How To Accept Credit & Debit Card Payments on Your Website

Credit card payments are among the most popular ways that customers pay for online purchases. Learning how to accept credit card payments online will allow you to collect payments or receive donations from anywhere in the world.

Customers today require fast, effortless check-out experiences. Aside from credit and debit cards, other digital payment methods are gaining popularity. These include mobile payments, Buy Now Pay Later, and digital-first options. Accepting a variety of online payment solutions will ensure conversions by giving your customers access to their preferred payment method.

The options available to you depend on the kind of website you have, whether you have a registered business, and how much you process in sales each month. With this information in hand, you will be able to compare your options and start accepting credit card payments soon.

Today, customers not only use credit and debit cards but are also increasingly moving towards alternative payment methods, such as mobile payments. Offering a variety of payment options will help you capture sales and minimise cart abandonment.

Step 1: Make Sure Your Website Is Compatible With E-Commerce

When it comes to accepting payments online, not all websites are equal. Some sites—like many ready-to-go blogging platforms—don’t come equipped to handle payments. This limits your payment options to widgets that you paste into your web code which then take your customers off your website to pay.

If you’re serious about selling online, you’ll generally need to create your website with a site builder like WordPress that has a ready-made shopping cart add-on. Alternatively, open an account with a shopping cart solution like Shopify or BigCommerce.

Advanced users, such as developers or digital teams, can mobilise headless commerce solutions and no-code payment to improve customer experience. This allows them to optimise performance and provide a more consistent and flexible experience across many channels.

Step 2: Choose a Payment Processor

Next, you’ll need to choose a payment processor to handle the credit card transactions on your behalf. Payment processors provide:

1. A merchant account where the funds from card payments will land until they’re cleared
2. A payment gateway that encrypts your customers’ card data before sending it through the payment networks for authorisation

There are two main kinds of payment processors: dedicated merchant account providers and merchant aggregators. A third type—payment gateways without a merchant account—can also be used. However, you would need to apply for a merchant account separately.

Dedicated Merchant Account

A dedicated merchant account is the best way to accept payments online if you are a registered business with a processing volume of €5,000 or more per month. To be given your own account, you’ll need to supply certain merchant account documentation and go through an underwriting process. You may also need to sign a contract specifying the terms and rates that you have agreed on with the payment processor.

Upon approval, you’ll get:

• A secure global payment gateway
• Your own merchant account and merchant identification number (MIN)
• Customised per-transaction fees based on your business type and processing volume
• A wide range of merchant services, including fraud and chargeback prevention tools, sales reports and analytics, merchant statements, and special features such as recurring billing

In addition to transaction fees (which tend to be more expensive for credit rather than debit cards), dedicated merchant account providers may charge setup fees, monthly fees, and early termination fees if you decide to change providers before your contract expires. It’s important to ask for a full list of fees before signing the contract so that you don’t encounter any surprises along the way.

Merchant Aggregators

Merchant aggregators, also called payment service providers (PSPs), allow very small businesses and non-business website owners to accept credit cards without applying for their own merchant accounts.

Rather than assign individual merchant accounts to each of their members, aggregate payment processors act as the merchants and process all of their members’ online credit card payments through the company’s shared merchant account.

To cover the higher risk of processing credit card payments without an initial underwriting process, aggregate payment processors charge higher transaction fees and may freeze your account if they notice any unusual activity (such as a sudden increase in sales).

With payment service providers, credit card payments are also typically processed off your website, although some PSPs provide integrated, customisable checkouts for an additional monthly fee.

Step 3: Apply for an Account

Whichever kind of payment processor you choose, you’ll need to register or apply for an account before you can start accepting credit card payments on your website.

If you go with a payment service provider, you’ll open an account with your basic information and link your cards and bank accounts. You will usually also be asked to provide identity documents to remove any initial limitations on your account.

To open a dedicated merchant account, you generally need several kinds of documents, including:

• A photo ID
• Your business number
• Your certificate of incorporation
• Your tax ID number
• Your VAT number (in Europe)
• Your EORI number (for businesses that conduct imports and exports from Europe)
• Your bank account number
• Bank statements
• Financial statements
• Others, if requested by the payment processor

The payment processor will review your documentation and ask you for additional information if needed. Once your business is approved, you will be given your MIN and account login details.

