The Best International Payment Processors For Selling Across Borders
Many payment services specialize in specific types of business, so find one that matches your risk profile and operates in the markets you're hoping to break into.
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WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Senior Staff Writer
Last updated onUpdated
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REVIEWED BY
Senior Staff Writer
Advertiser Disclosure: Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity.
Selling across borders can expand your business’s market exponentially, but if you want to be able to take a payment from thousands of miles away, you’re going to need an international payment processor.
Below, we’ll take a look at how international payment processing works and some of the best options for international merchant accounts.
Learn More About Our Top Picks
| Company | Best For | Next StepsBest For |
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PaymentCloud
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Stripe Payments
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Helcim
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Corepay
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Durango Merchant Services
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2Checkout
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Authorize.Net
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PayPal
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Adyen
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GoCardless
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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.
Table of Contents [hide][show]
- What Is An International Merchant Account?
- The 10 Best International Merchant Services Companies
- PaymentCloud: Best for high-risk eCommerce businesses
- Stripe Payments: Best for handling multiple currencies
- Helcim: Best for interchange-plus pricing with no monthly fee
- Corepay: Best for mail order accounts
- Durango Merchant Services: Best for international high-risk merchants
- 2Checkout: Best for eCommerce Tools
- Authorize.Net: Best standalone payment gateway for international sales
- PayPal: Best for raw international reach
- Adyen: Best for large international businesses
- GoCardless: Best for recurring bank-based payments
- Understanding International Payment Methods
- Why You Need A Great International Payment Gateway
- 10 Concerns For International Credit Card Processing
- How To Choose The Best International Payment Processing For Your Business
Table of Contents
- What Is An International Merchant Account?
- The 10 Best International Merchant Services Companies
- Comparison Of The Best International Payment Processors
- PaymentCloud: Best for high-risk eCommerce businesses
- PaymentCloud
- PaymentCloud Features
- PaymentCloud Pricing
- Stripe Payments: Best for handling multiple currencies
- Stripe Payments
- Stripe Features
- Stripe Pricing
- Helcim: Best for interchange-plus pricing with no monthly fee
- Helcim
- Helcim Features
- Helcim Pricing
- Corepay: Best for mail order accounts
- Corepay
- Corepay Features
- Corepay Pricing
- Durango Merchant Services: Best for international high-risk merchants
- Durango Merchant Services
- Durango Merchant Services Features
- Durango Merchant Services Pricing
- 2Checkout: Best for eCommerce Tools
- 2Checkout
- 2Checkout Features
- 2Checkout Pricing
- Authorize.Net: Best standalone payment gateway for international sales
- Authorize.Net
- Authorize.Net Features
- Authorize.Net Pricing
- PayPal: Best for raw international reach
- PayPal
- PayPal/Braintree Features
- PayPal/Braintree Pricing
- Adyen: Best for large international businesses
- Adyen
- Adyen Features
- Adyen Pricing
- GoCardless: Best for recurring bank-based payments
- GoCardless Features
- GoCardless Pricing
- Payment Processing Rating Methodology
- Understanding International Payment Methods
- Why You Need A Great International Payment Gateway
- 10 Concerns For International Credit Card Processing
- How To Choose The Best International Payment Processing For Your Business
What Is An International Merchant Account?
An international merchant account allows a business to accept and process payments online using the local currencies of customers living in other countries worldwide.
For example, if you’re an American merchant selling to a British customer, an international merchant account would allow you to accept payment in pounds sterling in addition to US dollars. Depending on the gateway, it may convert the foreign currency for you or route it to a bank account specifically set up for that currency.
International Merchant Accounts As High-Risk Accounts
Businesses in high-risk industries sometimes seek international merchant accounts if their industry isn’t well-served by domestic merchant services. This is out of the scope of this particular article, but you can find what you’re looking for in our best offshore merchant account providers feature.
