ConnectPay ranks among the best online payment processing companies for businesses operating in or expanding across Europe. Shopify store owners can turn on Shopify Payments (a PSP) and start accepting payments the same day. Shopify Payments includes a payment gateway, payment processor, and merchant account in one payment solution, with no additional monthly fees beyond the Shopify subscription. We built ConnectPay specifically as a future-ready, compliant option for growing online businesses and digital platforms. From handling complex multi-currency accounts to offering deep compliance and global reach, we give you the backend engineering power to scale without limits.
- The platform handles the thorny technical parts so you can focus on selling, not on troubleshooting.
- Payment gateways often get mentioned alongside payment processors, but they’re not identical.
- Research by PYMNTS found 94% of cross-border shoppers want pricing in their local currency, while 99% want to pay with their preferred payment methods.
- For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.
The platform also offers real-time transaction dashboards, automated reconciliation, and pre-built connectors for Oracle, Magento, and other enterprise systems, handling millions of daily transactions. The platform connects to 150+ processors, carries 300+ EMV device certifications for in-person payments, and added Tap to Pay, network tokens, and a Shopify integration in 2025. You still pay the actual card network interchange fee, plus a flat per-transaction fee, though. It makes the most sense when emerging-market payment coverage is a meaningful part of your growth strategy. But if you’re primarily selling to customers in the US, Canada, or Western Europe, a more globally general-purpose PSP will likely be a better fit.
With PayPal, you can accept payments 25 currencies, and PayPal accepts most major credit cards. The platform lets you create invoices and estimates, and you can also create recurring payments and sell subscriptions. But as you prepare to launch your e-commerce store, it’s important to choose a payment processing solution that will work well for both you and your customers.
Calculate the hidden costs of monthly software subscriptions and international surcharge fees. The best small business payment processing companies openly display their full fee schedule on their website. Never sign a long-term contract that locks you into an opaque pricing structure with massive early termination penalties. Helcim stands out in the industry by offering completely transparent, interchange-plus pricing to small businesses. They are often cited as the best small business payment processing for cost-conscious owners. To accept QR code payments, store owners need a payment processor that generates and supports QR codes.
If you’re operating in multiple European markets and need a payments partner with serious scale and legacy credibility, Worldline checks that box. Pricing and onboarding follow a traditional model, with contracts and negotiated rates. It handles cards, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay through a single integration, on your own checkout with your own branding.
Chase Payment Solutions — Best If You Bank With Chase
Real-time payments (RTP) allow funds to move directly between bank accounts within seconds, 24/7, bypassing traditional card networks. Reviewing order history in the Shopify admin shows which payment methods customers are using. Store owners who accepted every available payment method at launch may find some are rarely used, adding unnecessary fees or checkout complexity.
If a refund fails—for example, if the customer’s card has expired or their account was closed—the funds may be returned to your merchant account. Keep in mind that processing fees from the original transaction are typically not refunded, and some payment platforms charge additional fees for processing refunds. Ensure a secure checkout by choosing a PCI-compliant payment processor with built-in fraud detection. Opt for a payment gateway with address verification services (AVS) to match payment information to billing addresses. Enable two-step authentication and monitor business accounts for suspicious activity. Stax uses interchange-plus pricing with a monthly subscription instead of a percentage markup.
Check out user reviews and test response times before signing up with a payment processing service. Choose a credit card processor that helps you accept payments from anywhere your customers shop and pay. Convenient credit card processing tools and payment system features let you expand to new channels or offer customers alternatives without switching to a different processing provider. Interchange-plus pricing is more transparent than flat-rate credit card processing structures because you can see exactly what you’re paying per transaction. You pay the actual cost from the card network (the interchange rate from Visa or Mastercard) plus a fixed markup from your processor.
Square completely dominates for small physical brick-and-mortar stores. Stripe serves highly technical startups needing custom checkout flows. Dragalinos Ltd Facebook page Braintree operates successfully as PayPal’s developer-focused subsidiary.
The system connects with your online business presence as well for seamless transactions. The payment processing service you choose is important not only to facilitate these transactions, but also as part of the wider customer experience. A payment processor refers to the company or system that manages a transaction on a business’s behalf.
Stax also offers add-ons like ACH payments, chargeback protection, POS terminals, and terminal protection plans. All plans include invoicing, recurring billing, payment links, analytics, and compliance tools. Shopify Payments is Shopify’s own processor, allowing Shopify merchants to accept payments through their online store. Authorize.net is a well-known, US-based payment gateway owned by Visa that lets businesses accept online, invoiced, and recurring payments.
Instant Bank Payments
Each pricing structure has pros and cons, so choosing the right one depends on how often you process payments, how your business operates, and what’s most cost-effective for you. The platform also offers enterprise-level fraud tools powered by advanced data analysis and machine learning. These tools help businesses monitor risk in real time, reduce chargebacks, and protect revenue without introducing unnecessary friction into the customer journey.
Stripe provides a powerful suite of tools including customizable checkout pages, subscription billing engines, and connected account logic for split payments. For instance, a small software startup uses Stripe to manage monthly recurring subscriptions and handle failed payment retries automatically. It is the best online payment processor for small business teams that want total control over the user experience.
