What Payment Methods Does Shopify Accept for Your Store?

Introduction

Shopify supports a vast array of payment options including credit cards, digital wallets, local payment methods, and manual options like cash on delivery. Choosing the right mix is essential for reducing cart abandonment and managing processing fees across different regions. While having many options sounds beneficial, over-cluttering your checkout can actually lead to friction for the customer.

We developed HidePay to help merchants take control of this experience by allowing them to hide, sort, and rename these methods based on specific logic. You can install HidePay to start creating rules that match your business needs.

This article details exactly which payment methods are available on the platform and how to strategically organize them for your specific business model. Understanding these options is the first step toward a checkout that converts at a higher rate while protecting your profit margins.

The Foundation: Shopify Payments

Shopify Payments is the native payment processor for the platform. It is the most common way for merchants to accept payments because it integrates directly with the store admin, allowing you to manage orders and payouts in one place. When you use this native processor, Shopify waives the third-party transaction fees that would otherwise apply to your sales.

Supported Card Networks

By activating the native processor, your store can automatically accept all major credit and debit cards. This includes:

• Visa: The most widely used card network globally.
• Mastercard: A primary choice for international and domestic customers.
• American Express: Popular in the US and among B2B or high-spending customers.
• Discover and Diners Club: Commonly used in North America.
• JCB: Essential for merchants targeting the Japanese market.

Eligibility and Availability

Shopify Payments is not available in every country. It is currently supported in major markets including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, most of Western Europe, and parts of Asia. If your business is registered in a country where the native processor is unavailable, you must use a third-party gateway.

Even if you are in a supported region, certain industries (such as those selling regulated goods) may be restricted from using the native processor. In these cases, you will need to find a specialized high-risk payment gateway.

What to do next:

• Check the "Payments" section in your Shopify admin to see if you are eligible for the native processor.
• Verify that your bank account matches the required currency for your region.
• Confirm your business type and tax identification numbers are ready for verification.

Accelerated Checkouts and Digital Wallets

Speed is a primary driver of conversion. Accelerated checkouts, also known as express checkouts, allow customers to bypass the standard shipping and billing entry forms by using saved information.

Shop Pay

Shop Pay is the platform's own accelerated checkout. It allows customers to save their email address, credit card, and shipping info so they can complete a purchase with a single tap or a 6-digit code. Data shows that Shop Pay can significantly increase checkout speed and conversion rates. It also offers carbon-neutral shipping at no extra cost to the merchant or customer, which can be a selling point for eco-conscious brands.

Apple Pay and Google Pay

These digital wallets are essential for mobile commerce. Apple Pay is available to customers using the Safari browser on iOS or macOS, while Google Pay serves Android and Chrome users. Because these methods use biometric authentication (like FaceID or fingerprint), they are highly secure and significantly reduce the likelihood of fraudulent "friendly" chargebacks.

PayPal Express

PayPal is one of the most recognized payment brands globally. The Express version allows customers to log in to their PayPal account directly from the cart or the first step of the checkout. This is often a high-converting option for international stores where customers may be hesitant to share credit card details with an unfamiliar brand.

Key takeaway

Accelerated checkouts reduce the time to purchase. However, having four or five "Express" buttons at the top of your checkout can look messy. High-volume merchants often use rules to hide certain express buttons based on the customer’s device or location to keep the interface clean — see how to hide the Express Checkout with HidePay.

Third-Party Payment Gateways

If you cannot use Shopify Payments, or if you require a specific feature not offered natively, Shopify integrates with over 100 third-party gateways.

Popular Third-Party Options

• Stripe: While Stripe powers the native Shopify processor, some merchants use a standalone Stripe account for specific business needs.
• Authorize.net: A long-standing choice for North American merchants who want a dedicated merchant account.
• Adyen: Often used by large-scale enterprise brands that require complex global processing.
• 2Checkout (Verifone): A strong option for stores operating in regions with limited native support.

The Cost of Third-Party Gateways

It is important to note that using a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments incurs an additional transaction fee from Shopify. This fee typically ranges from 0.5% to 2%, depending on your Shopify subscription plan. This is in addition to the processing fees charged by the gateway provider itself.

Integration Styles: Direct vs. External

• Direct Providers: The customer stays on your website throughout the entire checkout process. This provides a more professional and consistent experience.
• External Providers: The customer is redirected to the provider's website (like a bank portal) to complete the payment and then sent back to your store. This can sometimes cause a drop in conversion if the customer feels the redirect is untrustworthy.

