Global Payment Methods Reference
A comprehensive lookup table of payment methods available for online commerce. Covers card networks, digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal), bank transfers (ACH, SEPA, FPS, PIX), buy-now-pay-later providers, and regional payment methods with settlement times and typical fee ranges.
How to Read This Table
Fee ranges shown are approximate and vary significantly based on merchant volume, processor agreements, card type (consumer vs commercial), and region. Settlement times represent business days unless noted otherwise. "T+0" means same-day or instant settlement; "T+1" means next business day.
Payment method availability depends on your payment processor. Not all methods are available through all processors or in all countries. Check your processor's documentation for supported methods in your target markets.
Payment Methods
| Method | Type | Regions | Settlement | Typical Fees | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa / Mastercard | Card | Global (200+ countries) | T+1 to T+3 | 1.5% - 3.5% + fixed | Most widely accepted. Interchange varies by card type (consumer, commercial, rewards). |
| American Express | Card | Global (primary: US, UK, AU, CA, JP) | T+1 to T+3 | 2.5% - 3.5% + fixed | Higher interchange; premium customer base. Some merchants decline due to cost. |
| UnionPay | Card | China, expanding globally | T+1 to T+3 | 1.0% - 2.5% | Dominant in China. International acceptance growing. Dual-currency cards available. |
| Apple Pay | Wallet | Global (70+ countries, Apple devices) | Same as underlying card | No additional fee to merchant (processor rates apply) | Uses device tokenization (DPAN). Requires Apple Pay merchant ID and domain verification. |
| Google Pay | Wallet | Global (70+ countries, Android/Chrome) | Same as underlying card | No additional fee to merchant (processor rates apply) | Network-level tokenization. Works in-app and on web via Chrome. |
| PayPal | Wallet | Global (200+ countries) | Immediate to PayPal balance; T+1 to bank | 2.9% - 3.49% + fixed (varies by volume) | Buyer protection drives consumer preference. Express Checkout for fast conversion. |
| ACH (Automated Clearing House) | Bank transfer | United States | T+1 to T+3 (same-day ACH available) | 0.20 - 1.50 per transaction (flat or percentage) | Nacha rules. Two types: ACH Credit (push) and ACH Debit (pull). Reversals possible. |
| SEPA Credit Transfer | Bank transfer | EU / EEA (36 countries) | T+1 (SEPA Instant: seconds) | 0.20 - 1.00 per transaction | IBAN-based. SEPA Instant available 24/7 with 100,000 EUR limit per transaction. |
| SEPA Direct Debit | Bank transfer | EU / EEA (36 countries) | T+5 (Core) / T+2 (B2B) | 0.20 - 0.75 per transaction | Mandate required. 8-week refund right (Core); no refund right (B2B). D-5 pre-notification. |
| Faster Payments (FPS) | Bank transfer | United Kingdom | Near-instant (typically under 2 minutes) | Free for consumers; business pricing varies | 24/7/365. Up to 1,000,000 GBP per transaction. Used in UK Open Banking PISP flows. |
| PIX | Bank transfer | Brazil | Instant (24/7) | Free for consumers; 0.01% - 0.22% for merchants | Central Bank of Brazil system. QR code or alias (CPF, email, phone). Mandatory for banks. |
| iDEAL | Bank redirect | Netherlands | T+1 | 0.29 - 0.79 per transaction | 60%+ of Dutch e-commerce. Bank redirect flow, immediate confirmation. |
| Bancontact | Bank redirect | Belgium | T+1 | ~0.20 per transaction + percentage | Dominant in Belgian e-commerce. Mobile app (Payconiq) or card-based. |
| Klarna | BNPL | EU, US, AU, NZ (26 countries) | T+1 to T+3 (merchant paid upfront by Klarna) | 3.29% - 5.99% + fixed | Pay in 4, Pay in 30, financing. Klarna assumes credit risk. Higher conversion but higher cost. |
| Afterpay / Clearpay | BNPL | US, AU, UK, NZ, CA, EU | T+1 to T+2 | 4% - 6% + fixed | Pay in 4 installments. Consumer pays no interest if on time. Merchant receives full amount. |
| Affirm | BNPL | United States, Canada | T+1 to T+3 | 5% - 8% + fixed | Longer-term financing (3-60 months). Consumer may pay interest. Higher AOV use cases. |
| Boleto Bancario | Voucher | Brazil | T+1 to T+3 after payment | 1.00 - 5.00 BRL per transaction | Cash-based voucher. Payer receives slip, pays at bank/lottery/ATM. Async confirmation. |
| OXXO | Voucher | Mexico | T+1 to T+3 after payment | ~3% per transaction | Cash payment at 20,000+ OXXO convenience stores. Reference number-based. |
| GrabPay | Wallet | Southeast Asia (SG, MY, PH, VN, TH, ID) | T+1 to T+3 | 1.5% - 3% per transaction | Embedded in Grab super-app. QR code payments. Growing merchant acceptance. |
| Alipay | Wallet | China, expanding globally | T+1 | 1.0% - 3% per transaction | 1B+ users. QR code-based. Alipay+ for cross-border. Requires Alipay merchant account. |
Regional Considerations
- Europe: iDEAL (NL), Bancontact (BE), Giropay (DE, discontinued 2024), and SEPA are essential. SCA via 3DS2 is required for card payments. SEPA Instant adoption is growing rapidly.
- Latin America: PIX dominates in Brazil (instant, low cost). Boleto remains important for cash-preferred customers. OXXO is critical for Mexico. Local card installments (cuotas) are expected by consumers.
- Asia-Pacific: Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate China. GrabPay and GCash are significant in Southeast Asia. UPI is the primary payment rail in India (instant, near-zero cost). Konbini (convenience store) payments remain common in Japan.
- North America: Cards dominate, supplemented by ACH for recurring and B2B. BNPL adoption is growing. Real-time payments via FedNow (launched 2023) are slowly gaining merchant adoption.
Disclaimer: Fee ranges and settlement times are approximate and vary based on merchant agreements, transaction volume, card type, and region. This reference is for informational purposes only. Consult your payment processor for exact pricing and supported methods in your target markets.