The 10 Best International Merchant Services Companies
Here are the best international merchant services that provide international payment processing, international payment gateways, and international merchant accounts for a variety of circumstances. Our selection criteria evaluate cost, transparency, contract requirements, and features:
- PaymentCloud: Best for high-risk eCommerce businesses
- Stripe Payments: Best for handling multiple currencies
- Helcim: Best for interchange-plus pricing with no monthly fee
- Corepay: Best for mail order accounts
- Durango Merchant Services: Best for international high-risk merchants
- 2Checkout: Best for eCommerce Tools
- Authorize.Net: Best standalone payment gateway for international sales
- PayPal: Best for raw international reach
- Adyen: Best for large international businesses
- GoCardless: Best for recurring bank-based payments
Comparison Of The Best International Payment Processors
| Company | Account Type | Monthly Fee | Processing Rate Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| PaymentCloud | Merchant Account | Varies | Varies |
| Stripe | Aggregated Account | $0 | Flat-Rate |
| Helcim | Merchant Account | $0 | Interchange-Plus |
| Corepay | Merchant Account | Varies | Varies |
| Durango Merchant Services | Merchant Account | Varies | Varies |
| 2Checkout | Aggregated Account | $0 | Flat-Rate |
| Authorize.Net | Payment Gateway | Varies | Varies |
| PayPal/Braintree | Aggragated Account/Merchant Account | $0+ | Flat-Rate |
| Adyen | Merchant Account | $0 | Interchange-Plus/Flat-Rate |
| GoCardless | ACH/Wise | $0 | Flat-Rate Bank-to-Bank |
PaymentCloud: Best for high-risk eCommerce businesses
Exclusive Promo: PaymentCloud will give you $200 if they can't beat your current rate. Get Your Quote
Pros
- No account setup fee
- High-risk merchants supported
- Reasonable rates and fees
Cons
- No publicly-disclosed pricing
- Limited support for point of sale
Why PaymentCloud Is The Best Choice For High-Risk eCommerce Businesses
High-risk businesses can be in a tough spot when it comes to credit card processing in general, and international payment processing is no exception. PaymentCloud is one of the most honest players in the high-risk payment processing industry, keeping extraneous fees and disadvantageous terms to a minimum. The processor uses Authorize.Net (which is also on this list) for its payment gateway, which can grant you access to markets in the US, Australia, and Canada.
Stripe Payments: Best for handling multiple currencies
Pros
- Excellent global reach
- No early termination fees
- Excellent market
Cons
- Account stability issues
- Technical skill required to get the most out of it
Why Stripe Is The Best Choice For Handling Multiple Currencies
Stripe's global reach exceeds most of its competitors. Stripe is available in 46 countries, supports over 135 currencies, and supports many local payment methods, making it easy for customers to pay with their preferred method.
Stripe's deep customization options can further work in your favor by allowing you to avoid exchange fees. For example, you can accumulate separate balances in different currencies with Stripe, which it then routes to different bank accounts. If you don't want to do that, Stripe can still make the conversion for you, but it comes with an additional 1% fee.
Get Started With Stripe Payments
Helcim: Best for interchange-plus pricing with no monthly fee
Pros
- Interchange-plus pricing exclusively
- No monthly fees
- Excellent customer support
Cons
- Not suitable for high-risk industries
- May be expensive for very low-volume businesses
Why Helcim Is the Best Choice For Interchange-Plus Pricing With No Monthly Fee
Helcim does something extremely rare: it offers transparent interchange-plus pricing and a full merchant account with no monthly fee. Helcim's price structure is set up to reward volume, meaning that it's a better deal the higher your sales volume is.
Helcim, a Canadian company, is well-suited for selling to our neighbor to the north as it can support transactions in both US and Canadian dollars. While it can support transactions in more countries, they need to be conducted in one of the two supported currencies.
Corepay: Best for mail order accounts
Pros
- High risk specialist
- Fast approval times
- ACH processing available
Cons
- Limited public contract disclosure
- Limited support for in-person sales
Why Corepay Is Best For Mail-Order Accounts
Corepay is geared primarily toward eCommerce with a diverse selection of payment gateways and offshore account options, as well as MOTO-only accounts for companies that exclusively need support for mail or telephone orders.
For high-risk businesses selling in the US and UK, Corepay offers a quick and easy solution for payment processing. International reach can also be expanded with your choice of payment gateways like Authorize.Net.
