When creating a Shopify store, one of the main stages on the way to its launch can be called setting up payment acceptance from customers. Shopify can offer you a wide range of payment acceptance options - from the internal Shopify Payments system to pre-installed integrations with 100+ payment system operators.
If you haven't found a convenient option for you among the standard solutions, you can connect a manual payment method, a third-party payment system, or even a payment gateway of your local bank created for you by the developer to your Shopify store.
You can connect and manage payment systems from the settings page of your store.
Accepting Payments in Shopify
All payment methods supported by Shopify rely on third-party providers to process your transactions. These providers may charge additional fees for their services, as well as set rules about what products you can sell in your store. So, check with the company's support team to find out what their rules and fees are before signing up for a payment system.
How will you get paid?
When you set up a payment processor in your Shopify store to accept credit cards, each payment from your customer will be processed by the payment processor, so there will be a delay between the time they pay for their order and when they receive the payment. Once the payment is successfully processed, the purchase amount will be transferred to your account in the payment processor.
If you connect another payment system to your online store that does not accept payments via plastic cards (for example, PayPal ), the terms of payment processing may differ.
When you use Shopify Payments, you'll receive payments through Shopify Payouts.
If your customers pay using third-party payment gateways, you won't see payment information in your Shopify admin.
Shopify store payment methods
Shopify Payments
Shopify is the leader in payment systems with its own payment acceptance service, Shopify Payments.
As Shopify describes it, Shopify Payments is a simple way to accept payments online. It eliminates the need to set up a third-party payment provider, create a separate account for your business, and have customers enter their Shopify store credentials at checkout. Shopify Payments automatically sets up all major payment methods for you once you create your Shopify store.
How to connect Shopify Payments
You can connect Shopify Payments to your store in the Shopify store settings. The ability to connect the payment system is available to entrepreneurs from a limited list of countries. This list is constantly expanding.
If your business is registered in any other country, to connect Shopify Payments you can open a new legal entity in one of the accepted countries from the list at the link above.
Third-party companies also provide services for opening legal entities for using Shopify Payments. You can find them using Google search. The cost of registering a legal entity can be from $300.
PayPal, Google Pay and other global payment operators
You can connect global payment systems such as PayPal or Google Pay to your Shopify store. All of them have their own payment platform and are not connected to the Shopify checkout. This means that to pay for the order, the buyer will be redirected to a special payment system page where they must make the payment, after which they can return back to your store.
This payment method guarantees the buyer that his data will not be transferred to the store where he makes a purchase, but will remain on the side of the payment system. It is also convenient - the buyer does not need to enter his bank card number and other personal data each time when placing an order.
Here is a full list of global payment systems that Shopify currently supports:
- Apple Pay (connected via Shopify Payments).
- Amazon Pay.
- Facebook Pay (connected via Shopify Payments).
- Google Pay (connected via Shopify Payments).
- PayPal.
- Shop Pay.
- Shop Pay Installations.
Third-party payment system aggregators
In addition to connecting global payment systems, you can connect online payment aggregators to your online store. Shopify has more than a hundred companies with which integration has already been established, and all you have to do is choose a suitable payment system from the list.
An online payment aggregator is a payment system that provides the buyer with various options for paying for an order: from debit and credit bank cards to club cards or payment by cryptocurrency.
The list of available payment methods may differ for each payment aggregator. Before installing a payment aggregator in your store, you can cancel those payment methods that you do not want to offer to your customers:
Unlike global payment systems, third-party payment aggregators are integrated into Shopify checkout, allowing customers to pay for their order without going to a special payment system page. Payment is made directly on the checkout page:
Alternative payment systems
In addition to the above payment aggregators, you can add other alternative payment systems to your store. Shopify offers a choice of dozens of pre-installed payment systems and aggregators, each of which can offer a wide range of payment methods:
- Popular bank cards VISA and MasterCard and lesser known American Express, JSB, Discover and others.
- Cards of various systems and services, for example: Samsung Card, WeChat Pay, Hyundai Card and others.
- Popular cryptocurrency systems (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and others).
- Other payment methods used worldwide or locally.
Custom Payment Gateways in Shopify Store
Despite the fact that Shopify provides a huge selection of payment systems, a local payment system or bank may be more convenient for your business. Shopify provides the ability to connect both a third-party payment system and banking to the store.
Unfortunately, Shopify cannot offer you guarantees or support if you want to work with a third-party payment processor. Moreover, such integration can only be done with the help of the processor (bank) itself or by a Shopify developer.
To find a suitable local payment gateway for your Shopify store, simply search for such integration services in a search engine (such as Google ) using the phrase "[your payment gateway or bank] Shopify [your country] payment gateway".
Manual payment methods
If you don't want to work with payment processors or your business needs to use non-standard payment options, you can set up a manual payment method in your store, whether it's cash on delivery, bank transfer against a provided invoice, or something else that you can offer your customers.
Manual payment methods are not controlled by third-party operators or Shopify. When you receive payment from a customer, you must manually change the order status to "Paid".
