Payment Methods

Visa and Mastercard are the two largest card payment networks in the world, collectively processing over 80% of global card transactions. They enable consumers to make purchases using credit, debit, and prepaid cards at merchants worldwide, with instant authorization and settlement typically within 1-2 business days.

American Express (Amex) is a global payment network and card issuer that operates on a three-party (closed-loop) model, serving as both the card network and the issuer for most of its cards. Known for premium cardholders with higher average spending, Amex charges higher merchant fees but delivers a wealthier customer demographic.

Carte Bancaire (CB) is France's national card payment network, processing over 50% of all card transactions in the country. Nearly every French bank card is co-branded with CB alongside Visa or Mastercard, and routing transactions through the CB network typically costs merchants less than routing through international card networks.

SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) is a payment integration initiative of the European Union that simplifies bank transfers denominated in euro. It enables consumers, businesses, and public administrations to make and receive credit transfers and direct debits across 36 European countries under the same basic conditions, rights, and obligations.

ACH (Automated Clearing House) is the primary electronic bank-to-bank payment network in the United States. Operated by Nacha, it processes billions of transactions annually, including direct deposits, bill payments, business-to-business transfers, and government disbursements.

SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) is the global messaging network that banks use to securely send and receive international wire transfer instructions. It connects over 11,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries, handling the majority of cross-border payments worldwide.

A wire transfer is an electronic transfer of funds between banks or financial institutions. Wire transfers are one of the oldest and most reliable methods for sending large sums of money domestically or internationally.

iDEAL is the leading online payment method in the Netherlands, enabling consumers to pay directly from their bank account through their own bank's online banking environment. With over 60% market share of Dutch e-commerce payments, iDEAL is the de facto standard for online purchases in the Netherlands and is supported by all major Dutch banks.

Bancontact is Belgium's most widely used electronic payment method, enabling consumers to pay online and in-store directly from their Belgian bank accounts. With over 15 million cards in circulation in a country of 11.5 million people, Bancontact dominates the Belgian payment landscape with an acceptance network covering virtually every merchant in the country.

Sofort is a real-time bank transfer payment method widely used in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Now owned by Klarna, Sofort allows consumers to pay online by logging into their bank account during checkout and authorizing a direct bank transfer. The merchant receives instant payment confirmation, though actual fund settlement occurs within 1-2 business days.

Giropay is a German online bank transfer payment method that allows consumers to pay directly from their bank account during an online purchase. Backed by the German banking industry and merged with paydirekt in 2021, Giropay provides instant payment confirmation and irrevocable fund transfers, giving merchants a secure and chargeback-free payment option for the German market.

PIX is Brazil's instant payment system created and managed by the Central Bank of Brazil (Banco Central do Brasil). Launched in November 2020, PIX enables real-time payments and transfers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and has been adopted by over 150 million users — making it the fastest-growing payment system in the world and the dominant payment method in Brazil.

UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is India's real-time interbank payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It enables instant money transfers between bank accounts using a mobile device, processing over 10 billion transactions per month.

PayNow is Singapore's national peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant real-time payment system. It enables instant fund transfers between bank accounts using a mobile number, NRIC/FIN, or UEN (business registration number) as a proxy identifier, available 24/7.

BLIK is Poland's leading instant mobile payment system, used by over 15 million Poles. It generates a unique six-digit code in the user's banking app that can be used for online purchases, in-store payments, ATM withdrawals, and peer-to-peer transfers.

Przelewy24 (P24) is one of Poland's most popular online payment aggregators, connecting merchants to over 165 Polish banks and additional payment methods. It enables real-time bank transfers, card payments, and digital wallet payments for the Polish e-commerce market.

EPS (Electronic Payment Standard) is Austria's online bank transfer system that allows consumers to pay directly from their bank accounts during online checkout. Supported by all major Austrian banks, EPS provides instant, irrevocable payments for e-commerce merchants.

Multibanco is Portugal's national ATM and payment network operated by SIBS. For e-commerce, it generates a payment reference that consumers can pay at any of over 12,000 Multibanco ATMs, through online banking, or via the MB WAY mobile app.

Trustly is a European open banking payment method that enables consumers to pay directly from their bank accounts without cards, app downloads, or registration. It connects to over 6,300 banks across 30 European countries, offering instant bank transfers for e-commerce, financial services, and iGaming.

Bacs Direct Debit is the UK's dominant recurring payment method, processing over 4.5 billion transactions annually. It allows businesses to collect payments directly from customers' bank accounts under a signed mandate, protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee. It is the standard method for UK subscriptions, utilities, insurance, and memberships.

