Last editedJun 20232 min read
If you run your online store on WordPress then you’re probably already familiar with WooCommerce, but it’s one thing to have a successful online store, and another to have successful payments. Make sure you’re using the best WordPress payment gateway so your business’s finances as well as your customer journeys are as smooth as possible.
What is a payment gateway?
A payment gateway allows you to process payments from your customers in a secure way. It’s important to use a trustworthy WooCommerce payment gateway so you can ensure adherence with any laws concerning compliance, as well as increasing your brand’s trustworthiness (no one wants to use a payment method they’ve never come across before).
Payment gateways can be completely contained within your site (direct) or will take customers to a separate site to take payment (indirect). Both are perfectly suitable for taking secure payments. Some customers may feel more confident if they’re directed to a dedicated payment page from a known name.
What is an SSL certificate?
In order to use a direct gateway, you will need an SSL certificate. This adds an ‘s’ to your http address, and a padlock will also appear in the address bar to reflect the site’s security. Most modern customers are savvy enough to know that they should not shop on sites that don’t have this in place.
Many of the leading WordPress hosting companies will offer a free SSL certificate built into their hosting plans, but if not, you can purchase one separately.
Before you get started
Before you pick a WordPress payment gateway, you’ll want to look into your site analytics. This will let you know where your customers are based, so you can pick a gateway that covers their area. For example, you may be based in Australia, leading you to pick a local WooCommerce payment gateway. However, it turns out that your main customer base is actually in the USA, making the first payment gateway you’ve paid for and installed completely useless.
Doing business in the USA? Click here to read about the top payment gateways in the US
Best WooCommerce payment gateways
So, onto the real question – what is the best payment gateway for WooCommerce? Of course, we have to say GoCardless. Our WooCommerce payment gateway is easy to set up and – to ensure total security – requires an SSL certificate to work. You will also need a GoCardless account, which you can create in minutes. Plus, there’s no long application process or set-up fee.
Using our gateway, you can take payments from customers in a wide range of locations:
Australia (AU)
New Zealand (NZ)
Austria (AT)
Belgium (BE)
Bulgaria (BG)
Switzerland (CH)
Cyprus (CY)
Czech Republic (CZ)
Denmark (DK)
Estonia (EE)
Finland (FI)
France (FR)
Germany (DE)
United Kingdom (GB)
Greece (GR)
Croatia (HR)
Hungary (HU)
Ireland (IE)
Iceland (IS)
Italy (IT)
Liechtenstein (LI)
Latvia (LV)
Lithuania (LT)
Luxembourg (LU)
Malta (MT)
Monaco (MC)
Netherlands (NL)
Norway (NO)
Poland (PL)
Portugal (PT)
Romania (RO)
Sweden (SE)
San Marino (SM)
Slovakia (SK)
Slovenia (SI)
Spain (ES)
Furthermore, merchants from the below countries can use GoCardless to collect customer payments:
Austria
Australia
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom
Pricing is transparent - see full details here.
WooCommerce payment options
The GoCardless WooCommerce integration takes payment by Direct Debit. Be aware Direct Debits are not instantly processed, so the payment may not be completed for 3-4 days. In addition, the integration saves transaction IDs for future reference, while we also have extra plugins for businesses that work on a subscription model or offer pre-orders.
We can help
GoCardless helps you automate payment collection, cutting down on the amount of admin your team needs to deal with when chasing invoices. Find out how GoCardless can help you with ad hoc payments or recurring payments.
