BigCommerce Payment Gateways: Choosing Beyond the Default Option
Compare BigCommerce payment gateway options on rates, features and payouts, from built-in choices to your own merchant account via Authorize.net or NMI.
Photo: Pixabay
On this page 8 sections
- How a BigCommerce Payment Gateway Fits Into Your Checkout
- Built-In Options: PayPal-Powered Payments, Stripe and Braintree
- Bringing Your Own Merchant Account Through Authorize.net or NMI
- Features to Compare: Stored Cards, Wallets, Multi-Currency and Capture Settings
- Fee Math: BigCommerce Transaction Fees, Flat-Rate vs. Interchange-Plus
- Switching Gateways Without Losing Saved Customer Cards
- A Short Checklist for the Best Payment Gateway for BigCommerce
- Next Steps
Key takeaways
- Check whether your BigCommerce plan adds any platform fee on top of your gateway's charges. If it doesn't, you can choose on rates, features and payout timing alone.
- Built-in, flat-rate options are fast to launch. A dedicated merchant account through Authorize.net or NMI can cost less as volume grows.
- Compare stored cards, wallets, multi-currency settlement and capture settings before you compare price.
- Plan any gateway switch around your saved customer cards, because tokens usually stay with the vault that created them.
Choosing a BigCommerce payment gateway should come down to rates, features and how fast you get paid. It shouldn't come down to which provider your platform nudges you toward. Before you compare gateways, check whether your BigCommerce plan adds any platform fee on top of your gateway's charges. If it doesn't, you can pick on cost and fit alone. Platform pricing changes, so confirm the current terms in your plan agreement.
This guide covers:
- How a gateway fits into your BigCommerce checkout
- How the built-in options differ from bringing your own merchant account
- Which features to compare
- How to run the fee math at your volume
- How to switch gateways without losing customers' saved cards
How a BigCommerce Payment Gateway Fits Into Your Checkout
Every card payment on your store passes through several parties:
- The gateway securely carries card data from your checkout to the processor and returns an approval or decline.
- The processor and acquiring bank route the transaction through the card networks and settle funds to your bank account.
- The merchant account is the agreement that lets you accept cards. It sets your pricing, your payout schedule and any reserves.
Some providers bundle all three into one sign-up. Others keep them separate. In that model, a standalone gateway such as Authorize.net or NMI connects to a merchant account you hold directly.
BigCommerce stores can generally use either model. You choose one or more providers in your store's payment settings and enter your credentials. If your plan doesn't add a per-order charge for third-party gateways, the platform doesn't decide which one you pick. Your costs, features and payout terms do.
Platforms and providers update their gateway lists, plan terms and pricing regularly. Treat the options below as categories to evaluate, and check what's currently available in your own control panel.
Built-In Options: PayPal-Powered Payments, Stripe and Braintree
Most BigCommerce stores start with an integrated, quick-setup option. Over time these have included PayPal-related products, Stripe and Braintree. Names, packaging and availability change, so check your control panel to see what your plan offers today.
Quick-setup options usually share three traits:
- Fast onboarding. You often apply from inside the platform and can start taking payments quickly.
- Flat-rate pricing. You pay one published percentage plus a per-transaction fee, whatever card the customer uses.
- Aggregated accounts. Many of these providers operate as payment facilitators. Your business sits under a master account, and underwriting can happen after you start processing. If activity looks unusual later, that can lead to holds or reviews.
Stripe vs. PayPal on BigCommerce
When merchants compare BigCommerce Stripe vs. PayPal, the practical differences usually fall into a few areas:
| Factor | Stripe-style integration | PayPal-style integration |
|---|---|---|
| Customer experience | Card form inside your checkout, plus supported wallets | Card processing, plus a PayPal button many shoppers recognize |
| Reporting | Dedicated dashboard with developer tools | PayPal account dashboard and reporting |
| Payouts | Scheduled bank payouts on the provider's terms | Funds go to a PayPal balance or your bank, depending on setup |
| Pricing | Published flat rate (confirm current rates) | Published flat rate (confirm current rates) |
Neither option wins in every case. Many stores run a card processor and also offer a PayPal button as a separate payment method. That combination is worth testing, because some shoppers won't type in a card number at all. Our guide to adding pay by bank (ACH) at checkout covers another payment option you can offer.