International payment systems for Shopify store
Verifone (2Checkout)
Verifone (2Checkout) is a convenient and reliable payment system that allows sellers and stores to accept online payments for goods and services from all over the world.
The Verifone platform provides a high level of security, compliant with PCI DSS standards and using advanced data encryption technologies to protect the financial data of customers and merchants. This increases the level of confidence that customers have when they make a purchase from your store.
Merchants can also take advantage of the many tools Verifone provides to manage their business. They can set up different payment types, create reports and analytics, manage subscriptions, and more.
Verifone supports over 100 payment methods, including:
- Credit and debit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB and many others.
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Alternative payment methods: Alipay, UnionPay, iDEAL, Sofort, GiroPay, Boleto Bancário, SEPA Direct Debit and others.
- Electronic wallets: Skrill, Neteller, WebMoney and others.
These are just some of the supported payment methods, and the list may be expanded depending on region and currency.
| Pros | Cons |
Show all
|
|---|---|---|
Global coverage
Verifone supports over 87 payment methods and is available in over 200 countries and territories, making it an attractive option for international merchants.
High level of security
Verifone uses SSL data encryption technology and is PCI DSS compliant, making the payment process safe for shoppers.
Support for multiple languages
Verifone supports multiple languages, making it easier for customers around the world to pay. |
High commissions
One of the main disadvantages of Verifone is the high transaction fees (from 3.5% + $0.35 per successful sale). In addition, there may be additional fees for currency conversion and processing returns. Read more: Verifone Pricing .
Restrictions on product types
Verifone may have restrictions on the sale of certain types of goods or services, such as weapons, tobacco, and certain medical products. |
Skrill
Skrill is an international payment system founded in 2011 in the UK based on the MoneyBookers service. It serves more than 36 million users in more than 200 countries.
Skrill is regulated by financial institutions including the UK Financial Services Authority (FCA) and the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), making it a legal and reliable payment system.
One of the main advantages of Skrill is the ability to work with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin and others.
If you use Skrill for your Shopify store, you get access to over 100 payment methods, including credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Skrill also provides merchants with a variety of tools to manage their business, including the ability to create reports and analytics, manage subscriptions, and more.
| Pros | Cons |
Show all
|
|---|---|---|
International reach
Skrill supports over 40 currencies, allowing merchants to accept payments from buyers around the world without having to convert currencies.
Safety
Skrill ensures payment security with a multi-layered security system, including two-factor authentication, encryption and anti-phishing technologies.
Low fees
For Shopify stores, Skrill offers a commission of 1.2% on credit card payments + 0.29 EUR. More details: Shopify + Skrill |
Restrictions on use
Skrill may have restrictions on use for certain types of goods and services, such as gambling, which may limit the choice of merchants in these areas.
Inconveniences when connecting and verifying an account
Some users may experience inconvenience when connecting and verifying their Skrill account, including the need to provide personal information and documents. |
Stripe
To register an account with Stripe, you must have a registered company in one of the supported countries. If you don’t have a company yet, you can register one yourself, use the services of intermediaries, or use the Stripe Atlas program, which helps you set up a company in the US remotely for $500.
Stripe was created to make payments easier for small businesses and startups, but today it is one of the most popular online payment systems in the world, serving millions of users in more than 100 countries.
Stripe's supported payment methods include credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfers, and checks. Stripe's fee for Shopify payments is 2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe pricing page).
Stripe allows customers to save their payment information for quick and easy future payments. This is especially useful for recurring purchases and subscriptions.
Stripe also offers various tools to support businesses. For example, Stripe Radar is a fraud detection tool that uses machine learning to identify potentially suspicious transactions. This can help prevent financial losses from fraud and ensure the security of payment transactions.
Authorize.Net
Authorize.Net offers a solution for those looking for a secure way to accept online payments. This system supports a variety of payment methods, including credit cards and e-checks.
Authorize.Net provides an additional layer of protection with advanced fraud detection and customer information management features, supporting data security standards. A merchant account is required to use Authorize.Net on Shopify.
Overall, choosing Authorize.Net can offer your Shopify store reliability and flexibility in payment processing, helping to expand your business capabilities and improve your customers' experience.
| Pros | Cons |
Show all
|
|---|---|---|
Safety
Stripe uses the highest security standards to protect your financial data and prevent fraud. All data is stored encrypted and monitored for suspicious activity.
Wide coverage
Stripe operates in over 40 countries and supports over 135 currencies and a variety of payment methods, including credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. This allows your customers to choose the most convenient way to pay for their order. |
Difficulty of setup
Despite its simple interface, setting up Stripe can be challenging for first-time users, especially if you want to use features like subscriptions and payment installments.
No support in some languages
Although Stripe is an international company and works with many countries around the world, the payment system does not have support in Russian and Ukrainian. |
Company registration in the EU or the USA
If for some reason you are not satisfied with the payment systems that provide payment acceptance services for residents of your country, you can connect to one of the foreign systems. To do this, you may need to create a legal entity in one of the EU countries or the USA.