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Options

BNPL services have become a standard expectation for many shoppers, particularly in the fashion, electronics, and home goods sectors. These services allow customers to pay in installments while the merchant receives the full payment (minus fees) immediately.

Shop Pay Installments

This is the integrated BNPL solution for merchants using Shopify Payments in the US. It allows customers to split their purchase into four interest-free payments or monthly installments. Because it is built into Shop Pay, the user experience is very smooth.

Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay

These are the leading third-party BNPL providers.

• Klarna: Strongest in Europe and growing in the US; offers "Pay in 30 days" and installment plans.
• Affirm: Often used for higher-ticket items that require longer-term financing.
• Afterpay: Very popular in Australia, New Zealand, and the US, particularly for Gen Z and Millennial demographics.

Strategic Considerations for BNPL

BNPL providers usually charge higher merchant fees than standard credit cards—often between 4% and 6%. While these methods can increase your Average Order Value (AOV), they can also eat into your margins. Merchants often use our app to hide BNPL options for low-margin products or for carts below a certain dollar amount to protect their profitability. Learn more in our blog post "Introducing HidePay for Shopify".

Local and Manual Payment Methods

To succeed in international markets, you must offer the payment methods that local customers trust most. Relying solely on credit cards will limit your growth in many regions.

European Local Methods

• iDEAL: The most popular payment method in the Netherlands.
• Bancontact: The market leader in Belgium.
• Giropay / Sofort: Essential for the German market.

Manual Payment Methods

Manual payments are processed outside of the Shopify online checkout. The order is created in a "Payment Pending" state, and the merchant must manually mark it as paid once funds are received.

• Cash on Delivery (COD): Critical in markets like India, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Middle East.
• Bank Transfers: Common for B2B transactions or high-value custom orders.
• Money Orders: Used in specific niche markets.

Managing Risk with Manual Payments

Accepting COD or bank transfers comes with operational overhead. With COD, there is a risk of the customer refusing the delivery, leading to wasted shipping costs. Many merchants use HidePay to only show COD as an option for customers with a specific tag (like "Trusted Buyer") or to hide it for specific postal codes where delivery is unreliable. If you need shipping controls as well, consider pairing payment rules with HideShip on the Shopify App Store to manage delivery-based logic.

B2B and Wholesale Payment Options

For stores running B2B operations, the payment needs are different. Professional buyers often prefer "Net Terms" or wire transfers rather than using a corporate credit card at the time of purchase.

Payment Terms

Shopify's B2B features allow you to assign payment terms (like Net 30 or Net 60) to specific companies. This allows the customer to place an order without paying upfront. The invoice is generated and sent to them to be paid at a later date.

ACH and Wire Transfers

For large wholesale orders, credit card fees can be prohibitive. A 3% fee on a $20,000 order is $600. Offering ACH (Automated Clearing House) or wire transfers is a more cost-effective way to handle these transactions. These are often set up as manual payment methods that appear only when a wholesale customer is logged in.

Managing the Checkout Experience

Knowing what payment methods Shopify accepts is only half the battle. The other half is ensuring the right methods appear to the right customers at the right time.

The Problem with "Decision Fatigue"

If you enable every possible payment method, your checkout will be cluttered with logos. This causes "choice paralysis," where the customer becomes overwhelmed and abandons the cart. Research suggests that presenting the three or four most relevant options is the most effective strategy for conversion.

Sorting for Preference

You should always place your most cost-effective or highest-converting payment methods at the top. For example, if you prefer Shop Pay because of its lower friction, it should appear first. If a specific gateway charges you 1% less than another, you want to guide customers toward that choice. Use HidePay to create a payment customization that reorders methods based on the rules that matter most to you.

Renaming for Clarity

Sometimes the default name of a payment method is confusing to the end user. Renaming "Bank Deposit" to "Instructional Wire Transfer" or "COD" to "Pay Cash Upon Delivery" can provide the clarity needed to get the customer through the final step of the checkout.

Action Summary:

• Identify which 3–4 payment methods account for 80% of your revenue.
• Use a tool to reorder these to the top of the list.
• Rename any methods that might be ambiguous to international customers.
• Set rules to hide high-fee or high-risk methods for specific customer segments.

Technical Infrastructure: Shopify Functions

In the past, customizing the checkout required Shopify Plus and the use of "Shopify Scripts." This was a complex, code-heavy process that often required a developer. For merchants migrating from Scripts, SupaEasy provides codeless tools to generate or migrate Shopify Functions.

Shopify has since moved to Shopify Functions, which allow for deeper customization without the need for custom coding in the theme. Our app is built on these native Shopify Functions. This means that any rules you create—whether it's hiding a payment method for a specific country or reordering the list—run natively within the Shopify infrastructure. Learn why functions matter in our post "Why Shopify Functions are the future and scripts are the past". This ensures that the checkout remains fast, secure, and compatible with all future Shopify updates. It also means you don't have to worry about broken code during high-traffic events like Black Friday.

Why Merchants Customize Their Payment Methods

Strategic control over your checkout isn't just about aesthetics; it's about the bottom line. Merchants generally customize their payment options for three reasons:

1. Reducing Chargeback Risk

Certain payment methods are more prone to fraudulent chargebacks. If you notice a high volume of disputes from a specific country or for a specific high-risk product, you can create a rule to hide those payment methods for those specific scenarios.

2. Protecting Margins

As mentioned earlier, BNPL and certain international credit cards have higher fees. If you are running a sale with thin margins, you might choose to hide the most expensive payment methods for items in that specific collection.

3. Improving the Customer Journey

A customer in Germany should not have to scroll past "Discover Card" or "Shop Pay" to find "Sofort." By using geography-based sorting, you make the checkout feel local and personalized, which builds trust and improves completion rates.

Optimizing for Mobile Users

Mobile traffic now accounts for the majority of e-commerce visits. On a smaller screen, the payment area of the checkout is even more critical.

Express Buttons on Mobile

Digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay are particularly effective on mobile because they eliminate the need for the customer to pull a physical card out of their wallet. Ensuring these are at the very top of the mobile checkout is a proven way to boost mobile conversion.

Reducing Input Fields

Every field a customer has to fill out is a chance for them to quit. By prioritizing methods that auto-fill data, you streamline the process. If a customer is using a mobile browser, you might want to hide manual payment methods that require long instructions and instead push them toward one-tap solutions.

Conclusion

Shopify provides a robust set of tools to accept everything from standard credit cards to localized European payment methods and cryptocurrency. However, simply enabling every option available is rarely the best strategy. To maximize your store's performance, you must curate the checkout experience to match your customers' preferences and your business's financial goals.

By utilizing the native capabilities of the platform and enhancing them with a management tool, you can create a checkout that is both efficient and profitable.

• Audit your options: Review your current payment methods and their associated fees.
• Prioritize conversion: Ensure your fastest, most trusted methods are prominently displayed.
• Protect your profit: Use logic-based rules to hide high-cost options when margins are low.

If you are ready to take full control of your checkout layout and logic, get HidePay for your store to begin building a more efficient payment experience today.

FAQ

Does Shopify accept PayPal?

Yes, Shopify has a deep integration with PayPal. Merchants can enable PayPal Express Checkout, which allows customers to pay using their PayPal balance, linked bank accounts, or credit cards. Using PayPal alongside Shopify Payments is a common strategy to provide customers with more choices and increase trust during the checkout process.

Can I accept credit cards without Shopify Payments?

Yes, if Shopify Payments is not available in your country or if you prefer a different provider, you can use one of over 100 third-party gateways like Stripe, Authorize.net, or 2Checkout. Note that Shopify charges an additional transaction fee (0.5% to 2%) if you use a third-party gateway instead of the native Shopify Payments system.

How do I accept local payment methods like iDEAL or Bancontact?

You can accept local payment methods through Shopify Payments or through specific third-party gateways like Adyen or Stripe. Once enabled in your Shopify admin, these methods will automatically appear to customers located in the relevant countries. Our tool can help you ensure these are sorted to the top for those specific regions.

Can I hide certain payment methods for specific products?

Yes, but this requires an app that utilizes Shopify Functions. By using our tool, you can create rules that detect specific items in the cart and hide payment methods accordingly. For step-by-step instructions, see the guide on how to hide payment methods for certain products. For example, many merchants hide "Buy Now, Pay Later" options for gift cards or hide "Cash on Delivery" for high-ticket items to reduce the risk of non-payment.