BECS (Bulk Electronic Clearing System) Direct Debit is Australia's primary direct debit scheme, enabling businesses to collect recurring and one-off payments directly from customers' Australian bank accounts. Operated by the Australian Payments Network (AusPayNet), BECS processes billions of dollars in transactions annually and is the backbone of subscription billing, utility payments, insurance premiums, and payroll across Australia.

Interac is Canada's national debit and money transfer network, used by virtually all Canadian financial institutions. Interac e-Transfer enables instant bank-to-bank payments, while Interac Debit processes billions of in-store and online debit transactions annually. It is the most trusted and widely used payment method in Canada.

POLi is an online bank transfer payment method used in Australia and New Zealand. It allows consumers to pay directly from their bank account through their online banking interface, without needing a credit card or creating a separate account.

Apple Pay is Apple's mobile and web payment system that allows users to make purchases using their iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac. It uses NFC technology for contactless in-store payments and tokenization for secure online and in-app transactions, available in over 75 countries worldwide.

Google Pay is a digital wallet and online payment platform developed by Google that allows users to make contactless payments using NFC-enabled Android devices, as well as pay online and in apps. It tokenizes card credentials so that actual card numbers are never shared with merchants, improving security and streamlining the checkout experience.

Samsung Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service by Samsung Electronics that allows users to make payments using Samsung Galaxy smartphones and wearables. It supports NFC and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technology, making it compatible with virtually all point-of-sale terminals, and also works for online payments through supported PSPs.

PayPal is the world's most widely used digital wallet, enabling consumers and businesses in over 200 countries to send, receive, and hold funds in 25+ currencies. With buyer protection, one-click checkout, and Pay Later options, PayPal serves as a trusted intermediary between shoppers and merchants.

Amazon Pay allows hundreds of millions of Amazon customers to use their stored payment and shipping information to check out on third-party merchant websites. It leverages the trust and convenience of the Amazon ecosystem to reduce checkout friction and increase conversion rates for online merchants in the US, EU, UK, and Japan.

Shop Pay is Shopify's accelerated checkout solution that stores customer payment and shipping information for one-tap purchases across the Shopify merchant network. With over 100 million registered users, it is the fastest-converting checkout on Shopify and is now available on non-Shopify platforms through Stripe integration.

Venmo is a popular mobile payment platform in the United States, owned by PayPal. Originally designed for peer-to-peer transfers, Venmo now supports online and in-store merchant payments, enabling businesses to tap into its 90+ million active user base with a familiar, social-media-inspired checkout experience.

Cash App Pay is a digital wallet payment method from Block (formerly Square) that allows Cash App's 50+ million active U.S. users to pay online and in-store merchants directly from their Cash App balance. It offers a fast, QR-code or one-tap checkout experience with lower merchant fees than many competing wallets.

Alipay is a digital wallet and mobile payment platform operated by Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba Group. With over one billion users worldwide, it is the largest mobile payment platform in China and one of the most widely used digital payment systems globally, supporting QR code payments, in-app purchases, and cross-border transactions.

WeChat Pay is a digital wallet and mobile payment service integrated into WeChat, China's dominant messaging and social media super-app developed by Tencent. With over one billion monthly active users on WeChat, WeChat Pay is one of the two dominant mobile payment platforms in China alongside Alipay, enabling QR code payments, in-app purchases, peer-to-peer transfers, and cross-border transactions.

GrabPay is the digital wallet of Grab, Southeast Asia's leading super-app. Available in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, GrabPay allows users to pay online and in-store using stored funds, linked cards, or bank accounts.

Swish is Sweden's dominant mobile payment system, enabling instant person-to-person and person-to-merchant transfers directly from a smartphone. Developed jointly by Sweden's major banks and connected to the national Bankgiro clearing system, Swish has become the de facto standard for everyday payments in Sweden, used by over 8 million people — approximately 80% of the Swedish population.

Vipps MobilePay is the leading mobile payment solution in the Nordics, created through the 2022 merger of Norway's Vipps and Denmark's MobilePay. With over 11 million users across Norway, Denmark, and Finland, it enables instant person-to-person transfers, in-store payments, online checkout, and recurring billing — all from a single smartphone app.

TWINT is Switzerland's leading mobile payment system, backed by the country's major banks including UBS, Credit Suisse (now part of UBS), Zürcher Kantonalbank, and Raiffeisen. With over 5 million active users in a country of 8.8 million, TWINT enables instant peer-to-peer payments, in-store purchases via QR code, online checkout, and bill payments — all through a smartphone app.

