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Whether you’re thinking of setting up a new eCommerce website or updating an existing one, you may have considered using a payment gateway. This opens up the possibility of accepting a variety of digital payment types, which can be a great way of increasing your revenue.

Fortunately, there are plenty of different payment gateway options. And the good news is that so long as you do your research and choose the best payment gateway for your needs, setting it up will likely be relatively simple and straightforward.

In this post, we’ll look at how payment gateways work and review some popular options. Then, we’ll walk you through integrating a payment gateway into your WordPress.com website. Let’s get started!

An Introduction to Payment Gateways (and How They Work)

A payment gateway is a middleman between customer and merchant. In a nutshell, it enables a vendor to transfer, validate, and process direct payment information from a buyer. This is typically used for debit/credit cards or digital wallets.

Any online purchase is considered a Card Not Present (CNP) transaction, which increases the risk of fraud. Therefore, whether you run a growing online store or you occasionally sell photos, a payment gateway is likely essential for your eCommerce website.

In addition to increased security, payment gateways bring several other benefits to your online business. For instance, they allow you to process transactions faster, saving time for both you and the customer.

Furthermore, using payment gateways can help streamline checkout and improve your site’s User Experience (UX). It can help reduce cart abandonment by giving customers multiple payment options. Plus, most payment gateways accommodate international transactions, so your company can more easily branch out.

4 Popular Payment Gateways

Let’s check out some popular and trustworthy payment gateways.

1. WooCommerce Payments

WooCommerce Payments is WooCommerce’s own payment gateway. It is a product of a partnership with Stripe (which we’ll look at below) and functions similarly.

Still, this payment gateway can simplify your payment process, allowing you to accept credit and debit cards directly within WordPress. With this option, you’ll never have to leave your WordPress dashboard and customers won’t be sent away from your site.

Features:

Available in 18 countries
Accepts credit and debit cards in WordPress
Handles refunds and disputes
Creates a positive UX for the customer

Fees: WooCommerce Payments’ commissions and fees vary depending on country and payment method.

2. Stripe

If you’re in the eCommerce space, you’ve likely heard of Stripe. This popular payment gateway focuses on security while also offering plenty of tools to help you improve your checkout flows. Stripe can help you reduce fraud risk for many types of payments on multiple devices. It offers competitive prices and lots of customization.

Features:

Provides instant deposits and invoicing
Supports over 135 currencies
Allows mobile payments and subscription billing

Fees: Stripe charges 2.9 percent + $0.30 per successful card charge.

3. PayPal

PayPal is possibly the best-known and most accessible payment gateway in the world. It’s often the first choice for eCommerce start-ups because it has global reach and trust. The company claims that adding a PayPal option can increase sales by 44 percent.

Features:

Offers easy-to-use buttons
Accepts PayPal payments in 26 currencies and over 200 markets
Allows credit and debit cards in six currencies

Fees: PayPal merchant fees vary widely depending on the region and currency. There’s also a PayPal Pro version specifically for WooCommerce stores.

4. Square

Square is another commonly-used payment gateway. It offers solutions for every type of business. It can also integrate with a variety of social media platforms and has a Virtual Terminal. Square supports Apple Pay and Google Pay but not PayPal.

Features:

Instant deposits and invoicing
Excellent customization options
Offers reporting tools

Fees: Square’s fees vary depending on payment type, but they start at 2.6 percent + a fixed fee.

Choosing the Right Payment Gateway

You will want to take into account many factors when choosing a payment gateway. A top consideration should be cost. We detailed some of the fees involved with a select number of gateways. Still, you’ll want to be aware of set-up fees, monthly expenses, and transaction fees. Also, you may want to consider the volume and final price of your transactions.

Usability should also be on your list of priorities. It’s a good idea to look out for what types of cards are accepted by the gateway and whether it supports multiple currencies. That way, you can broaden your audience and make customers feel comfortable using their preferred payment methods.

Finally, you’ll want to be aware of the level of fraud protection that you feel comfortable with and how much your gateway offers. You should also ensure that your payment gateway is compliant with any benchmarks for security, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

How to Integrate a Payment Gateway into Your WordPress Site (in 2 Steps)

Now we’re going to show you how to integrate a payment gateway for your website. We’ll use WooCommerce Payments for our example.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to make sure that the tool supports your country and currency before you get started. You’ll also need to verify that your WordPress website meets a few other technical requirements and have an active WooCommerce store.

Step 1: Install and Activate WooCommerce Payments

To get started, navigate to your WordPress dashboard. Go to Plugins > Add New and type “WooCommerce Payments” into the search bar:

Once you locate the correct plugin, click on Install Now followed by Activate.

At this point, you may notice that the plugin is already installed and active. This may be because you opted to install all the recommended plugins when you first set up your online store. If that’s the case, simply skip to the next step.

Step 2: Connect Your WordPress Website

Once you’ve successfully installed and activated the tool, you should see the Payments tab in your left-hand panel. Next, navigate to Payments to continue setting up your payment gateway:

Click on Finish setup.

On the following screen, simply follow the steps provided by the setup wizard in order to complete the process. You will need to connect your WordPress.com account and provide a few business details. Then, you should be ready to start accepting digital payments in a whole new way!

Simplify Your Checkout Process with a Payment Gateway

Setting up a payment gateway is an essential step for many new WordPress websites. It can allow you to accept digital payments quickly and safely. This way, you can more easily expand your audience and keep your customers’ payment information secure.

Fortunately, there are plenty of reputable gateway options. Furthermore, when you choose WooCommerce Payments, integrating a payment gateway is simple. Just follow these steps: