Top 5 Best Shopify Payment Gateways for Your E-commerce Store

E-commerce has become a hulking figure in the business world over the past few years, accounting for more than $3.5 trillion in 2019. And that figure is projected to increase to over $6.5 trillion in 2022. Shopify alone accounts for nearly 10% of the total market share of e-commerce platforms. More importantly, businesses that use Shopify as their website’s platform enjoyed a 50% growth in online sales across 2019, compared to the just 21% experienced by the global e-commerce market as a whole.

This shows that Shopify is a tremendously useful platform on which to grow your business. However, to fully capitalize on the growth in sales that Shopify customers are experiencing, you first need to ensure that you have the right payment gateway for your store. Payment gateways, also known as ‘online payment processors’ or ‘payment service providers,’ authorize credit or debit card payments, transferring payment from your customer to your bank account.

Ensuring that you use the right one is vital for the long-term well-being of your company, as it significantly impacts the security, reliability, and speed of your transactions. It also can inspire trust and confidence in your customers, or cause worry and distrust.

In this article, we’ll discuss five of the best Shopify payment gateways for your e-commerce store.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Shopify Payment Gateway

There are a number of considerations to make when deciding upon the right payment gateway for your company. This ranges from the degree of security it provides to the ease of use for customers making purchases. Three of the most important factors are:

1. How secure is it? Ensure you pick a safe payment gateway by checking adherence to major global information security standards such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.
2. How expensive is it? Shopify payment fees vary significantly. Check the payment gateway’s pricing scheme closely, considering aspects like transaction volume and frequency.
3. Are transactions convenient? To minimize shopping cart abandonment, choose a payment gateway that facilitates convenient transactions. Avoid unnecessary hassles for customers, such as requiring account creation to make a payment.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the best Shopify payment methods currently available.

1. Shopify Payments

Probably the most convenient payment gateway for Shopify stores is the Shopify Payments service. By going down this route, you save yourself the trouble of doing a lot of extra research and integrating third-party systems with your website. The fees charged for this service depend on your Shopify plan. Basically, you benefit from lower credit card rates when you upgrade your Shopify plan.

Already integrated into your Shopify store, this payment gateway enables your customers to effortlessly make card payments. It also comes with a host of features and built-in security.

Note that this option is only available in select countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, UK, Netherlands, Denmark, and USA.

2. Authorize.net

One of the top Shopify payment gateways, Authorize.net, is owned and operated by Visa. As you might suspect from a service offered by one of the largest financial services companies in the world, Authorize.net is one of the oldest and most popular options for payment gateways.

The amount you pay will depend on the plan you opt for. Expect to pay a bit more than with many other payment gateways, as Authorize.net is one of the pricier options. Nevertheless, the high price tag comes with a lot of features and functionality, including excellent fraud protection and support for all major debit and credit cards, as well as digital payment services like Apple Pay, PayPal, and Visa Checkout.

3. PayPal

PayPal has become synonymous with internet transactions over the years and is among the most popular Shopify payment gateways on the market. A significant advantage of choosing PayPal is the ease with which it can be set up on Shopify websites, taking less than a day to get up and running. PayPal offers both free and paid merchant contracts, allowing you to test the water with the cheaper option before committing fully. Merchants pay minimum fees of between 1.9% and 3.4% on all transactions.

Many Shopify users pick PayPal thanks in large part to the level of support provided. It is also widely available and operational in over 200 countries.

4. Stripe

A younger company than others featured on this list, Stripe has nonetheless become a popular option among Shopify users. By using Stripe, you can accept a wide range of payments, including credit cards, online wallets, and different currencies. What’s more, there are no setup or monthly Shopify payment fees. Transaction costs are charged in a flat-rate fee structure:

• 2.9% plus $0.30 for every credit card transaction
• 2.7% plus $0.30 for each in-person credit card transaction with a Stripe terminal.

5. WorldPay

WorldPay is one of the best Shopify payment gateways for both small and large companies. The platform has built up a well-earned reputation for reliability. As one of the most popular Shopify payment methods out there, WorldPay is available in over 100 countries and provides a responsive support team for its customers.

One of the more appealing aspects of WorldPay’s service for many Shopify users is its pricing scheme. It offers a sliding scale that changes depending on the amount of revenue your company generates. Additionally, it’s a very user-friendly option that generally takes no longer than four or five days to get up and running.

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