Pakistan is emerging as one of the top countries in freelancing. But still, we lack credible payment gateways to send and receive money outside our country.
On the other hand, our country has a huge potential in the eCommerce industry but due to the lack of convenient payments in Pakistan, we are still behind the curve. Cash on delivery is the king. People are afraid to put their trust in online payment methods because they don’t trust the banks and fintech companies.
If we keep going at the same pace without a strong payment gateway then there’s no doubt in saying that we will struggle to explore our true potential in the future.
Thanks to the rise of fintech companies in Pakistan that are working to address this issue. Since a reliable payment gateway is the need of every eCommerce business, here we will help you explore the best payment gateways in Pakistan.
What is a Payment Gateway in Simple Terms?
A payment gateway connects sellers and buyers with a safe medium to make and receive payments. When it comes to defining payment gateways, many people confuse them with payment methods. However, both are two different things.
A payment gateway is a service for businesses to confirm their customer’s card details before making an online transaction. For example, if you go shopping and at the time of payment, you give your card to the merchant (seller). The seller will process your card information to cut that specific amount from your bank account. Now, the role of the payment gateway is to approve the transaction between seller and customer. And also to prevent any kind of fraudulent activity in between the transaction.
In the eCommerce industry, having a compatible payment gateway is the most important part. Now let’s talk about the top and reliable payment gateways.
Best Payment Gateways in Pakistan
1. Payoneer
Payoneer is one of the few platforms that’s helping Pakistani entrepreneurs, freelancers, and service providers to withdraw international payments in Pakistan. With its highest level of recognition, it’s one of the safest and secure options to integrate into your online business. It’s also a great alternative to Paypal in Pakistan and can allow managing payments like a local bank account. Enterprises like Google, Amazon and Airbnb also use Payoneer. It offers huge support in more than 200 countries and provides conversion to 150 local currencies. The only drawback is that the annual service fees can cost you up to $30.
2. 2CheckOut
Like Payoneer, 2CheckOut is also one of the best alternatives for PayPal. It’s also one of the few international payment gateways in Pakistan. It can help you receive payments from more than 200 countries. If you sell online, you can sign up for free on its website. In addition, it doesn’t charge monthly fees and that makes it a better option as compared to other payment gateways in Pakistan. It offers integration in WooCommerce, Prestashop, Shopify, and OpenCart. Most recommended for doing online business worldwide!
3. SafePay
SafePay aims to supercharge digital payments in Pakistan. They are working since 2019 to simplify payments for entrepreneurs, freelancers, organizations, and non-profits. It lets you receive local and international payments from bank accounts, cards, mobile wallets, cash, and cheque. With its comprehensive payment integration solutions, you can also use it for your eCommerce store. Also, it’s a recommended solution for Woocommerce payment gateways in Pakistan. They charge 3.3%+Rs.30 on each transaction but provided their services, the charges are worth it. Apart from it, there are no hidden charges.
4. Foree
Foree is a payment app and a payment gateway that offers simple, fast, and secure solutions for SMEs, large businesses, charities, schools, and more. It supports payment integration with Woocommerce, Opencart, Magento, and Prestashop and allows accepting payments from debit/credit card, net banking, wallets, over-the-counter, and more. The best thing about Foree is that it’s the only local payment gateway in Pakistan that can help you receive international payments to your local bank account. The process might take longer than expected but this service will help entrepreneurs scale their startups and businesses globally.
5. HBL
HBL payment gateway allows you to accept payments through Visa/MasterCard/ UnionPayCredit and Debit cards. It’s a PCI DSS certified payment gateway and also easy to integrate on eCommerce websites. It’s the first local bank to launch a payment gateway but the range of solutions it provides for companies makes it acceptable for SMEs, freelancers, and organizations. The only con is that they take a long time to integrate it on your platform and the support sometimes might not be up to the mark.
6. Alfa Payment Gateway
Alfa Payment Gateway by Bank Alfalah is another valuable addition to the list. It was launched recently to move money anywhere in Pakistan with a secure and smart solution. It has no setup cost or annual fees and allows you to receive payments from all debit/credit cards. Also, it charges the lowest rates per transaction i.e. only 3% on payments via debit/credit cards. For merchants, it offers integrations via plugins for WooCommerce, Magento, Opencart, and Shopify. API and redirection tools are also available for eCommerce businesses.
7. JazzCash
JazzCash is one of the safest and secure online payment gateways in Pakistan. It offers convenient solutions for your website and app. Using JazzCash you can collect payment through debit/credit card, mobile account, voucher, and direct debit. If you’re looking for integration into your eCommerce store, JazzCash payment gateway offers plugins for WordPress, WooCommerce, Zencart, Prestashop, Magento, and Opencart. The best thing about JazzCash is that it doesn’t charge any extra amount on digital transactions. And that makes it a secure and safe payment gateway for entrepreneurs, and freelancers.
8. EasyPaisa
Similar to JazzCash, EasyPaisa is also the leading payment gateway in Pakistan. It was started in 2009 as the first mobile payments service in Pakistan. Within years, it has transformed the digital financial ecosystem with its convenient features. With it, you can accept payments from credit/debit cards, Easypaisa mobile accounts, and EasyPaisa retailers. As a merchant, you can also signup on EasyPaisa to integrate it into your online business. The best thing is that it offers a low transaction fee from merchants i.e. 2-3% only. But it requires a lot of paperwork to initiate the process. It’s not an excellent gateway but works fine if you’re looking for a cheap solution for your online business.
9. Sadapay
Sadapay is the most talked-about financial company in Pakistan. Although it’s still in its Beta phase their solutions look promising for Pakistani freelancers and entrepreneurs. Once it’s launched, it will allow you to accept international payments from 45 countries around the world. Whether you have your money in Western Union, Upwork, Fiverr, Skrill or on any other platform, it will be easy to withdraw it using SadaPay. Also, you can run your online business worldwide with the ease of payments through SadaPay.
Read also: [What’s Sadapay]
10. Nayapay
Similar to SadaPay, NayaPay also looks exciting that will transform the digital payment solutions in Pakistan. With it, you can accept payments through local and international debit/credit cards with a minimum transaction fee. Plus, it will also be easy to integrate your app or website with Nayapay. For businesses, they have a specific service NayaPayArc through which entrepreneurs can establish their digital presence with outstanding benefits and features.
I prefer books and diaries more than phones and Facebook. Soulfully connected to Pakistan. And I passionately believe that I can change the world through blogging.