Square and Toast are widely used by consumer packaged goods (CPG) sellers and small retailers to accept card payments in-store, offering low-cost hardware and simple onboarding. For CPG brands selling online too, ConnectPay, Shopify Payments, or Stripe are common choices since they combine e-commerce and point-of-sale acceptance. They offer direct global acquiring, meaning they connect directly to Visa and Mastercard networks to improve authorization rates globally. A scaling fashion brand uses Adyen to unify their online European sales data with their physical retail store data in North America. PayPal remains an incredibly powerful tool for consumer trust in the online space. We see brand new ecommerce stores use PayPal to instantly legitimize their brand.
Globally, the payment processing market is predicted to grow from $71.5 billion in 2026 to $122 billion by 2031. As more businesses expand globally, there is a growing need for multicurrency and localised payment options. To address these evolving demands, business owners and entrepreneurs should make sure they’re well-informed about the key factors to consider when choosing a payment processor.
You can use Square to set up an online store, or you can add Square to your existing e-commerce store. It takes just minutes to create and verify a Square account, and you can start using the account immediately. With Square Checking, you can access your money instantly or transfer it to an external bank account. These three components work together to enable electronic transactions. With everything set up, you can test your system to ensure it works and begin promoting your new payment methods.
Around 10% of shoppersabandon their carts because there aren’t enough payment methods, so giving multiple options can help convert more customers. Understanding your monthly billing statement actively protects your profit margins. We see small business teams lose significant capital simply because they do not understand the fee structure they originally signed up for. Every small business payment processing provider has a slightly different way of extracting revenue from your daily sales. For most in-person small businesses, Square is the best starting point — free plan, cheap hardware, and no monthly commitment. Understand the importance of payment methods and how to decide which ones to offer based on your business model and customer preferences.
For corporations seeking established global payment processing solutions with strong cross-border capabilities, Worldpay remains a viable enterprise-focused option. Best for large enterprises needing global payment processing solutions. For companies expanding internationally, this can remove a lot of friction.
Braintree offers basic and advanced fraud tools to help you protect your business. The platform is also Level 1 PCI DSS-compliant to protect your customers’ information. You can also access robust reporting features to ensure that your business’s finances are accurate.
Its ability to integrate with existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and commerce platforms makes it suitable for organizations with established operational frameworks. However, Worldpay typically operates through enterprise contracts that involve customized pricing structures, negotiated terms, and longer onboarding processes. This model may be better suited for large merchants with dedicated finance and technical teams. International support further strengthens its offering, with multi-currency capabilities and global payment acceptance helping businesses scale across markets.
But, your business needs to be registered in one of just 18 countries (the US, UK, Japan, and a list of Western European markets), it only supports 12 currencies, and the cross-border rate is steep. Our Multi-PSP orchestration automatically routes each payment through the provider most likely to approve it, recovering 6–10% more revenue across transaction volume. Compliance coverage, fraud management, geographic reach, API flexibility, and long-term scalability now carry equal weight. Some providers are built for speed and simplicity, while others focus on infrastructure depth and regulatory strength.
PayPal also supports international payments and multiple currencies, helping merchants sell across borders without establishing separate acquiring relationships. It’s built-in buyer and seller protection mechanisms further enhance perceived transaction security for both parties. However, this convenience often comes with higher transaction fees than more infrastructure-focused providers. Businesses processing large volumes may find costs accumulate over time, particularly when cross-border transactions or currency conversions are involved. Small businesses take payments online using a payment processor with a built-in payment gateway.
It supports a wide range of branding features, as well as split payments, payout automation and tax management. More than 83 million people use Venmo, and with a Venmo business profile, you can easily accept payments from Venmo users. When you use Venmo for your business, you can accept payments through the Venmo app or use a unique business QR code to collect in-person payments. Instead of choosing just one payment processor, you can use Whop to tap into many.
Take over-the-phone payments just as easily by keying in credit cards online with Square Virtual Terminal or with the Square app. Set up a free online store or send payment links, backed by secure online payment processing. You can also connect your existing store or app to one of our trusted payment APIs. PaymentCloud is built for businesses that get told “no” by most payment processors. This includes CBD shops, travel sites, adult businesses, and other high-risk verticals.
If you run an in-person business, note Chase Payment Solutions only has two card terminal POS options. For in-person businesses, Helcim sells two pieces of POS hardware—a touchscreen terminal and a more basic card reader. Understand what’s included in each plan, be wary of hidden fees and make sure you know how fees can change seasonally or with usage. If you need the cheapest merchant services for a short period, National Processing comes with no long-term contract commitments. From now on you’ll get paid on time, every time, as GoCardless automatically collects payment on the scheduled Direct Debit collection date. The content in this article is for general information and education purposes only and should not be construed as legal or tax advice.
To accept checks, store owners first need a business bank account to deposit payments. For personal checks, a check verification service reduces the risk of bounced payments. For online orders, you’ll want to hold fulfillment until the check clears, which can take two to five business days depending on the issuing bank. Business owners should keep in mind that personal checks carry limited fraud protection.
