Shopify Payment Gateway

Christopher Macharia
7 min readFeb 6, 2023

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Shopify is one of the leading e-commerce platforms in the world. The company facilitates e-commerce payments on merchant websites through its payment gateway called Shopify Payment. The payment gateway allows merchants to process credit card payments directly through their Shopify store. It is built into the Shopify platform and enables merchants to easily accept payments from customers without having to set up a separate merchant account or payment gateway. Shopify Payments is available in various countries and supports various currencies.

Setting up a Payment Gateway on Shopify

Setting up Shopify Payment on your website is not difficult, and involves only a few steps. To begin, you need to log in to your Shopify admin panel and go to the “Settings” section and then select “Payment providers” from the options.

You can then choose the payment gateway you want to use. In case you want to use Shopify Payments, you will find it enabled by default. If you want to use a different gateway, you will need to activate it by clicking on the “Activate” button.

Follow the instructions provided by the payment gateway to set it up. Most payment gateways will require you to create an account with them, obtain API keys, and configure the settings.

Once your payment gateway is set up, you’ll need to configure the settings in Shopify. Make sure that your store’s currency and the payment gateway’s currency match.

After setting it up, you can now test the payment gateway by placing a test order on your store. Once you have verified that everything is working out correctly, you can start accepting payments from your customers.

It is important to note that Shopify supports the use of external payment gateways, such as Authorize.net and First Data, by installing an additional payment gateway app from the Shopify App Store. Also, depending on your location, some payment gateways may not be available.

Additional Fees for Using a Shopify Payment Gateway

Shopify Payments does not charge additional transaction fees beyond the standard credit card processing fees. However, Shopify does charge a small fee for using other payment gateways, called the “Additional Payment Gateway” fee. This fee is equal to 0.5% of the transaction amount for most gateways, with a maximum of $0.50 per transaction.

It’s important to note that some payment gateways may also have additional fees for their services, such as monthly or yearly fees, chargeback fees, and so on. Be sure to check the fees associated with the payment gateway you choose, as well as the fees for Shopify, to ensure that you understand the total cost of accepting payments on your store.

Using Multiple Payment Gateways on Your Shopify Store

Shopify supports the use of multiple payment gateways on your Shopify store. This can be useful if you want to offer more options to your customers, or if certain payment methods are more popular in different parts of the world.

You can set up multiple payment gateways on your Shopify store by going to your Shopify admin panel, selecting “Settings” and then “Payment providers”. You will then see an option to activate the additional payment gateways that you want to use.

Configure the settings for each gateway, and then continue to test the payment gateways by placing test orders. Once you’ve verified that everything is working correctly, you can start accepting payments from your customers via multiple payment gateways on your website.

Keep in mind that when using multiple payment gateways on your store, you’ll need to pay attention to the additional fees for using each gateway, as well as the fees for Shopify, so you can choose the most cost-effective option for your business.

Other Payment Gateways Supported by Shopify

Besides its payment gateway, Shopify supports a variety of other payment gateways that include Paypal, Square, Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, Afterpay, and many others. You can also use external payment gateways, such as Authorize.net and First Data. However, you will need to install an additional payment gateway app from the Shopify App Store.

Processing Refunds through Your Shopify Payment Gateway

You can process refunds through your Shopify payment gateway in a few steps:

  • Start by logging in to your Shopify admin panel and head over to the “Orders” section.
  • Next, find the order that you want to refund and click on it.
  • Go ahead and scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Refund” button.
  • Enter the amount you want to refund and select the reason for the refund.
  • Click on the “Refund” button and the refund will be processed.
    If the order was paid using Shopify Payments, the refund will be processed immediately and the money will be returned to the customer’s credit card. If the order was paid using a different payment gateway, the refund will be processed according to the gateway’s refund policy.

Please note that some payment gateways may have restrictions on processing refunds, such as a time limit for processing refunds or requiring additional information from the customer. Be sure to check the refund policy for your payment gateway to understand the process and any restrictions.