Bizum is Spain's dominant mobile payment platform, enabling instant person-to-person transfers and online merchant payments directly from a bank account via smartphone. Backed by virtually all Spanish banks, Bizum has surpassed 27 million registered users — over 70% of Spain's adult population — making it one of the most widely adopted national payment methods in Europe.

MB WAY is Portugal's leading mobile payment solution, operated by SIBS (Sociedade Interbancária de Serviços), the company behind Portugal's Multibanco ATM and payment network. With over 5 million active users, MB WAY enables instant transfers, in-store contactless payments, online checkout, and cash withdrawals from ATMs — all from a smartphone app linked to a Portuguese bank account.

M-Pesa is Africa's leading mobile money platform, originally launched by Safaricom in Kenya in 2007. It enables users to store, send, and receive money using their mobile phones without needing a bank account. M-Pesa serves over 50 million active users across Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, DRC, and other African markets.

Klarna is the world's leading buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) provider, offering consumers flexible payment options including Pay in 4 (interest-free installments), Pay in 30 Days (deferred payment), and Financing (6-36 month installment plans). For merchants, Klarna acts as a conversion booster by removing price as a purchase barrier, though it comes at a higher merchant fee (3-6%) compared to traditional payment methods.

Afterpay is a buy now, pay later (BNPL) service owned by Block (formerly Square) that allows consumers to split purchases into four interest-free installments paid every two weeks. Merchants receive the full payment upfront while Afterpay assumes the credit risk and handles collections from the consumer.

Affirm is a buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform that offers consumers flexible financing options ranging from short-term pay-in-4 installments to longer-term loans of 3 to 60 months. Unlike short-term BNPL providers, Affirm specializes in higher-value purchases with transparent, simple-interest financing and no hidden fees.

Bitcoin (BTC) is the world's first and most widely recognized cryptocurrency, enabling peer-to-peer digital payments without intermediaries. Merchants can accept Bitcoin directly or through payment processors that instantly convert BTC to fiat currency, eliminating volatility risk.

Ethereum (ETH) is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization and the leading smart contract platform. Beyond simple payments, Ethereum powers decentralized applications, ERC-20 tokens, and DeFi protocols, with Layer 2 solutions like Arbitrum and Optimism enabling fast, cheap transactions.

USDT (Tether) is the world's largest stablecoin by market capitalization, pegged 1:1 to the US dollar. It combines the speed and borderless nature of cryptocurrency with the price stability of the dollar, making it the most widely used crypto for payments and trading.

USDC (USD Coin) is a fully regulated US dollar stablecoin issued by Circle, co-founded with Coinbase. Backed by US Treasury bills and cash reserves with monthly audited attestations, USDC is the most transparent stablecoin and the preferred choice for regulated businesses accepting crypto payments.

BitPay is the world's largest cryptocurrency payment processor, founded in 2011. It enables merchants to accept 16+ cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, LTC, DOGE, stablecoins) with instant settlement to fiat currency, eliminating volatility risk. BitPay processes over $1 billion in crypto payments annually.

Coinbase Commerce is a decentralized crypto payment gateway by Coinbase that lets merchants accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, USDC, and DAI. Unlike traditional processors, Coinbase Commerce uses a self-custody model where merchants receive crypto directly to their own wallet.

NOWPayments is a crypto payment gateway supporting 300+ cryptocurrencies, offering the widest altcoin coverage of any payment processor. It provides auto-conversion, mass payouts, e-commerce plugins, and a developer API with a competitive 0.5% processing fee.

CoinGate is an EU-based cryptocurrency payment gateway headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania. It supports 70+ cryptocurrencies with fiat settlement in EUR, USD, and GBP, and is notable for offering crypto-based Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) — a unique feature in the crypto payments space.

Boleto Bancário is Brazil's most widely used offline payment method. It generates a printable voucher with a barcode that consumers can pay at banks, ATMs, lottery houses, post offices, or through online banking. Boleto is essential for reaching Brazilian consumers who lack credit cards or prefer cash-based payment methods.

OXXO is Mexico's dominant cash-based payment method for online purchases. Consumers receive a payment voucher with a barcode at checkout and pay it at any of over 20,000 OXXO convenience stores across Mexico. It is essential for reaching Mexican consumers who prefer or rely on cash payments.

Paysafecard is a prepaid voucher-based payment method that allows consumers to pay online without a bank account, credit card, or personal financial information. Available at over 650,000 sales outlets in 50+ countries, users purchase vouchers with cash and redeem them using a 16-digit PIN.