Is changing payment gateway risky?

It is manageable. The new provider is tested end to end before it goes live, and the old one stays available until refunds on older orders are settled.

Can I add a custom payment gateway to Shopify?

Only providers approved as Shopify payment apps can be used, so on Shopify the work is choosing and configuring rather than building.

Do we need to worry about PCI compliance?

Much less when card data never touches your server. Hosted payment pages and hosted fields keep that with the provider.

What is 3-D Secure, and does it matter?

It is the extra check a customer’s bank asks for under Strong Customer Authentication rules. Every card flow must handle it, or payments fail at the last step.

Why do some orders stay pending?

Usually a webhook that never arrived or was never handled. The integration listens for every status change and reconciles anything left open.

Can you introduce us to a gateway?

I can talk through which providers suit your markets and volumes, but the contract and the rates are between you and them.

Adding or switching a payment gateway.

Payment gateway integration puts a new payment provider live in your store: Stripe, Adyen, PayPal and Braintree, Worldpay, Opayo, or Klarna and Clearpay for pay later. People change gateways for fees, for a payment method a new market expects, or to have a second provider ready when the first has an outage. The work is less about the code than about what happens around it: refunds, failed payments, 3-D Secure, and the order status matching what the provider actually did.

One provider or two

Switching safely, or adding a second

Switching

Replace it

The new provider is tested end to end on a sandbox before it goes live, and the old one stays available until refunds on older orders are settled.

Adding a second providerKeep bothA second gateway ready for when the first has an outage, or for the payment method a new market expects.Refunds and partial refunds reconcileFailed payments handled, not left hanging3-D Secure checks on every card flowOrder status matches what the provider did

Card data stays with the provider, through its hosted payment page or hosted fields, so that burden never sits on your server.

The providers, by name

Stripe, Adyen, PayPal, Worldpay, Opayo, Klarna and Clearpay

Which platform you are on decides how much of this is code. On Shopify, providers must be approved payment apps, so the work is choosing and configuring. On Magento, WooCommerce and custom builds, it is integration.

Jump to a section

Stripe
Adyen
PayPal and Braintree
Worldpay and Opayo
Klarna and Clearpay

Card payments and wallets

Stripe

Stripe handles cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and many local payment methods through one integration, with hosted fields or Stripe Checkout keeping card data off your server. Official modules exist for Magento and WooCommerce; on a custom site it is built with Stripe’s API and webhooks.

Enterprise payments

Adyen

Adyen suits larger and international merchants, with one contract for many countries and payment methods, and in-store payments on the same account. Its Magento and Shopify integrations are maintained by Adyen; custom work is in multi-store setups, marketplaces with split payments, and reconciling Adyen’s reports with the accounts.

Wallet and cards

PayPal and Braintree

PayPal is still expected by many shoppers, and Braintree, owned by PayPal, adds cards and wallets on one gateway. The usual work is making sure PayPal orders don’t sit as pending forever, and that refunds made in PayPal reach the store.

UK acquirers

Worldpay and Opayo

Worldpay and Opayo (formerly Sage Pay, now part of Elavon) are long-standing UK card acquirers. Stores often move to or from them for fees, so the job is a careful switch with both running until older orders are refunded or settled.

Pay later

Klarna and Clearpay

Buy now, pay later providers add a payment option at checkout and often on the product page. The integration covers the checkout flow, order capture on dispatch rather than at purchase where the provider requires it, and refunds that reach the provider.

Payment gateway questions

Is changing payment gateway risky?: It is manageable. The new provider is tested end to end before it goes live, and the old one stays available until refunds on older orders are settled.
Can I add a custom payment gateway to Shopify?: Only providers approved as Shopify payment apps can be used, so on Shopify the work is choosing and configuring rather than building.
Do we need to worry about PCI compliance?: Much less when card data never touches your server. Hosted payment pages and hosted fields keep that with the provider.
What is 3-D Secure, and does it matter?: It is the extra check a customer’s bank asks for under Strong Customer Authentication rules. Every card flow must handle it, or payments fail at the last step.
Why do some orders stay pending?: Usually a webhook that never arrived or was never handled. The integration listens for every status change and reconciles anything left open.
Can you introduce us to a gateway?: I can talk through which providers suit your markets and volumes, but the contract and the rates are between you and them.