If you're on GlossGenius, you've probably seen the posts in your Facebook groups by now. Hundreds of comments, one question: what are we switching to?
Before you decide anything, here's exactly what changed, in GlossGenius's own published numbers.
What changed
GlossGenius used to sell one flat rate: 2.6% on every payment, whether your client tapped her card or you charged the card on file. No per-transaction fee.
Starting November 16, 2026, its published U.S. rates split in two:
| Payment type | Before | From November 16 |
|---|---|---|
| In person (tap, dip, swipe) | 2.6% | 2.4% + 15¢ |
| Card on file, online, keyed in | 2.6% | 3.4% + 15¢ |
Deposits, no-show fees, memberships, online booking and “just put it on my card”: everything GlossGenius now bills at 3.4% + 15¢.
GlossGenius card-on-file fees: $3,120 a year before, $4,200 with new rates, $1,080 more. SpaSphere: $3,720 a year.
Your GlossGenius card-on-file fees
Before
$3,120
per year
With new rates
$4,200
per year
$1,080 more than before
+34.6% for the same charges, from 2.6% flat to 3.4% + 15¢.
SpaSphere processing
2.9% + 30¢, no SpaSphere markup
$3,720
About $480 a year less than GlossGenius's new rates. $0.60 less on every $150 charge.
$1 for 30 days, then $139 a month.
Card-on-file, online and keyed-in processing fees only, assuming every charge is your average charge. GlossGenius: its published U.S. rate as of October 2026; before is the flat 2.6% it advertised for every payment type. SpaSphere: Stripe's standard U.S. rate; we don't add a SpaSphere markup to Stripe's standard processing rates.
Invoices are paid online, so they count as card-on-file charges too.
On October 13, 2026, GlossGenius's own blog still told readers there are "no additional transaction fees, or different rates based on whether you are using a card on file." From November 16, that is no longer how its pricing works.
Why the second row is the one that matters
Look at where your money actually moves through a card on file:
- Deposits taken when a client books online
- No-show and late-cancel fees
- "Just put it on my card" at the end of a visit
- Memberships and packages that bill automatically
- Online booking paid up front
For a lot of estheticians, that's most of the month. And every one of those charges now costs 3.4% + 15¢ instead of 2.6%.
What it looks like on one facial
A $150 charge to a card on file:
| Fee | |
|---|---|
| GlossGenius, before | $3.90 |
| GlossGenius, from Nov 16 | $5.25 |
| SpaSphere | $4.65 |
That's $1.35 more on the same client, the same treatment, the same card. Just because it was already saved.
What it looks like on a month
Say you run 100 charges of $150 a month, all to a card on file. That's $15,000 in card volume.
| Monthly fees | Yearly | |
|---|---|---|
| GlossGenius, before | $390 | $4,680 |
| GlossGenius, from Nov 16 | $525 | $6,300 |
| SpaSphere | $465 | $5,580 |
The change costs that practice $1,620 a year. On SpaSphere, the same month costs $720 a year less than GlossGenius's new rates.
Your month won't look exactly like this. The calculator on our switch page lets you put in your own card-on-file volume and average charge.
What SpaSphere charges
SpaSphere processes payments through Stripe, at Stripe's standard U.S. rates:
- 2.9% + 30¢ for card on file and online
- 2.7% + 5¢ in person
We don't add a SpaSphere markup to Stripe's standard processing rates.
If you're thinking about switching
The fee is what started the conversation. It shouldn't be the only reason you move. If you're going to go through a switch, it's worth landing somewhere that fits the work you actually do.
SpaSphere is built for estheticians: sequenced treatment plans, skin assessments and skin SOAP notes included in one plan, and a full website on your own domain. And the part everyone dreads, moving your clients, notes, SOAP notes and photos, we do for you, in as little as 48 hours.
If you want to talk through what a move would look like for your practice, book a call with your SpaSphere account manager. Migration is free for now.
GlossGenius rates are its published U.S. rates as of October 2026. Its previous rate is the flat 2.6% it advertised for every payment type. Examples assume every charge is the average charge.