Services for creating a legal entity abroad without the need for your personal presence can be found using a regular Google search. The cost of such services can range from several hundred to two thousand dollars.
Special offer from Payoneer
If you have registered with one of the foreign payment systems, you may need an account in a foreign bank to withdraw funds from your account.
Payoneer offers its customers a convenient solution for such cases - the creation of bank cards issued by an American bank. In your Payoneer account, you can request the issue of both a physical card and virtual cards in various currencies.
You can register with Payoneer as either an individual or a legal entity.
Not all foreign payment systems accept Payoneer cards, requesting a card from a bank physically located abroad. Unfortunately, Payoneer does not have the ability to issue this type of card to its users.
Comparison of payment systems
Choosing the right payment processor for your Shopify online store is a key aspect of running a successful business. It’s important to consider not only payment processing fees , but also support for different currencies and alternative payment methods , as well as the geographic coverage of each processor. Below is a comparison chart to help you choose among popular payment processors based on their key features and fees.
| Payment system | Payment system commission | Currencies | Alternative payment methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authorize.Net | From 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction | Not specified | PayPal, Apple Pay, e-checks, etc. |
| Verifone (2Checkout) | From 3.5% + $0.35 | 100+ currencies | PayPal, Visa Checkout, Apple Pay, etc. |
| Skrill | From 1.2% + 0.29€ | 40+ currencies | Alipay, Paysafecard, Neteller, etc. |
| Stripe | From 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction | 135+ currencies | Alipay, WeChat Pay, Apple Pay, etc. |
Payment systems for dropshipping store
Payment systems often refuse to cooperate with stores that operate on the dropshipping model. This is due to the fact that payments for dropshipping orders have a high failure rate. By selling low-quality goods and without ensuring delivery control, the dropshipper increases the risk that the buyer, after receiving the goods, will prefer to refuse the goods and request a refund of the funds paid for them.
To reduce such risks, it is worth cooperating only with those dropshipping suppliers who have a high rating and sell high-quality products.
When registering with a payment system, you should convince the support that you cooperate with trusted suppliers of dropshipping products and that you are responsible for your dropshipping business.
Before connecting a payment system to a Shopify store
Shopify can only provide support and control when you connect the Shopify Payments payment system. In all other cases, to add a payment system to your store, you need to register on the website of the operator of your chosen payment system.
During the registration process on the payment system website, in most cases, you will be asked to provide information about your company and a link to the website where you are going to sell goods. The operator needs this information to check the legality of your business and the compliance of your goods with those product groups that are allowed for sale according to the rules of the payment system. Taking this into account, you need to register on the payment system website at the final stage of creating an online store.
It is worth keeping in mind that different payment systems and aggregators may have different requirements for the type of business and the list of permitted product groups. You can find out about these restrictions on the website or from the support of the payment system operator.
Here is a list of things you should pay attention to:
- The online store website contains links to the Return and Exchange Policy pages.
- Your store visitors have access to a "Contact Us" page.
- Your site does not contain links to non-existent pages.
- Your site does not have any unfinished pages (blank pages or sections with "fish").
- If you sell branded products, you must have permission to sell from a brand representative.
- If you are selling products using the dropshipping model, you should have information about the manufacturer that confirms the legitimacy of their business and a high reliability rating.
How to connect a payment system to a Shopify store
1. Register on the payment system website
The first step is to register with the payment system you want to use. Register and get the API keys needed to connect the payment system to your Shopify store.
2. Connect a payment system to your Shopify store
After registering with the payment system, go to the settings of your Shopify store and select the "Payment" section. Select the desired payment system and enter the data to connect your account. Usually, this process is described in detail in the help center of the payment system you have chosen on the Shopify plugin description page.
3. Set up payment options
Once you have connected a payment system to your store, set up your payment settings. This includes choosing the currency you want to use, defining payment cancellation rules, receiving payment notifications, and more.
4. Make a test payment
Before launching your store, make a test payment to make sure the payment system works correctly. Create a test order and pay for it. Before doing this, make sure that you have activated the test mode in the Shopify store settings or in the payment system account, otherwise your payment will be processed as real.
What payment methods are best to connect to a Shopify store?
Usually, it is enough to connect just a few payment methods to satisfy the needs of almost any buyer. Here are the most important ones:
- Payment by bank cards. This payment method is supported by almost any payment aggregator.
- PayPal. According to 2021 statistics, 22% of all online purchases in the US were paid for through PayPal , while 87.5% of online shoppers have their own PayPal account. The popularity of this payment method is due to the fact that PayPal provides its users with a guarantee of a refund if the purchase was not transparent or the buyer received a product of inadequate quality.
- Alternative payment method. As an alternative payment method, you can offer your buyers cryptocurrency, direct bank transfer, or cash on delivery. An alternative payment method is useful in case one of your buyers is not satisfied with their usual payment method or your main payment aggregator has a technical problem.