Hundreds of cryptocurrency payment gateways are available to keep up with the ever-changing cryptocurrency industry. Choosing a secure and reliable payment gateway for your business is essential.
Check out this list to find the best crypto payment gateways for you.
What To Look For In a Cryptocurrency Payment Gateway
Payment gateways for cryptocurrency can be pretty extraneous. These systems are designed for peer-to-peer transactions. To be worth it, cryptocurrency gateways must offer merchants something they cannot get from a wallet-to-wallet trade.
These are the features that you should be looking for in a cryptocurrency payment portal:
Integration
You and customers will likely make crypto payments if the experience is pleasant. It is crucial to seamlessly move from your shopping cart to a cryptocurrency payment window without navigating through complicated interfaces. Choose a gateway that works well with your existing processing.
Volatility Shielding
Except for stablecoins, cryptocurrencies are far more volatile than fiat currencies. You might get a different price one minute than you quoted the next. Some payment gateways offer a price stabilization feature. This guarantees that you will receive the amount you quoted when you sell. This feature is not necessary for every business, but it can help make your life easier.
Support For Multiple Currency Use
Although most crypto gateways accept Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin as payment, those are only a tiny percentage of all cryptocurrencies. And, aside from Bitcoin, they’re not necessarily the most widely used. Accepting more coins isn’t expensive, so it might be worth offering your customers other options.
Flexible Settlement Options
Crypto transactions are all about trading. You will get the most out of your crypto transactions if you can receive payment in any currency (including cash) without hassle. This convenience should not be paid at a high price.
You’ll also want to make sure you can settle in the fiat currency you choose.
Custodial Options
Some payment gateways allow you to choose between non-custodial and custodial accounts. Think about how much exposure to crypto you would like. Are you looking to build your coins? Do you want to sell them in cash? Custodial accounts can be helpful for you to minimize contact with crypto and still allow you to receive payments. A non-custodial account is best if you want to ensure you have the coins you are paid for.
Typical Gates Features
Although cryptocurrency payment portals are not yet payment gateways, you might as well pick one that offers perks. These features include invoicing, mass payments, and accounting functions.
Cost
A cryptocurrency payment gateway typically charges a transaction fee of around 1%. Payouts and cash conversions can be subject to additional fees by payment gateways. Keep in mind network fees, which are outside the control of the payment gateway and are not paid by the gateway provider.
Reputation
Cryptocurrency is one of the most high-contrast areas in existence. It’s full of both bright-eyed dreamers and hard-core scammers. You are also not protected by many regulations if things go wrong. Therefore, it is crucial to research and choose the right crypto payment gateway.
6 Things to Be Aware Of With Crypto Payment System
The potential uses of cryptocurrency payment processing are many. It’s also a wild market, with a “move fast and break things” philosophy.
Before you accept crypto payments, here are some things to remember.
Volatility
Its volatility makes it appealing to traders. This allows savvy investors to make incredible gains in a short time. However, you can’t use it as currency.
What is the average price you charge for a cup of coffee? Assuming that your coffee is priced at around $3 per cup, in July 2021, you could have charged about 0.1. However, the 0.1 $SOL now represents $60. This is a lot of coffee. Although you might have looked like a bandit at the sale, the price action could swing the other direction, leaving you with crypto worth less than the service or product you traded for. You can make huge gains or suffer severe losses by cashing out when it’s right.
You will need to be able to update prices in real-time if you accept cryptocurrency payments. A gateway that protects you from risk is also necessary.
Tax Headaches
Although Congress seems more interested in passing crypto tax guidance, it is an issue. Is crypto an asset or security? Is crypto security? Is your tax preparer familiar with crypto?
Crypto taxes are currently operating in a cloudy area with prominent taxable events such as:
- Selling crypto as normal currency (the community refers to it as ‘fiat’).
- One cryptocurrency can be traded for another
- You can trade cryptocurrency for goods or services
It is unclear how the IRS will eventually handle technology-specific issues like mining and staking. The IRS currently considers mining a taxable event, and you will be responsible for paying a portion of the coin’s market value at the time it was created. This works well for Bitcoin mining but is a nightmare for staking, where coins can be created hundreds of times per year. This topic is still evolving.
