Checkout is where momentum turns into money—or disappears. Shoppers abandon carts when they can’t pay the way they prefer, merchants struggle to pick the right setup for their markets, and country-by-country eligibility rules can make configuration feel risky. Getting your Shopify payment gateway right tackles all three: it reduces avoidable drop‑offs, clarifies how you’ll accept money in the regions you serve, and gives you room to grow without rebuilding checkout.
Payment Provider Landscape
If you’re evaluating providers that unify major cards, digital wallets, and regional payment methods through a single integration, Antom for Shopify is one option in supported regions. Many merchants also consider Stripe and Adyen for their broad card and wallet coverage, as well as their mature developer tooling. We’ll stay vendor‑neutral in this guide, using these names only for context while focusing on how to make sound, durable decisions for your store.
How payments plug into Shopify
What a Shopify payment gateway does
A gateway is the secure bridge between your checkout and a customer’s bank or wallet. On Shopify, you can:
- Use Shopify Payments (where available) for cards, accelerated checkout, and select local methods.
- Or connect a third‑party provider for credit/debit cards and additional methods in markets where you need them.
Either route can work. The best choice depends on where customers are, which methods they trust, and what your operations team can support.
Choosing payment methods to offer
Your north star is coverage: offer the fewest methods that satisfy the most buyers in your top countries. Start with cards, then layer in wallets or local bank options where they meaningfully lift completion rates.
Card networks
Cards are still the baseline in many markets. Confirm which brands your configuration supports (for example: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and regional networks in select countries), and make sure your authorization and capture settings match your fulfillment flow.
Digital wallets and local options
Digital wallets continue to rise with mobile commerce, and bank‑based methods (real‑time online banking, instant transfers, domestic schemes) can add trust in markets where cards aren’t dominant. Don’t enable everything by default—measure demand by market, then turn on the few that move the needle.
Quick comparison: where each method shines
| Method type | Where it resonates | Strengths | Watch‑outs |
| Cards | Global baseline | Familiar, widely accepted | Fees differ by market; dispute handling is required |
| Digital wallets | Mobile‑heavy, repeat buyers | Fast checkout; saved details | Eligibility/config steps vary |
| Local bank methods | Markets with strong domestic rails | High trust, often lower friction | Settlement timing and ops differ |
Setting up your Shopify payment gateway in practice
Installation & activation
Most configuration happens in Shopify Admin → Settings → Payments. There, you can activate Shopify Payments (if you’re eligible), enable accelerated checkout options such as Shop Pay, and add or switch a third‑party gateway. As you onboard, document the settings you modify (capture mode, payout schedule, and fraud rules) so your team can easily retrace their steps later.
Country/region eligibility checks
Before you commit, verify two things: (1) whether your store’s legal entity is in a country where Shopify Payments is offered, and (2) whether any products you sell are restricted. If Shopify Payments isn’t available or your business model needs a method it doesn’t support in your region, select a compatible third‑party provider for that country.
Optimizing checkout coverage
Match methods to the audience
Use analytics to see where traffic and revenue come from, and which devices dominate. Where mobile share is high, accelerated checkout can shorten steps for returning buyers; where a single local banking method is common, offering it can boost trust. Re‑run this analysis quarterly—the right mix changes as your customer geography changes.
Operational readiness
Payments touch finance and support as much as marketing. Make sure your team is ready for:
- Refunds and disputes: who handles them, in what tool, and within what SLA.
- Reconciliation: how payouts map to orders and which currencies you settle in.
- Risk tuning: how you balance friction (for example, step‑up authentication) with conversion.
Create a concise playbook to guide new staff through the process without ambiguity.
Selecting a Shopify payment gateway (decision checklist)
Method coverage & markets
- Does the provider cover the card brands and the high‑impact local methods your top countries expect?
- Can you add new methods without rebuilding checkout when you expand?
Admin availability & setup path
- Is installation available directly from Settings → Payments?
- Is testing documentation clear (sandbox credentials, test cards, success/fail cases)?
Risk, fees, and reporting
- Are 3D Secure and other risk controls configurable to your tolerance?
- Do you receive the payout cadence, currencies, and reports that meet your accounting needs?
Ongoing support
- Is technical support available in your operating hours and languages?
- Is there a status page and clear incident communication if anything degrades?
Maintaining and iterating on your Shopify payment gateway
Monitor fit over time
Track conversion by payment method, not just overall. When you add or remove a method, annotate the date and watch authorization rate, checkout duration, and support contacts for a full picture. Small tweaks (default method ordering, button placement, hiding low‑use options) can compound into meaningful gains.
Keep documentation handy
Bookmark the key help center articles you rely on (payments setup, accelerated checkout, third‑party gateways, and regional availability) and keep an internal runbook with: who owns which settings, where to find finance reports, and how to escalate issues.
Conclusion
There’s no single “best” configuration—there’s only the best fit for your buyers and your team. Start with a solid base of cards, add the wallets and local methods your audience actually uses, validate eligibility by country, and keep tuning as your customer mix changes. Do that, and your Shopify payment gateway becomes an enabler of growth rather than a source of friction.
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