $0.60 total.

How do auth holds affect fee-only monthly totals?

Auth holds affect fee-only monthly totals when the merchant’s authorization and capture flow creates additional processed payment events. A simple authorization-to-capture flow may be straightforward, but separate authorizations, adjusted captures, or split handling can raise the count.

Can partial capture or final capture create extra per-payment charges?

Yes, partial capture or final capture can create extra per-payment charges if they are processed as separate payment events. If a merchant splits an order into multiple captures, use the number of processed events for your estimate.

Are refunds counted as new payments for fee purposes?

A refund is not the same as a new purchase, but it also does not automatically erase the original processed payment from your fee-only estimate. For conservative planning, count the original payment and review your activity record for any separate refund-related processing details.