How to Add Different Payment Methods on Shopify

Introduction

Adding the right payment methods to your Shopify store directly impacts your conversion rate and customer trust. When a shopper reaches the final stage of their journey, they expect to see familiar, secure, and convenient ways to pay. If their preferred method is missing—or if the list of options is cluttered and confusing—they are significantly more likely to abandon their cart.

Most merchants begin with a standard setup, but as you scale into new markets or B2B segments, you need more than just a basic credit card processor. We built HidePay to help merchants take full control of this experience, ensuring that only the most relevant and cost-effective payment options appear for every individual customer. Try HidePay on the Shopify App Store to start cleaning up your checkout today.

This article provides a clear path for adding, managing, and optimizing your payment methods to build a high-converting checkout.

By the end of this guide, you will understand how to configure various payment gateways and how to use advanced logic to keep your checkout clean and profitable.

Choosing the Right Payment Providers for Your Store

Before you begin technical setup, you must decide which providers best serve your business model. Shopify divides payment options into several categories: primary gateways, alternative providers, and manual methods. Selecting the right mix is a balance between customer convenience and merchant fees. For background on why a tool like HidePay exists and how it helps stores, see our post Introducing HidePay for Shopify, say goodbye to irrelevant payment options and high cost.

Shopify Payments

For most stores, Shopify Payments is the most direct solution. It removes the need for third-party accounts and integrates directly with your Shopify admin for consolidated reporting. When you use this native provider, you automatically gain access to major credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay.

Beyond standard credit cards, Shopify Payments allows you to activate local payment methods. These are essential for international growth. For example, if you sell to customers in the Netherlands, adding iDEAL is necessary for a high conversion rate. In Belgium, Bancontact is the standard. Adding these through the native gateway ensures a consistent user experience without adding extra transaction fees from third-party providers.

Third-Party Gateways

If Shopify Payments is not available in your region or if your industry requires a specialized processor, you will need to use a third-party gateway. Shopify integrates with over 100 providers globally, including Worldpay, 2CheckOut, and Authorize.net.

When choosing a third-party provider, consider the "offsite" versus "onsite" experience. Some providers redirect the customer to a separate page to complete the transaction. This extra step can introduce friction. Whenever possible, choose providers that support an integrated checkout experience to keep the customer on your domain throughout the entire process.

Alternative and Manual Methods

Alternative payment methods include options like cryptocurrency or buy now, pay later (BNPL) services like Klarna or Affirm. These cater to specific demographics and can increase the average order value by allowing customers to split payments.

Manual payment methods are different. They do not process transactions in real-time. Instead, they allow the customer to complete the checkout with the promise of paying later via bank transfer, money order, or cash on delivery (COD). While these are useful for B2B transactions or specific geographic regions, they require manual effort to mark orders as "paid" once the funds are received.

Step-by-Step: Adding Payment Methods in Shopify

The process of adding payment methods is handled entirely within your Shopify admin settings. Follow these steps to configure your primary and secondary options — or install HidePay to manage visibility and sorting without touching code.

Activating Shopify Payments or a Primary Provider

1. Navigate to your Shopify admin and select Settings, then Payments.
2. If you are eligible for Shopify Payments, click Activate Shopify Payments. You will need to provide your business details, tax ID, and banking information.
3. If you are using a third-party provider, look for the Payment providers section and click Choose a provider. Select your gateway from the list and enter the account credentials provided by that gateway.

Enabling Local Payment Methods

Once your primary gateway is active, you can enable specific local methods that appear based on the customer's currency and location.

1. In the Shopify Payments section, click Manage.
2. Scroll down to the Local payment methods area.
3. Check the boxes for the methods you wish to support (e.g., EPS, iDEAL, Bancontact).
4. Click Save.

These methods will only appear to customers in supported regions. For example, a customer in the United States will not see iDEAL at checkout, even if you have it enabled.

Adding Alternative Payment Methods

To add BNPL or crypto options:

1. In the Payments settings, go to the Additional payment methods section.
2. Click Add payment methods.
3. Search by provider name or by payment method (e.g., searching "Klarna").
4. Select the provider and follow the prompts to connect your account.

