Payment gateway

A payment gateway is the technical link that securely captures your customer's payment details in the checkout and passes them on so the payment can be authorised. Online, it is your webshop's card terminal. The default Shopify payment gateway is Shopify Payments; you can connect other gateways alongside it. The full overview is in our guide to Shopify payments.

In short

The gateway captures payment details; the processor, acquirer and bank handle the rest.

On Shopify you have one primary gateway for card payments and as many additional gateways as you need.

Any primary gateway other than Shopify Payments costs you an extra Shopify transaction fee.

Gateway, processor, acquirer and provider: who does what?

An online card payment involves at least six parties: you, your customer, your bank, your customer's bank, the card network and the processor. This is how the payment roles split the work:

In practice you usually buy these roles together from one payment provider. Shopify Payments is both gateway and processor: everything from authorisation to payout sits in your Shopify admin.

Primary and additional gateways on Shopify

Shopify distinguishes between two types of gateway:

Primary gateway: processes card payments and talks directly to processors and acquirers. You only ever have one, for example Shopify Payments or Adyen. You can see which primary gateways are available for your country in your admin under Settings > Payments.

Additional gateways: for payment methods beyond cards, such as PayPal, buy now pay later or local methods. You can have several. Some work inside your checkout, others redirect the customer to the provider's website.

If you use Shopify Payments alongside an external provider, you can do so with at most one direct third-party provider. Shop Pay and local methods through Shopify Payments then cost an extra 1.25%. For Plus merchants with a signed contract, this combination is not available for now.

Examples in Belgium and the Netherlands

Shopify Payments as primary gateway: cards, Bancontact, iDEAL | Wero, Klarna, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay in one admin.

Adyen as primary gateway: only with an existing Adyen account. Shopify Payments is then switched off, Klarna and PayPal don't run through that integration, and part of your transaction data is only visible in the Adyen dashboard.

Mollie through the Mollie for Shopify app, including in3, Riverty and the KBC and Belfius payment buttons.

PayPal as an additional gateway next to your primary gateway.

Why your choice of gateway matters

Your gateway determines which payment methods you can offer, where your data lives and what you pay per payment. Any primary gateway other than Shopify Payments costs an extra 0.2% to 2% to Shopify, on top of the provider's own transaction fees. Security differs too: with Shopify Payments, 3D Secure and the PCI DSS requirements for your card payments are taken care of. Factor these differences into your total Shopify costs.

Frequently asked questions

What is a payment gateway?

A payment gateway is the technical service that securely captures payment details in your checkout and passes them on for authorisation. It is the online version of a card terminal.

What is the difference between a payment gateway and a payment provider?

The gateway is one link in the payment chain. A payment provider delivers the whole chain: gateway, processing, payment methods and payouts.

Is Stripe a payment gateway?

Stripe is a payment provider with its own gateway. On Shopify in Belgium and the Netherlands, Shopify Payments is the default route; your admin shows whether Stripe is available as a separate gateway.

Can I use multiple payment gateways on Shopify?

Yes, but with one primary gateway for card payments. You add additional gateways for PayPal, buy now pay later or local methods alongside it.

Which provider fits a Belgian store best is compared in Shopify Payments vs Mollie. How to activate Shopify Payments as your gateway is in how to set up Shopify Payments in Belgium.