Records
Blockchains are public ledgers. This means there is a record of all transactions on most blockchains (privacy coins not included). However, this information will not be as easy to access as your monthly credit card sales.
You’ll need to keep track of crypto payments processed through your payment gateway, crypto wallet, or manually updated records. This is both for tax and investment purposes.
Finality
Crypto transactions are irreversible and final. There is no way to pay chargebacks or disputes. Although this may sound great from a merchant’s perspective, it does mean that you will need to deal with refund requests personally.
You should think about what policy you will have to handle refund requests.
Network Fees
The cost of transactions on the network can also fluctuate as cryptocurrency’s value can change wildly. This is due to congestion. Network fees increase when there’s lots of activity. High transaction fees have made Bitcoin and Ethereum infamous. These fees averaged around $3.33 and $5.04 when writing this. However, these averages rose to $62 and $71 earlier this year.
Customers may be less interested in paying crypto due to high transaction fees. However, not all chains have high fees. Many chains have significantly lower fees than those you pay for credit card processing and ACH payments. This is especially true for transactions of high value. Cardano charges 0.16 ADA per transaction. This is approximately $0.40.
The payer usually pays transaction fees at the time of the transaction and in the currency being transacted. There is an exception for “second layer” currencies built on top of a different blockchain’s infrastructure. At the moment, it is Ethereum. In this case, the fee might have to be paid using the base layer’s currency.
Security And Stability
Blockchains are constantly concerned about security. Each network has its security solution, and different consensus methods are used to ensure everyone is honest. However, 51% of attacks can be dangerous for smaller networks. This is when an individual, or a group of people, controls more than 51% of a network’s mining (or validators/staking pool in the case of proof of stake networks).
Sometimes, networks can be shut down due to overload or bugs. This was the case for Solana in September 2021.
You should also be familiar with custody issues. Make sure that you or someone trusted has the keys to your crypto.
The Best Crypto Payment Gateways
CoinPayments
CoinPayments has been the most well-known cryptocurrency payment gateway since 2013. More than 1480+ cryptocurrencies can be accepted, including Bitcoin, Monero, and Ethereum. CoinPayments offers multiple pre-made shopping cart plug-ins you can use to build your merchant store. These plug-ins can be coded to make them your own.
Update: Coinpayments require KYC to process payments from the USA. This is not a good idea for businesses. You should use coinbase commerce if you’re from the USA and want to accept crypto payments.
These plug-ins most often support the following stores
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Magento
- Opencart
- OsCommerce
- WP eCommerce
- Easy Digital downloads
- Plug-in for business directory (WordPress).
CoinPayments provides a multi-cryptocurrency wallet that ensures that all currencies received are safe. You can also convert it to a stable currency if you wish to avoid market volatility.
Binance Pay
Binance Merchant by Binance Pay is the latest addition to the popular Binance Exchange. This feature is unavailable for USA, UK, or Singapore users. To accept payments on your e-commerce site, you can use the Binance pay service if you’re from another country.
Binance Pay can only be paid by users who are Binance residents. Using Binance Pay, users can’t pay with their private wallets. This is a significant limitation you need to be aware of.
The system is in closed beta at the time of writing, but you can get an account by sending an email to support at [email protected] Binance Pay can be used for peer-to-peer and merchant-based transactions.
Binance Pay’s Merchant APIs enable online and in-person payments to be processed using QR codes. This will give your customers an easy payment experience.
BitPay
BitPay, a prominent US-based Bitcoin payment processor, has been around since the dawn of Bitcoin (2011).
BitPay allows you to accept Bitcoin payments for more than 40 integrations into popular e-commerce platforms or point-of-sale systems. You can also convert it into 8 fiat currencies to make bank deposits in more than 38 countries.
Coinbase Commerce
Bitcoin Exchange is the largest Bitcoin exchange in the world. You can use Coinbase to trade Bitcoin and accept payments for your business.
Coinbase offers a merchant app that allows you to accept Bitcoin payments and convert them instantly into fiat. This will help you avoid price volatility. Many options are available to both online and offline businesses that want to accept Bitcoin through Coinbase merchant solutions.