Configuring Manual Payment Methods

Manual methods are vital for B2B or wholesale stores that prefer bank transfers for large orders.

1. Scroll to the Manual payment methods section.
2. Select Add manual payment method.
3. Choose from the dropdown (Create custom payment method, Bank Deposit, Money Order, or Cash on Delivery).
4. Provide the instructions that the customer will see at checkout and on their order confirmation email. These instructions should include your bank details or mailing address.

Managing Multiple Payment Methods for Better Conversion

Adding every possible payment method is rarely the best strategy. A cluttered checkout leads to "analysis paralysis," where the customer feels overwhelmed by too many choices. Effective payment management involves two key actions: reordering and selective hiding.

Reordering for Strategic Priority

The order in which payment methods appear influences which one a customer chooses. Generally, you want to lead with the method that has the highest conversion rate and the lowest processing fees for your business.

Shopify's default order is not always optimal for every store. By rearranging the list, you can guide customers toward preferred choices. For example, a merchant might want to place a low-fee credit card processor at the top and push high-fee BNPL options further down the list. See the HidePay guide on how to sort and rename payment methods in HidePay for step-by-step instructions.

Hiding Irrelevant Options Based on Rules

The most powerful way to optimize checkout is to hide payment methods that are irrelevant or risky for specific orders. This is the core functionality of HidePay. Using native Shopify Functions, we allow you to create rules that determine when a payment method should or should not appear.

Consider these practical scenarios for hiding methods:

• Risk Mitigation: Hide Cash on Delivery for orders over a certain dollar amount to avoid the risk of high-value non-payment.
• Product Restrictions: If you sell digital products alongside physical goods, you might want to hide COD whenever a digital item is in the cart.
• Customer Segmentation: Hide specific terms-based payment methods for retail customers while keeping them visible for customers tagged as "Wholesale" or "B2B."
• Geographic Control: Hide certain gateways for specific provinces or zip codes where you have experienced high rates of chargebacks or fraud.

For a quick walkthrough on creating rules, see the HidePay article on how to create a payment customization.

Handling B2B and High-Value Order Payments

B2B transactions often require a different approach than standard retail. These orders are usually larger, and the buyers often expect payment terms (e.g., Net 30) rather than paying immediately via credit card.

Setting Up Payment Terms

If you use Shopify’s B2B features, you can assign payment terms to specific company locations. This allows a B2B buyer to checkout without paying upfront. The order is processed, and an invoice is generated with a due date.

To complement this, you should offer manual payment methods like bank transfers for these customers. However, you don't want your retail customers to see "Bank Transfer" as an option. The smart approach is to set a rule that only displays the bank transfer option if the customer has a specific "Wholesale" tag — learn how in the HidePay doc Hide Payment Options by Customer TAG. This keeps your retail checkout modern and fast while providing the necessary flexibility for your business partners.

Managing Large Transactions

For high-ticket items, credit card fees can eat significantly into your margins. Some merchants choose to hide credit card options for orders exceeding a specific threshold and instead require a wire transfer. This protects your profit and reduces the risk of expensive chargebacks on high-value shipments.

If your concern is COD risk on large orders, see the HidePay guide on hiding Cash on Delivery for expensive orders for an exact example.

Action Plan for Payment Optimization:

• Audit current fees: Identify which payment methods cost you the most in transaction fees.
• Analyze chargebacks: Determine if specific methods are linked to higher fraud rates.
• Implement sorting: Place your most profitable and reliable methods at the top of the checkout.
• Apply conditional hiding: Remove risky or irrelevant options based on cart value, geography, or customer tags.

The Technical Advantage of Shopify Functions

In the past, customizing the Shopify checkout required complex workarounds or the use of the Shopify Script Editor, which was limited to Shopify Plus merchants. This has changed with the introduction of Shopify Functions.