Durango Merchant Services: Best for international high-risk merchants
Pros
- High-risk merchant support
- No early termination fee for most customers
- Excellent customer support
Cons
- Tiered pricing
- No public fee disclosure
Why Durango Merchant Services Is The Best Choice For International High-Risk Merchants
High-risk merchants get a bad rap in the payment processing industry and are often shunned by popular services. That said, there are payment processors that think selling a little CBD oil isn't such a big deal. Durango Merchant Services falls into the latter category and, while it isn't necessarily the cheapest option on the block, offers a quality service with international capabilities.
Durango offers most of its customers month-to-month contracts with no early termination fees. However, certain businesses that are considered especially high-risk may be asked to sign a contract with a more extended term. Durango uses a proprietary gateway, a necessary feature for eCommerce, and includes it at no additional charge.
Durango offers international merchant accounts with currency conversion services for Canada, Panama, the UK, and most countries in the EU. These accounts also come with additional fraud prevention services.
Get Started With Durango Merchant Services
2Checkout: Best for eCommerce Tools
Pros
- Predictable flat-rate pricing
- Excellent international reach
- Excellent online sales tools
Cons
- Account stability issues
- Not suitable for in-person transactions
Why 2Checkout Is The Best Choice For Businesses That Need Strong eCommerce Tools
2Checkout has an impressive international reach, with availability in over 200 countries and the ability to process over 100 different currencies. Not too many other services can take you that far around the globe.
What's unique about 2Checkout is its branding as a "monetization platform." A lot of this is due to a merger a few years back between 2Checkout and a company called Avangate that specialized in selling digital goods. As a result, 2Checkout offers a lot of bells and whistles useful for optimizing the sale of digital products, such as A/B testing, cart abandonment prevention, and conversion rate optimization. Most of these are available as add-ons, so you can pick and choose what you want to pay for.
Authorize.Net: Best standalone payment gateway for international sales
Pros
- Can be used with many different merchant accounts providers
- Broad support for international transactions
- Month-to-month billing
Cons
- Usually cheaper when bundled with another service
- Currency support is regionally limited
Why Authorize.Net Is The Best Choice For Standalone Payment Gateway For Businesses That Sell Internationally
eCommerce requires both a payment processor and a payment gateway. Many payment processors offer gateway support with their service or as an add-on. In the case of Authorize.Net, it's the reverse. It's a payment gateway that offers optional merchant account services through its partners.
Authorize.Net can accept transactions from merchants located in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the EU, or Australia and can handle 11 different currencies. As long as you're based in one of those countries, you can accept payments from anywhere in the world. Currency support, however, is pegged to your region by default. So if you're located in the US, you'd get currency support for US and Canadian dollars.
Get Started With Authorize.Net
PayPal: Best for raw international reach
Pros
- Trusted by customers
- Incredible international reach
- Extensive payment platform infrastructure
Cons
- Account stability issues (PayPal)
- May require some technical knowledge (Braintree)
- Can be more expensive than competitors
Why PayPal & Braintree Are Best For Raw International Reach
PayPal can process transactions in over 130 currencies from 45 countries. Further, PayPal offers its own branded infrastructure and payment method, which is a common way to pay for things online. Businesses that can handle some coding, as well as those that prefer their own dedicated merchant account, will find Braintree more to their liking. Those looking for simplicity and quick approval may prefer PayPal's third-party processing service (the usual cautions about account stability apply).
Between the two services, you can probably find an option that works for your business, though companies that want a merchant account without a lot of tech-related hassle may not find what they're looking for.
Adyen: Best for large international businesses
Pros
- Excellent international support
- No setup or application fees
- No monthly fees
Cons
- Monthly minimums
- Not suitable for high-risk businesses
- Mixed customer reviews
Why Adyen Is Best For Large International Businesses
Adyen powers the transactions of corporate giants, such as McDonald's, Microsoft, and eBay. As you might guess, these companies have substantial international processing needs, which Adyen can accommodate.
One of the major selling points for Adyen is the number of payment methods it can potentially support. And unlike some other international payment processors, you can process uncommon (for the region in question) payment methods. For example, you could implement Alipay payments within North America.