Coinbase is the largest Bitcoin exchange in the United States and the most prominent cryptocurrency global exchange. Coinbase can offer many unique features that will make your life easier with such a large user base.
The company is in the United States and must adhere to all U.S currency exchange laws. It is, therefore, one of the most trusted exchanges. This is important considering that the cryptocurrency market is still largely unregulated.
Coinbase can also be used to make payments. You can instantly convert Bitcoin to fiat currency without asking the merchant for a withdrawal request. This service is free for up to $1 million in transactions; after that, Coinbase charges a merchant fee of 1%.
The payment will be processed and sent to the merchant’s account within 2 to 3 business days. This makes it an excellent option for small businesses. Coinbase has a few limitations.
NOWPayments
NOWPayments is the best option if you are looking for a gateway to reduce transaction costs for your business. It’s ideal for those who want to settle in one cryptocurrency.
Additional fees will apply for settlements in other currencies via NOWPayments. The platform provides an API and a variety of plug-ins that can be used to integrate it with the top eCommerce brands such as Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce.
This gateway solution is non-custodial, easy to use, and supports over 100 cryptocurrencies. It also converts cryptocurrencies into fiat currency. There are many supported currencies and tokens, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple, as well as Litecoin and Dogecoin.
CoinGate
Coingate is a very user-friendly app merchants can use to create and track payments from their smartphones. This crypto payment gateway also supports 40 other currencies, so merchants can dramatically increase the variety of payment options they offer by using Coingate.
Coingate also offers a variety of plug-ins that allow you to create bitcoin payment buttons on your website. All transactions are subject to a 1% charge by Coingate and usually take around an hour.
Blockchain.info
Blockchain.info is one of the most established Bitcoin wallet players within the crypto world. They offer Bitcoin payment APIs to individuals and businesses. They do not yet have ready-to-use plug-ins. They are a trusted solution for merchants.
You can easily integrate their payment processor with a basic knowledge of programming languages. This will also give you free access to their Bitcoin wallet.
GoURL
GoURL is an excellent solution if you’re looking for a way to accept Bitcoin from a business that doesn’t have an account. GoURL is compatible with all significant bitcoin wallets. It can also be used with bitcoin debit cards like the one offered at BitPay. It offers high levels of anonymity which is attractive to many bitcoin users.
Its WordPress plug is well-respected, which has helped it to be rated one of the top payment gateway plug-ins on that platform. Clear payment breakdowns make it easy to manage orders on the GoURL platform. The payment is received 30 seconds after the transaction and is highly reliable. Monetize Online allows merchants to set up 1-click payments on their websites.
Unfortunately, GoURL is not a good choice for payment gateways. First, GoURL doesn’t allow direct bank transfers. This is a problem for many businesses. The fees are higher than the other payment gateways listed. GoURL charges a 1.5% processing fee for all transactions made via a website and 3.5% to use Monetiser Online. These prices are comparable to credit card fees businesses have to pay, so merchants will unlikely choose GoURL to save money.
SpicePay
SpicePay’s distinctive selling point is its ability to allow merchants to withdraw bitcoin payments via PayPal or debit cards, in addition to the regular bank transfer. Depending on the merchant’s preference, withdrawals can be made in USD or Euro.
Euro payments take longer than other exchanges and can take up to 24 hours. SpicePay charges a flat fee of 1% for all transactions. However, new merchants receive free transactions for a short time.
SpicePay is not my first choice for a payment gateway. It lacks many of the valuable features found in other options. If your business depends heavily on PayPal, it’s worth considering.
You get the following benefits by accepting Bitcoin as a payment method:
- You can get a trusted alternative payment method for your business that is available 24 hours a day throughout the year.
- Cross-border payments can be received, which can be tracked in real-time.
- You can reach a global customer base for your business.
- Your business will make more profit, pay fewer transaction fees and credit/debit card chargebacks and is less vulnerable to fraud.
- You also have the option to invest in Bitcoins on bullish crypto markets. This could be an excellent opportunity for your business long-term.
- Lastly, your business has the freedom to “Be Your Own Bank” (BYOB).