Accepting International Payments on Your Shopify Store

You can accept international payments on your Shopify store. Most payment gateways supported by Shopify, including Shopify Payments, support international payments. When you set up your payment gateway, you’ll need to configure the settings to accept payments in the appropriate currency. You will also need to make sure that your store’s checkout is set up to handle different currencies.

However, some payment gateways may have additional fees for international transactions, and you may be subject to different laws and regulations when accepting payments from customers in other countries. Be sure to check the terms and conditions of your payment gateway to understand any additional fees or restrictions.

Also, make sure that you have configured your store’s settings to handle multiple currencies and that the prices of your products are displayed in the correct currency to your customers. Shopify has a feature called “multi-currency” that allows you to set prices in different currencies, and it will automatically convert the prices to the customer’s local currency during checkout.

Handling Chargebacks and Disputes with Shopify Payments
Shopify Payments handles chargebacks and disputes once your customer has disputed a charge with their credit card company. The dispute is sent to Shopify Payments for review, and then they will investigate the case and make a decision based on the evidence provided.

In case the dispute is found in favor of the customer, the funds will be returned to the customer and the merchant will be charged a $15 chargeback fee by Shopify Payments. If the dispute is found in favor of the merchant, no funds will be returned to the customer and the dispute will be closed.

Chargebacks are caused by different issues such as fraudulent transactions, customer dissatisfaction, or misunderstandings. To avoid chargebacks, merchants should make sure that their customers understand the terms and conditions of their purchase, and that they are satisfied with their purchase.

In case of a chargeback, you are encouraged to provide evidence that supports your case, such as proof of delivery or a copy of the customer’s receipt, to increase your chances of winning the dispute. Shopify also provides a feature called “Fraud Protection” that allows merchants to set up automatic fraud checks on their orders, and to review and cancel any suspicious orders before they are shipped. This will help you to reduce the number of chargebacks you receive.

Securing Your Customers’ Payment through Shopify Payment Gateway

Shopify takes data security very seriously and has implemented several measures to ensure that customer payment information is secure when using a Shopify payment gateway.

The payment gateway is PCI compliant, and this ensures that customer payment information is handled securely. All data that is transmitted between the customer’s browser and the Shopify servers is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. This ensures that customer payment information is protected while it is being transmitted.

In addition, Shopify payments are hosted on secure servers that are regularly updated to protect against vulnerabilities and are located in state-of-the-art data centers. Shopify also provides third-party payment gateways, such as PayPal and Square mentioned earlier, which have their security measures in place to protect customer payment information.

As a merchant, you need to follow best practices when handling customer payment information, such as never storing full credit card numbers and only keeping the information for as long as necessary.

Minimum Requirement to Use Shopify Payment Gateway

For you to use Shopify payments on your website, you need to meet a few minimum requirements. One of them is that your business must be based in a country where Shopify Payments is available. Currently, the gateway is available in over 50 countries, and the full list is available from Shopify’s website.

In addition, your business must be able to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Shopify Payments is fully PCI compliant, meaning that it meets all of the security standards set by the PCI DSS.

Another important requirement is that your store must be able to process payments in one of the currencies supported by Shopify Payments. Currently, Shopify Payments supports over 130 currencies. You also need to have a valid government-issued ID and a business registration number.
Keep in mind that these requirements can change over time, so it’s always a good idea to check the Shopify Payments website for the most up-to-date information.

Conclusion

Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform that offers a built-in payment gateway for merchants to process transactions. This gateway is safe and secure, as it complies with industry-standard security protocols such as SSL and PCI-DSS.

Additionally, Shopify uses tokenization to protect sensitive information and allows for various payment methods including credit and debit cards, PayPal, and more.

Generally, you should try Shopify’s payment gateway on your site as it is a reliable and safe option for online merchants like you.

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Christopher Macharia
Christopher Macharia

Written by Christopher Macharia

Professional Business Plan Writer: Crafting Winning Strategies for Startups and Established Businesses. https://christopher.visual.com/

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