Good to know: Many modern processors allow for faster setup and account approval within minutes or hours rather than days.

Step 4: Integrate Your Payment Gateway

If your website supports e-commerce, integrating a payment gateway is generally straightforward. All you’ll need to do to accept online payments is to add the payment processor’s plugin or an API module that’s designed for your shopping cart solution.

Once the plugin or module is installed, run a few mock transactions (if available) or a real transaction (you’ll pay transaction fees on this) to check that everything is running smoothly. Your payment processor should provide technical support to fix any issues before you take your gateway live.

Best Practices for Testing Transactions

• Use sandbox mode or a small real transaction for safe testing.
• Tokenise card data for security.
• Test recurring billing and subscriptions.
• Test the mobile checkout experience.

Step 5: Start Accepting Payments

After checking that your checkout process works smoothly, add your payment icons (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and others) to the footer and let your customers know that they can now make credit card payments on your website.

If you accept alternative payment options like Google Pay, Apple Pay, or bank transfers, add this information to your payment page as well.

Monitoring checkout analytics will help you boost conversion rates and lower abandoned cart rates, ensuring a faster and more reliable payment experience.

What Happens When Someone Makes a Payment?

When a customer completes the checkout process, their credit card information will be scrambled (“hashed”) and routed through the credit card payment networks until an “approved” or “declined” message is returned from the customer’s card-issuing bank. The entire credit card transaction process only takes a few seconds, although you won’t see the money straight away.

To receive your payments, you’ll need to wait until the day’s batch has been authenticated (in some cases, you’ll do this yourself). Then, your payment processor will request the money from the issuing banks and deposit the money in your merchant account.

After one or two days, the funds—minus fees—will be deposited either into your account balance (for an aggregator account) or your business bank account (for dedicated merchant accounts).

Differences Between Credit and Debit Card Transactions

For debit card transactions, the money is pulled from the customer’s bank account straight away, and you’ll see it in your bank account faster. This is because debit cards can only be used to spend the money that the customer actually has in their account.

In contrast, credit card payments usually take longer to go through and come with higher fees because they draw on the bank’s funds. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that customers who pay with a credit card tend to spend more, which offsets the higher transaction fee. Virtual cards and BNPL options might have different settlement timings and fees.

Ensure Payment Security

It is crucial to protect your customers’ payment information. The following steps ensure payment security on your website:

1. PCI Compliance: Make sure that your website meets the Payment Card Industry standards.
2. 3D Secure 2.0: Adding this extra layer of authentication will enhance security.
3. Tokenisation and encryption: Protect card data through encryption and tokenisation
4. Regularly track transactions: Monitor for fraud and unusual activity.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the fastest way to start accepting credit card payments online?The fastest way to start accepting credit card payments online is to add a ready-to-go plugin or payment API with a fast underwriting process.
2. Do I need a registered business to accept payments?You need a registered business to open a dedicated merchant account. Anyone can receive payments through a merchant aggregator.
3. Can I integrate PayPal, Apple Pay, or BNPL alongside my credit card processor?Yes, you can integrate several payment providers and options. Unicorn Group is often added as a backup option for when businesses’ primary payment processors decline.
4. How long does it take to receive funds from a credit card transaction?Payment settlement times differ depending on your agreement with your payment service provider, technical delays, the payment type, and the risk level of your industry.
5. What is the difference between a dedicated merchant account and a payment aggregator?A dedicated merchant account has a unique merchant identification number and is reserved for your exclusive use. A payment aggregator allows its “submerchants” to share the aggregator’s merchant account and merchant identification number.

Add a Payment Gateway and Start Getting Paid

Whether you want to process payments for a hobby business or an e-commerce store, it’s easy to accept credit card payments on your website.

First, shop around for the best deal for your business type and transaction volume. Then, gather your documents and open an account. Finally, integrate the payment gateway on your website and run a few tests before going live.

Offering multiple payment options almost invariably boosts your sales. Apple Pay, Google Pay, and locally preferred payment methods like bank transfers offer more options to meet your customers’ needs.

Continuously track and refine your checkout experience to ensure the best possible service. Soon, you’ll be receiving payments from customers around the world directly into your stored balance or bank account.

Published: December 21, 2022
Last updated: December 22, 2025