GoCardless: Best for recurring bank-based payments
GoCardless |
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Pros
- Cost-effective credit card alternative
- Excellent for recurring billing
- Real-time currency conversion for international sales
Cons
- No credit card support
- On the pricey side for domestic ACH
Why GoCardless Is Best For Recurring Bank-Based Payments
GoCardless, as the name implies, is a direct debit payment solution focused on recurring and subscription payments rather than credit cards. Businesses can use ACH transactions within the US, or internationally through Wise to collect payments across borders.
GoCardless started in the UK with an eye toward international markets, and that's where the service excels. Businesses that deal mainly in subscription services will appreciate the ability to offer their services internationally without messing around with credit cards.
Payment Processing Rating Methodology
Merchant Maverick has been researching the payment processing industry since 2009. Our writers have reviewed hundreds of credit card processors, merchant account services, and mobile payment apps, evaluating each provider carefully on several different metrics.
When comparing different payment processing companies and applications to one another, we consider numerous data points. Our experts start by comparing credit card processing rates, the presence of additional fees, contract length, sales practices, and the presence or absence of additional features and services, like point of sale software. Each provider is judged on its own merits and how well it stacks up to industry standards; then it is weighed against the other providers on the list.
We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure every company or application included meets our internal standards for quality and reputation. Any list of recommended payment processors on our site might contain a mix of standard merchant accounts, third-party payment processors, mobile payment devices, and high-risk payment processors, depending on what our expert feels is the best fit for certain scenarios or business types.
For additional details about Merchant Maverick’s review and rating processes, please refer to any or all of the following methodology pages:
- Credit card processor rating criteria
- High-risk merchant account rating criteria
- Credit card reader & mobile payment device rating criteria
15
Years reviewing payment processors
100+
Providers evaluated
25
Attributes and features assessed per vendor
40+
Years combined experience
Understanding International Payment Methods
While Visa and Mastercard are fairly ubiquitous throughout the world, other payment methods and systems have developed independently. That means that the international payments scene is largely fragmented, with narrow bridges connecting all of these systems. Traditionally the solution has been wire transfers, a fairly quick but expensive way of sending money long distances, and one generally not suited for high-volume payment processing.
For example, the United States uses a system called the automated clearing house (ACH) to handle bank-to-bank transfers. Within the States, it’s a nearly ubiquitous part of settling transactions ranging from credit cards to moving money in and out of your digital wallet. Meanwhile, much of Europe uses a system called SEPA. In China, it’s a system called CNAPS. And that’s just bank-to-bank transfers.
Some payment processors and peer-to-peer payment methods (such as PayPal and Wise) can serve as a bridge between the underlying payment systems in different countries. You’ll often be charged a markup for international transactions and currency conversions, but this will usually be significantly less than the fee for wiring money.
Why You Need A Great International Payment Gateway
When you’re dealing with eCommerce, sooner or later, you’re going to run into the concept of a payment gateway. While they sound similar, they are not the same thing as payment processors.
10 Concerns For International Credit Card Processing
Some additional things to keep in mind when you’re accepting international payments include:
How To Choose The Best International Payment Processing For Your Business
Choosing the best small business payment processing for small business can pretty complicated decision. Choosing one that offers excellent support for international commerce doubly so. Many payment services specialize in handling a specific type of business, so you’ll want to pick one that matches your risk profile and operates in the markets you’re hoping to break into. Consider any other perks they offer that will make it easier for you to present and sell your particular product. And finally, pay as little as necessary for the features you need.
In the meantime, we can offer more information about specific topics we were only able to touch on in this post. Want to know more about what to expect from cross-border fees? Curious about what other payment types you might encounter out in the wild? We can teach you everything you need to know about alternative payment methods.
Chris Motola
Senior Staff Writer at Merchant Maverick
Chris has been writing about small business topics since 2003. In 2015, he joined Merchant Maverick, where he writes about business financing, payment processing, and demographic trends in entrepreneurship. Chris has been featured in Fox Business, ABC News, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates, Newsweek, BizJournals, and other publications. He has a Bachelor’s of Arts in English Writing Arts from SUNY Oswego, and a Masters of Science in Interactive Media from the University of Central Florida. He currently resides in the Hudson Valley region of New York.
View Chris Motola's professional experience on LinkedIn.
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