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Shopify Payments

Shopify Payments gives UK ecommerce businesses a builtin way to accept card payments, reducing costs and streamlining the customer journey.

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shopify payments

What Is Shopify Payments?

Shopify Payments is the native payment gateway built into the Shopify ecommerce platform. Available to UK merchants, it enables businesses to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, and Google Pay without needing to integrate a third party provider like Stripe or PayPal.

Developed by Shopify and powered behind the scenes by Stripe, Shopify Payments offers a seamless, one dashboard experience. It automatically integrates with your store's checkout, orders, and reports, eliminating the need to juggle multiple tools.

What makes Shopify Payments particularly attractive is its pricing model: when you use it as your primary payment method, Shopify waives additional transaction fees that would otherwise apply if using an external gateway. It also supports subscriptions, recurring payments, and multicurrency checkout, all while keeping the UX fast, mobile optimised, and fully branded.

For UK retailers focused on growth, ease of use, and minimising friction in the sales process, Shopify Payments provides a strong balance of simplicity, security, and control. It’s ideal for businesses that want fewer moving parts and more focus on conversion.

Key Features of Shopify Payments

  • Integrated checkout experience
    Shopify Payments is fully embedded in your Shopify store, letting you manage transactions, refunds, and chargebacks directly within the admin dashboard. This removes the need to log into external platforms and keeps operations streamlined.
  • No extra transaction fees
    When you use Shopify Payments, Shopify waives the standard 1–2% transaction fee normally added to third party gateway usage. This can significantly reduce your blended processing costs.
  • Fast payouts to UK banks
    Get paid quickly, most merchants receive payouts within 3–5 working days. With higher tier plans or consistent volume, payouts may arrive even faster.
  • Supports major payment methods
    Accept all popular cards and wallets, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more. This ensures your customers can pay how they want, boosting conversion.
  • Subscription billing and multicurrency
    Easily support repeat billing models using native subscription apps or third party integrations. You can also display and accept payments in over 130 currencies.
  • PCI compliant with builtin fraud tools
    Shopify Payments includes PCI DSS Level 1 compliance, 3D Secure, AVS checks, and realtime fraud detection, helping you reduce chargebacks and stay protected.
  • Chargeback and refund handling
    Manage refunds and dispute resolution entirely from within Shopify. Track chargeback progress and submit evidence without leaving your admin.
  • Supports local payment methods
    Expand internationally with region specific payment options like Klarna, iDEAL, and Bancontact, helping you win customers in their preferred formats.

Who Is Shopify Payments Best For?

Shopify Payments is perfect for:

  • Small to mid sized UK ecommerce stores using Shopify
  • Subscription based or DTC brands
  • Multichannel sellers wanting clean dashboard reporting
  • International sellers looking for multi currency checkout
  • Retailers focused on conversion optimisation

It’s less suited to:

  • Non Shopify users (not available outside the platform)
  • High risk industries or regulated sectors
  • Merchants needing highly customised payment flows outside Shopify

Shopify Payments Pricing Explained

Shopify Payments is included with your Shopify subscription, there's no setup fee, and you only pay the card processing rates. These vary slightly depending on your Shopify plan tier (Basic, Shopify, or Advanced).

  • Card fees: Typically range from 1.5% to 2.2% + 25p depending on the card type and your Shopify plan.
  • No transaction fees: Shopify waives its extra platform fee if you use Shopify Payments.
  • Chargebacks: £10–15 fee per dispute, refunded if you win.

While it may not be the absolute lowest-cost processor on high volumes, Shopify Payments is cost-effective once you factor in the platform fee savings and simplified admin. Compare Card Fees can help you assess the true cost relative to external gateways like Stripe or PayPal.

Pros and Cons of Shopify Payments

PROS

Builtin to the world’s most popular ecommerce platform

No additional gateway integration needed

Competitive pricing with no transaction fee markup

Strong fraud tools and mobile ready checkout

Great for scaling ecommerce brands

Cons

Only available to Shopify users

Limited flexibility compared to external gateways

Dispute resolution is handled within Shopify’s rules

FAQs About Shopify Payments

Can I use Shopify Payments with any Shopify plan?

Yes. Shopify Payments is available to UK merchants on any Shopify plan, including Basic. Processing fees are lowest on the higher plans.

Is Shopify Payments powered by Stripe?

Yes. Shopify Payments uses Stripe infrastructure under the hood but offers a fully branded and integrated Shopify experience.

Do I need a separate merchant account?

No. Shopify Payments includes everything you need to accept and settle payments. Funds go directly to your linked bank account.

How fast are payouts in the UK?

Typically within 3–5 business days. Higher tier plans or stable accounts may receive payouts faster.

Does Shopify Payments support subscriptions?

Yes, using Shopify’s native or third party subscription apps, you can take recurring payments through Shopify Payments.

Can I take international payments?

Yes, you can accept payments in multiple currencies and display prices in the buyer’s local currency.

What happens if I use a different gateway like PayPal?

You can still use others, but Shopify will charge a 1–2% transaction fee unless Shopify Payments is your default.

Does Shopify Payments work with Klarna or BNPL?

Yes, local payment methods including Klarna can be activated from within the Shopify Payments settings.

Is Shopify Payments PCI compliant?

Yes. Shopify Payments is PCI DSS compliant and includes 3D Secure, AVS, and fraud prevention built in.

Can Compare Card Fees help evaluate Shopify Payments?

Definitely, we’ll help you calculate total costs and compare Shopify Payments with Stripe, PayPal, and third party gateways based on your volume and growth plans.

Should You Use Shopify Payments?

For UK businesses running their store on Shopify, using Shopify Payments is often the most efficient and cost effective option. It eliminates the need for third party gateways, keeps all your payments and orders in one place, and rewards you with lower total costs by removing extra transaction fees.

It’s built for ecommerce businesses that want minimal setup, strong security, and a fast checkout experience that helps maximise conversion rates. With support for subscriptions, multi-currency, and local payment methods, it’s a modern solution for growing online brands.

At Compare Card Fees, we work with ecommerce brands every day to optimise their payment stack. Whether you’re new to Shopify or scaling up your existing store, we’ll help you understand whether Shopify Payments meets your needs or whether layering other tools could improve flexibility, costs, or functionality.

To explore your options, get in touch with our team for personalised advice and hands on help comparing providers.

Still exploring options? Compare UK payment providers here to find the best fit for your business.

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