Comparing the Best Shopify Payment Gateways for Australia in 2018

The payment gateway is an exciting part of owning an ecommerce store - it's what gets your customers' money straight to you. When you pick one or a few to offer, there are a few things to consider. This post is all about what payment gateways Shopify is compatible with, so you can make the decision that's right for your business.

There are a few factors to keep in mind - the cost to you, the availability to your customers, the security of the gateway and the ease of use, for example. Although there are some particularly popular ones, it's not a one-size-fits-all.

Shopify offers its own in-house payment gateway PLUS over 100 third-party payment gateway integrations. These range from multi-national gateways, country-specific payment gateways and even cryptocurrencies like BitCoin.

Depending on your Shopify plan, you’ll have different transaction fees for third-party payment systems. Using Shopify Payments, all transaction fees are waived (though credit card fees still apply).

The following breakdown compares the most popular gateways used in Australia in 2018. A full list of payment gateways accepted for an Australian market can be found here.

Service	Shopify Payments	Stripe	Paypal	eWay
Monthly Fees	0	0, but custom pricing for enterprises is available	0, with a $25/month fee for the pro version	0
Credit Card Rates for Domestic/Australian Customers	1.4% - 1.75% depending on plan + 30¢ per transaction	1.75% + 30¢ per transaction	1.1% + 30¢ to 2.6% + 30¢ per transaction depending on monthly sales	1.9% + 20c per transaction for Visa/Mastercard 2.6% per transaction for Discover/Diners Volume discounts available
Credit Card Rates for international/ other currency customers	2.7% - 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (includes domestic AMEX)	2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (includes domestic AMEX)	2.1% - 3.6% + fixed fee per transaction depending on monthly sales	2.6% + 30c
Transaction Fees from Shopify	None	2.7% - 2.9% + $0.30	2.7% - 2.9% + + $0.30	2.7% - 2.9% + $0.30
International Payment Fees	None	None	2.5% above exchange rate	You must open up multiple accounts for each currency you accept
Fees for Chargeback	$25, with full refund if dispute ends in your favour	$25, with full refund if dispute ends in your favour	$15, with seller protection available	$25
Fees for Refunds	None	None	30 cents	30 cents
POS	Yes	No, but compatible with several	Yes, called PayPal Here, with lower credit card fees for in-person sales	Yes
Recurring/subscription billing	Yes – via third party app	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accepts Apple Pay	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Support	24/7 Phone, Chat, & Email Support	Email Support	Online Community Forum and Twitter Account (AskPaypal)	24/7 Phone, Chat, & Email Support
Extra features?	Get access to accelerated checkouts, like Shopify Pay GST already is included in all fees Payouts are only every 3 days	Accepts AliPay and WeChat Pay Payouts happen on a 2 day rolling basis Lots of flexibility for custom pricing models	In person, online, over the phone, and donations all accepted Supports express payments, eBay payments, and extra features such as PayPal Credit	Same-day or next-day payouts

Benefits and Features

There are a few important features that all of the above payment gateways offer, and features you should definitely think about if you're choosing a different gateway.

Mobile Payments

Because mobile payments are one of the most important features for online shoppers, all of the above gateways offer the ability to check out directly from a phone or tablet.

Point of Sale (POS)

For retailers who sometimes sell in person, such as markets, pop-ups or trade fairs, having a physical point of sale is crucial. Except for Stripe, all of the providers offer hardware like card readers that you can take with you and stay integrated.

Subscription Billing

PayPal, Stripe, and Eway all provide recurring subscription billing as part of their main service. To use recurring payments with Shopify Payments, you'll need a third-party app from the Shopify marketplace.

Fraud Protection

Probably the most important feature is the security of the gateway. Protecting your customers from fraud or identity theft is a crucial part of gaining trust. All of the payment gateways you use should include strong protections (and the above do!)

How Do I Set up a Payment Gateway?

Setting Up Shopify Payments

To set up Shopify Payments on your store:

From your Shopify admin, click Settings, then click Payments (or press G S P).
In the Accept credit cards section, click Add a provider:
Select Shopify Payments, and then click Continue:
In the Shopify Payments section, click Complete account setup.
Enter the required details about your store and your banking information.
Click Complete account setup.
After you've set up Shopify Payments, you can configure your settings or make a test transaction on your store.

Setting Up Third-party Credit Card Gateways

To activate a credit card gateway:

From your Shopify admin, click Settings, then click Payments.

In the Accept credit cards section, click Add a provider:
In the Change provider dialog, select Third party credit card provider.
Select the gateway you want to use from the drop-down menu, and then click Continue.
Enter your account credentials for the gateway you selected.
Click Activate, and you are ready to go!

Learn More

Still wrapping your head around how e-commerce gateway payments work, and what the best decision is for your business? Talk to Elkfox today, and we’ll help you sort it out.