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If your gateway doesn’t do its job correctly, you can expect many of your customers to abandon your business and turn elsewhere. Worse yet, you may receive a few scathing reviews along the way, thus tarnishing your reputation. 

A good payment gateway must meet the needs of your business in terms of capabilities, convenience, fees, and security. Choosing the right gateway for your Magento store isn’t easy, however. It takes an in-depth understanding of your business needs to zero in on the right choice. 

That said, let’s delve into what you should consider when choosing a payment gateway for your Magento store. 

What to consider when choosing a Magento payment gateway 

1. Great customer experience

A good payment gateway should provide a smooth and enjoyable experience for your customers. The interface should be intuitive and should offer a streamlined checkout experience. 

Your gateway should also accept auto-fill and saved payment options for the convenience of your customers. Great customer experience can play a significant role in first-time buyers becoming repeat customers. 

2. Compatibility

Magento already comes equipped with numerous payment gateways right out of the box. Outside gateways, on the other hand, may require integration for it to work properly in your Magento store. Don’t make the mistake of choosing the first payment gateway that catches your eye without first checking its compatibility with your store. 

3. Choose a gateway capable of growing with your Magento store

Everyone starts small, but if you play your cards right and provide a quality product, your store will grow over time. As such, you must pick a payment gateway that can adapt to the growth of your business. 

Be mindful that Magento offers two editions – The Magento Community Edition, which is designed for smaller e-commerce stores, and The Magento Enterprise Edition, which is designed for larger operations.

When choosing a payment gateway, be on the lookout for options that accommodates all versions of Magento. That way, you can continue using the same gateway even if you switch to another edition. 

4. Security

With cybercrime on the rise, finding a payment gateway that has robust security features should be your top priority. Your customers need to feel safe when they land on your checkout page, or you’ll have a litany of abandoned carts on your hands. 

When looking for a payment gateway, take the time to examine the security features. What encryption are they using? Does the business have a good reputation? The more you know, the more informed you’ll be when deciding which payment gateway is best for your Magento store.

5. Global support

Sure, you may only run a smaller operation today and stick to domestic shipping, but there may come a point where you start serving a global customer base. When this occurs, you’ll need a payment gateway that can accommodate customers from around the globe. 

When searching for the right payment gateway option for your Magento store, look for an option that supports multiple countries, currencies, payment methods, and card networks. The more people you can accommodate, the faster you can grow.  

Most popular payment gateways for Magento stores 

Having trouble determining which gateway is the right choice for your Magento store? Here are a few of the most popular Magento payment gateways currently available. 

PayPal 

PayPal’s reputation speaks for itself. This payment gateway has become a household name due to its reliability, cutting-edge security, and numerous payment options. 

Customers have the option of paying directly from their PayPal account, credit or debit card, or PayPal credit. Additional features include a 3% transaction fee and no monthly fees. Additionally, PayPal supports numerous currencies, offers buyer protection, and is available in over 200 countries. 

Stripe 

Stripe is designed for businesses who need a quick and secure payment gateway to get their Magento store underway. Stripe accepts a range of payment options, including all major credit cards, Alipay, Android and Apple Pay, and Bitcoin, amongst others. 

Stripe also offers fantastic API documentation and excellent customer support. When it comes to monthly and transaction fees, Stripe provides the same rates as PayPal.

Braintree 

If you recognize Braintree, that may be because it’s a payment gateway owned by PayPal. Braintree offers support for both domestic and international businesses and offers six different payment options, including Venmo, Bitcoin, and Apple Pay. 

It should come as no surprise that Braintree comes with built-in PayPal integration. It also offers data storage and fraud protection. Just like PayPal, Braintree has a 3% transaction fee. However, it has a much smaller coverage. 

Authorize.net 

Authorize.net provides payment for e-commerce, e-check, phone payments, mobile card readers, mobile payment, and billing. Unlike other options on this list, Authorize.net requires a monthly subscription to use and requires 10 cents for transactions. 

This payment gateway also offers advanced fraud detection and secure customer data to ensure your data is protected after each transaction. 

2Checkout 

2Checkout is a popular payment gateway that has served over 50,000 merchants. 2Checkout accepts credit cards and PayPal payments. It also comes with CVV verification, over 300 fraud rules, and address verification. 

The rate per transaction for 2Checkout varies based on the location of your business. Magento stores that make more than $50,000 per month receive a high-volume discount. Businesses in the US are charged 2.9% in addition to .30 cents per transaction. 

Final thoughts 

There are numerous payment gateway options to consider for your Magento store. That said, there are no definite right or wrong answers. Consider the needs of your business and what you expect from a payment gateway before making your decision. 

At Polcode, our team of Magento experts is on standby to help you integrate the payment gateway best suited for your business. By relying on our expertise, you can rest assured your store is in good hands. Contact us today for more information.