How to Accept International Payments? 3 Mistakes I Made

It was a customer from the UK — super excited, had even tagged us in a post. But guess what? Their card kept getting declined, and I had no idea why. I mean, I was using PayPal and Stripe — wasn’t that enough?

Nope. That one failed sale led me down a rabbit hole of figuring out how to accept international payments without making it a hassle for my customers or myself.

Why International Payments Matter More Than You Think?

Look, we live in a global world now. Your product might be made in a garage in Ohio, but your biggest fans could be in Brazil or Singapore. If you’re only set up for local transactions, you’re leaving a ton of money on the table.

Once I fixed my payment system, I saw about a 22% bump in monthly revenue just from international orders. That’s not pocket change — that’s rent.

Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To)

Let’s start with what not to do:

1. Relying on Just One Payment Processor

I thought Stripe alone had me covered. Turns out, it doesn’t support every country or every card type. Some of my customers couldn’t even complete checkout. I wish I had read up earlier on using Stripe for payment processing — would’ve saved me a lot of headaches.

2. Forgetting About Currency Conversion

One guy from Canada messaged me asking why my site said $59 but his statement showed $81. Oops. Always show local currencies when you can — or at least clarify the charges.

3. Not Offering Alternative Payment Options

Not everyone uses credit cards. Folks in Germany prefer bank transfers. Indonesians love e-wallets. And let’s not even talk about China — they live on Alipay and WeChat Pay. I learned the hard way that offering multiple payment options at checkout isn’t optional anymore — it’s necessary.

What Finally Worked for Me?

After a ton of trial and error, here’s how I finally set up a system that just works:

Use Multiple Payment Gateways

I now use Stripe + PayPal + Wise (formerly TransferWise). Between those three, I can handle credit cards, bank transfers, and cross-border payments from over 50 countries. Bonus: Wise has way lower fees than PayPal.

Add a Currency Converter to My Site

This was a game-changer. I use a Shopify plugin that auto-detects the visitor’s location and shows prices in their local currency. Way less cart abandonment now.

Offer Local Payment Methods (When Possible)

Some platforms let you turn on country-specific options. For example, Stripe supports Bancontact in Belgium, iDEAL in the Netherlands, and so on. Enabling those made a difference — customers feel like you’re local, even if you’re not.

Automate Tax and Compliance Stuff

I use a tool called Quaderno to handle VAT and international tax rules. No more stressing over legal stuff or surprise emails from customs offices.

Hidden Costs and How to Avoid Them?

Let’s talk fees, because man — those add up quick. PayPal takes a nice little chunk for currency conversion and cross-border payments. Stripe’s not much better. Wise is usually cheaper for large transfers, but slower.

Here’s what I do now:

• Compare fees for every platform

• Bake those fees into my pricing for international customers

• Offer free digital downloads or lightweight shipping to cut customs delays

Also — always check if your checkout page mentions additional international fees. A confused customer is a lost sale. For better peace of mind, I followed these best payment processing practices for high-ticket items — and it helped me scale with fewer surprises.

Communication Is Everything

One of the best things I did? Add a little FAQ section about international payments to my website. Just a few simple questions:

• Do you ship internationally?

• What payment methods do you accept?

• Will I pay in my local currency?

People love clarity. And if you’re transparent about what they can expect, they’ll trust you more.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Global, and Honest

Accepting international payments doesn’t have to be a tech nightmare. Yeah, it took me a few weeks to get everything ironed out — but now? Orders come in from Australia, Germany, even South Africa, and they go through without a hitch.

Just remember: not everyone shops the same way. The more you adapt to their world, the more likely they are to hit “buy now.”

So if you’re still only selling local? It might be time to think bigger. Because the world is literally waiting.