Card grading starts at $14.95 per card at Beckett and $17 per card at CGC as of Monday, October 26, 2026, while PSA’s cheapest open tier is $59.99 and TAG’s is $29.95, and the cheapest tiers are also the slowest, at 75 or more business days for Beckett, 150 working days for CGC Bulk and 90 to 100 business days for PSA Standard.
Last updated: Monday, October 26, 2026. Every price below was read off the grader’s official pricing page on that date, and each company says its turnaround times are estimates, not guarantees. Shipping both ways is extra at all four companies.
Grading fees decide whether a card is worth slabbing at all, and they change often, so this page is refreshed monthly. If you are timing a submission around a release, the set dates are on our Pokémon TCG release calendar and Magic: The Gathering release calendar.
How much does card grading cost at each company?
The cheapest open tier is $14.95 at Beckett (Base, without subgrades), then $17 at CGC (Bulk, with a 25-card minimum), $29.95 at TAG (Value, with a 10-card minimum) and $59.99 at PSA (Standard, no minimum). The full tier tables for each company follow in the next four sections.
| Company | Cheapest tier | Fee per card | Minimum order | Value cap at that tier | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beckett (BGS) | Base, no subgrades | $14.95 | None listed | None listed on the grading page | 75+ business days |
| CGC Cards | Bulk | $17 | 25 cards | $500 per card | 150 working days |
| TAG | Value | $29.95 | 10 cards | Protection up to $250 per card | 90 business days |
| PSA | Standard | $59.99 | None listed | $1,000 max insured value | 90 to 100 business days |
Two warnings before you ship anything. First, value caps matter: at PSA and CGC, a card worth more than your tier’s cap belongs in a higher tier, and CGC says it will move a card to the appropriate higher tier and bill the difference if it values the card above the value you stated. Second, availability moves fast in 2026, and tiers that are listed one month can pause the next, so confirm the tier is open on the company’s site the day you submit.
How much does PSA grading cost?
PSA grading costs $59.99 to $599 per card across the five tiers on its official pricing page as of October 26, 2026, and every tier carries a maximum insured value that decides the cheapest tier a card can use.
| PSA tier | Fee per card | Max insured value | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 90 to 100 business days |
| Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 70 to 80 business days |
| Express | $199 | $2,500 | 20 to 30 business days |
| Super Express | $349 | $5,000 | 10 to 15 business days |
| Premier | $599 | $10,000 | 7 to 10 business days |
PSA’s pricing page lists no Value tier as of October 26, 2026, so Standard at $59.99 is the entry point. All five tiers include standard imaging of the front and back of the graded card, and Express and above add grader notes that detail the card’s defects.
How much does CGC grading cost?
CGC Cards grading costs $17 to $300 per card for direct submissions in the United States as of October 26, 2026, with the lowest fees traded for the longest waits at Bulk and Economy.
| CGC tier | Fee per card | Max value per card | Current turnaround, working days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk (25-card minimum) | $17 | $500 | 150 days |
| Economy | $20 | $1,000 | 90 days |
| Standard | $55 | $3,000 | 10 days |
| Express | $100 | $10,000 | 5 days |
| WalkThrough | $300 | $100,000 | 2 days |
| Unlimited Value | $300 plus 1 percent of fair market value | Unlimited | 2 days |
Paid CGC memberships cut the fees: Associate and Premium members save 10 percent on grading, and Elite members save 20 percent. CGC states on the same page that its turnaround times are estimates only and are not guaranteed.
How much does Beckett grading cost?
Beckett Grading Services, known as BGS, costs $14.95 to $124.95 per card across the four service levels on its official grading page as of October 26, 2026, and it is the only one of the four that prints all four subgrades on the label.
| Beckett tier | Fee per card | Subgrades | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | $14.95 | No | 75+ business days |
| Base | $17.95 | Yes | 75+ business days |
| Standard | $34.95 | Yes | 45 business days |
| Express | $79.95 | Yes | 15 business days |
| Priority | $124.95 | Yes | 5 business days |
Beckett grades centering, corners, edges and surface separately and displays all four scores on the label, with a black label for a perfect Pristine 10, gold for Pristine 10 and Gem Mint 9.5, and silver for all other grades. Beckett notes that turnaround times are estimated and subject to change, and its submission center has opened and paused tiers during its 2026 site restoration, so check that your tier is accepting submissions before you ship.
How much does TAG grading cost?
TAG grading costs $29.95 to $299.95 per card as of October 26, 2026, and TAG states that its grading price never changes with a card’s value, so there are no value upcharges.
| TAG tier | Fee per card | Minimum order | Protection per card | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $29.95 | 10 cards | Up to $250 | 90 business days |
| Base | $39.95 | 5 cards | Up to $500 | 60 business days |
| Standard | $59.95 | None listed | Up to $1,000 | 45 business days |
| Priority | $79.95 | None listed | Up to $1,500 | 30 business days |
| Express | $149.95 | None listed | Up to $2,500 | 10 business days |
| Premier | $299.95 | None listed | Up to $5,000 | 3 to 5 business days |
Value and Base are grade-only services. Standard and above add the TAG Score, a 1,000-point score with a global rank, and every tier includes a Digital Imaging and Grading report, called a DIG report, that maps the card’s defects. One limit to know before you submit: TAG does not currently accept Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, pre-1989 cards, memorabilia, or cards thicker than 50pt stock.
How long does card grading take right now?
At the cheapest tiers, grading takes about three to seven months in late 2026: 75 or more business days at Beckett Base, 90 business days at TAG Value, 90 to 100 business days at PSA Standard and 150 working days at CGC Bulk.
Paying up shortens the wait sharply at CGC and TAG. CGC Standard is listed at 10 working days and WalkThrough at 2 working days, and TAG Premier is listed at 3 to 5 business days. PSA is the slowest ladder of the four at the top as well as the bottom, with Premier at 7 to 10 business days. All four companies call these figures estimates, and none of them includes shipping time.
Which grading company should you choose?
Choose on the math for your card, not the logo: the graded value of the card has to beat the raw value by more than the fee, shipping both ways and any selling fees, at the grade you realistically expect.
CGC Bulk and Beckett Base keep per-card fees lowest for large or low-value batches, as long as you can wait. PSA Standard costs the most at entry and takes just as long at the cheap end, so it fits cards whose value clears the $59.99 fee with room to spare. TAG fits collectors who want the defect report and the 1,000-point score, and who want a price that will not change with the card’s value. Grading money is also a practical collector gift, which is why our Pokémon gifts for adults guide links here.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to grade a Pokémon card?
As of October 26, 2026, the cheapest per-card fees are Beckett Base at $14.95 (without subgrades) and CGC Bulk at $17, but CGC Bulk needs at least 25 cards and takes an estimated 150 working days. For a small batch, CGC Economy at $20 has no minimum listed.
Why is PSA more expensive than CGC and Beckett?
On the official pages checked on October 26, 2026, PSA’s cheapest open tier is Standard at $59.99, and its pricing page lists no Value tier. CGC and Beckett both still list sub-$20 entry tiers, with longer waits or card minimums attached.
Do turnaround times include shipping?
No. Each company counts its estimate from when the submission reaches and is entered at its facility, and shipping both ways, plus intake time, sits on top of the figures in the tables above.
Sources: PSA grading pricing, CGC Cards services and fees, Beckett card grading services, TAG Grading pricing and the TAG Help Center service list, updated October 21, 2026. All figures read on Monday, October 26, 2026.
Changelog: Monday, October 26, 2026: page created with the full PSA, CGC, Beckett and TAG tier tables as listed on each company’s official pricing page that day.