HidePay is built on this native architecture. Because it runs on Shopify's infrastructure rather than through injected scripts or theme edits, the performance is significantly better. There is no "flicker" where a payment method appears and then disappears; the logic is processed before the page even renders for the customer. For an explanation of why functions matter, read Why Shopify Functions are the future and scripts are the past.

Using a tool built on Functions ensures that your checkout remains "Built for Shopify" compliant, offering the highest level of security and speed available for modern e-commerce. If you want a broader functions toolset (for discounts, shipping, or advanced customizations), consider SupaEasy — AI Functions creator from Nextools.

Best Practices for International Expansion

When you add payment methods for a global audience, localization is about more than just currency. It is about matching the cultural expectations of the shopper. For guidance on when to use billing country vs. shipping country vs. Shopify Market in rules, see the HidePay doc Localized Country, Shipping Country and Shopify Market in HidePay.

Localization Through Renaming

Sometimes, the default name of a payment method is not what local customers recognize. For example, a "Manual Payment" might be better labeled as "SEPA Bank Transfer" in Europe to increase clarity. Within our app, you can rename any payment method to better suit your audience. This simple change reduces friction and builds immediate trust with the shopper.

Currency and Gateway Alignment

Ensure that the payment gateways you add support the currencies of the markets you are targeting. If you use Shopify Markets, the platform does a good job of showing the correct currency, but you must still ensure the underlying gateway can settle those funds. If a gateway doesn't support a specific currency, it’s best to hide that gateway for customers in that market to avoid errors at the final step of checkout.

Protecting Your Bottom Line

Every payment method you add is a trade-off between conversion and cost. While adding "everything" might seem like a way to capture every sale, it often leads to higher operational overhead and lower margins.

By using logic-based rules, you protect your margins without sacrificing the customer experience. You can surface the most expensive payment methods (like BNPL) only when the cart value is high enough to justify the fee, or hide them for low-margin products where the fee would result in a loss. This level of granular control is what separates basic store setups from highly optimized, professional e-commerce operations.

If you also need to optimize shipping methods alongside payments, Nextools explains how HidePay and HideShip work together in the HideSuite bundle announcement.

Conclusion

Successfully managing payment methods on Shopify requires a two-part strategy: adding the right providers through the admin settings and then refining the checkout experience with logic-based rules. Start by activating Shopify Payments and essential local methods, then expand into alternative or manual options as your business needs grow.

To maintain a clean and high-converting checkout, remember these key takeaways:

• Relevance is key: Only show payment methods that make sense for the customer's location and cart contents.
• Prioritize profit: Use sorting to lead with payment methods that have lower fees and higher reliability.
• Reduce risk: Hide manual or high-risk options for specific geographic regions or order values.
• Stay native: Use tools built on Shopify Functions to ensure your checkout remains fast and secure.

Taking control of your checkout doesn't have to be a technical burden. With HidePay, you can implement these professional strategies in minutes without writing a single line of code.

Ready to optimize your checkout? Get started and install HidePay to begin building a more efficient payment experience today.

FAQ

How do I add a new payment gateway to my Shopify store?

To add a gateway, go to Settings > Payments in your Shopify admin. From there, you can activate Shopify Payments, choose a third-party provider, or add alternative methods like BNPL or cryptocurrency by searching for the specific provider.

Can I show different payment methods to different countries?

Shopify natively shows certain local payment methods based on the customer's region. For more advanced control, such as hiding a specific credit card gateway for certain countries while keeping it for others, you can use an app like our tool to create geography-based rules. See the HidePay guide on organizing payment methods by country or Shopify Market for examples.

Is it possible to reorder how payment methods appear at checkout?

Yes. While Shopify has a default display order, you can use our app to manually sort and reorder your payment methods. This allows you to place your preferred or lowest-fee options at the top of the list to influence customer choice. Refer to the HidePay article on sorting and renaming payment methods for details.

How can I hide Cash on Delivery for specific products?

You can create a rule within our app that hides the Cash on Delivery option whenever a specific product, product type, or tag is present in the cart. This is useful for excluding COD from digital products or high-value items that require upfront payment — see How to hide payment methods for certain products for the step-by-step.