BlueSnap's Ultimate List of Global Payment Methods

To scale your business, you need to offer your customers the right payment methods, no matter where they are located. But the sheer number of payment methods available can be overwhelming, especially when you operate internationally.

Global payment methods are complex, and frequently, businesses have to build a patchwork of multiple payment providers to be able to offer and process all the payment types they need. But then using multiple providers increases the risk of compliance issues, suboptimal approval rates and dedicating resources to manage and maintain them all.

We’ve created a comprehensive list of digital payment methods your customers might want. When you partner with BlueSnap, you get access to all of these — they’re built into our Global Payment Orchestration Platform. You won’t have to search for additional gateways to find the options you need, plus our Payment Experts can offer guidance on the payment methods to choose. You’ll be able to easily meet all of your customers’ payment needs with a single connection to our platform.

A Comprehensive List of Global Payment Methods

International Debit & Credit Cards

Purchase volume for goods and services by Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, American Express, JCB, Discover and Diners Club is rapidly increasing around the world. Card usage varies significantly from one country to the next, with lower usage in Germany, Japan and Mexico, and higher usage in Australia, Korea, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

Card Name	Comments
Visa	In the category of international credit cards, Visa holds the primary market share of purchase volume in the Middle East and Africa, EU, UK and Latin America. It has 343 million cardholders worldwide.
Mastercard	Mastercard is the second-largest credit card network in the U.S. and processes transactions in more than 210 countries. It has 249 million cardholders worldwide.
American Express	Amex is one of the preferred payment methods in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia and Chile. It has 58 million cardholders worldwide with 53 million of them in the U.S. Amex is active in more than 130 countries and targets high-income cardholders.
Discover	Discover has 57 million cardholders worldwide. Along with Diners Club, Discover is one of Brazil‘s most popular payment methods.
Diners Club International	Diners Club International is accepted in more than 185 countries and is among the preferred payment methods in Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina.
JCB	JCB is an international payment brand based in Japan. There are more than 105 million JCB customers; the card is accepted in 190 countries.
UnionPay	UnionPay is a Chinese bank card that dominates China’s card market; about 90 million cards are issued in 48 countries and regions outside mainland China. It is also the second-largest international card brand in Pakistan.

Local Debit & Credit Cards

Name	Comments
CartaSi	The most frequently used credit card in Italy.
Dankort	The national debit and credit card and preferred means of payment in Denmark.
Carte Bleue	The leading debit card payment system in France (also known as Visa Debit).
Tarjeta Naranja, Nativa, Tarjeta Shopping, Cabal, Cencosud, Argencard	These are all payment cards local to Argentina.

Direct Debit

Name	Comments
SEPA Direct Debit	It is the preferred method of payment by 45% of European shoppers and has 500 million potential users.
ACH/ECP	The number of ACH transactions (a U.S.-specific payment method) increased by more than 1 billion in 2017 for the third year in a row.
Pre-Authorized Debit for Canada	A popular Canadian direct debit payment type.
BECS Direct Debit for Australia	A popular Australian direct debit payment method.

eWallets

eWallets are becoming a more popular global payment method. Consumers in many international markets are shifting away from credit/debit cards and toward eWallets and bank transfers.

Name	Comments
Alipay	Alipay is China’s version of the eWallet; 48% of Chinese shoppers use it. It accounted for over 55% of China’s third-party payment business in 2020.
Apply Pay	Apply Pay is the leading eWallet in the U.S. and Canada.
Click to Pay	Click to Pay is a unified digital payment type, jointly developed by Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Its adoption has been increasing over the last couple of years.
PayPal	237 million people have active PayPal accounts.
Google Pay	Google’s eWallet was formerly named Android Pay.
Payment Request API (W3C)	This payment tool allows eCommerce merchants to request any card-based payment on any supported web browser. The browser provides the user interface to accept it. (The browser has the shopper’s payment details stored already.)
Skrill	Skrill is an eWallet popular in the EU and UK but available for consumers in over 200 countries.

Real-Time Banking

Name	Comments
iDEAL	Popular in the Netherlands, where it has more than 50% of the market share.
Sofort	Popular real-time bank transfer payment method used in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Cash & Prepaid Vouchers

Name	Comments
Boleto Bancario	A critical payment type to capture Brazilian shoppers because it accounts for 25% of all online transactions in that country.
Paysafecard	Paysafecard is a popular prepaid card used throughout Europe and Scandinavia. More than 13 million people use Paysafecard around the world.

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)

BNPL is a payment method that gives customers the option to split a purchase into smaller payments that are automatically collected over a period of months. There are approximately 360 million BNPL users worldwide.

Crypto Payments

Cryptocurrency payments are often filtered through a broker who converts crypto into government-backed currencies.

If you have questions about any payment methods on this list or want to know more about how our Global Payment Orchestration Platform accelerates sales, talk to one of our Payments Experts today.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are alternative payment methods?

Alternative payment methods are payment methods that are used as an alternative to mainstream credit and debit cards. Some examples include direct debit, online banking methods such as SOFORT and GiroPay, and eWallets such as Apple Pay.

Which payment methods are available to my customers?

We offer over 100 currencies and over 100 payment types. Credit cards, mobile wallets, PayPal, e-Check/ACH, local bank transfer, and SEPA Direct Debit are just a few of the many payment types BlueSnap supports.

What is an eWallet?

An eWallet is a secure environment on an electronic or online platform that allows a shopper to store multiple payment cards and bank account numbers. This eliminates the need for shoppers to enter their account information multiple times when making a payment. Examples of eWallets are Apple Pay and Google Pay.

What are debit and credit card payments?

Debit and credit card payments are transfers of money via a card issued by a financial institution, typically a bank, that gives an individual access to their own funds or a line of credit. In cross-border payments, card transactions must consider where the card was issued, the FX fee, currency conversion fees, the potential that the card is being used for fraud and so on.

Can I accept pre-paid debit or gift cards?

We accept pre-paid Visa, Mastercard and American Express gift cards.

What is Buy Now, Pay Later?

Buy Now, Pay Later, or BNPL, allows customers to make a purchase and receive it immediately, but pay for it at a later time, often over a series of installments via a type of installment loan.

BlueSnap’s Ultimate List of Digital Payment Methods for Global Businesses