Bringing Your Own Merchant Account Through Authorize.net or NMI
The alternative is a dedicated merchant account connected to your store through a standalone gateway. Authorize.net and NMI are two established standalone gateways. MannyPay supports BigCommerce integrations as well as the Authorize.net gateway and the NMI gateway, so a merchant account can connect through either one.
Four things change with this model:
- Up-front underwriting. You're reviewed before you process, not after. Your website, policies and business documents all matter. Our guide to what processors check on your website explains what reviewers look for.
- Negotiable pricing. You can ask for interchange-plus pricing instead of a flat rate.
- Separate fees. A gateway often carries its own monthly and per-transaction fees on top of processing costs.
- A direct relationship. You have a named account and a contact who can explain holds, reserves or declines.
You take on a little more setup in exchange for clearer pricing and a more stable account. For low-risk stores with steady sales, that trade often makes sense once volume picks up. If payout speed is part of your decision, see our guide to instant payouts for online stores and whether faster cash is worth the fee.
Features to Compare: Stored Cards, Wallets, Multi-Currency and Capture Settings
Price matters, but features determine how your checkout actually works. Before you compare rates, check how each option handles the areas below.
Stored Cards and Repeat Customers
When customers save cards for faster checkout, the gateway's vault stores the card and returns a token to your store. Ask each provider three questions:
- Does this gateway support stored cards on BigCommerce?
- Does it offer an account updater to refresh expired or reissued cards?
- Will it export vaulted cards to another PCI DSS–compliant provider if you leave?
Digital Wallets and Alternative Methods
Check which wallets each option supports in your checkout, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. Wallet buttons can shorten mobile checkout, but support varies by gateway and by integration. To compare fast guest checkout options, see our guide to PayPal Fastlane vs. Shop Pay vs. Stripe Link. If you also plan to sell eGift cards, see our guide to selling digital gift cards on your online store.
Multi-Currency and Settlement
Your storefront may display prices in several currencies. Displaying a price in euros is not the same as settling in euros, though. Ask each provider:
- Which currencies can you charge in?
- Which currencies do you settle in?
- Who performs the conversion, and at what rate?
If you sell abroad regularly, compare options built for international payment processing instead of relying on display conversion alone.
Capture Settings
Most gateways let you choose between two settings:
- Authorize and capture: the charge settles right away.
- Authorize only: you capture the charge later, when the order ships.
Authorize-only fits made-to-order or backordered products, but authorizations expire. If you ship orders in parts, see our guide on capturing payment for split shipments.
Fraud and Authentication Tools
Look for address and CVV checks, velocity rules and support for 3-D Secure authentication. Make sure you can tune these tools yourself. Our guide to using chargeback alerts to stop disputes before they start covers a related tool. To screen international orders, see our guide to spotting freight forwarder addresses at checkout.
- Filters that are too strict reject real buyers. Our article on false declines at ecommerce checkout covers this problem.
- Rules that are too loose invite card testing attacks on your checkout.
Fee Math: BigCommerce Transaction Fees, Flat-Rate vs. Interchange-Plus
Start by confirming in your plan terms whether BigCommerce adds any platform transaction fee. If it doesn't, your BigCommerce payments fees come entirely from the gateway and processor. If you're still deciding on a platform, our guide to Etsy fees vs. running your own website compares those costs. To see how plan and gateway fees combine on another platform, read our breakdown of Squarespace payment fees for Stripe, PayPal and Squarespace Payments. For a related checkout cost question, see our guide to charging sales tax on shipping by state. You'll be comparing two pricing models:
- Flat-rate: one percentage plus a fixed fee per order. It's simple and predictable.
- Interchange-plus: you pay the card networks' wholesale cost (interchange and assessments) plus a fixed markup. It's more transparent and often cheaper at scale, but statements are more detailed. Our explainer on why low-risk merchants should ask for interchange-plus pricing covers how it works.
An Illustrative Comparison
The numbers below are hypothetical and chosen only to show the math. They are not quotes from any provider. Real interchange costs depend on your card mix, your average ticket and how transactions are processed.
Illustrative assumptions:
- An $80 average order
- A flat rate of 3.0% + $0.30 per order
- For interchange-plus, an assumed 2.0% blended network cost plus a 0.30% + $0.10 markup
- A $0.05 gateway fee per transaction
- $30 in combined monthly account and gateway fees
| Monthly sales (orders) | Flat-rate total | Interchange-plus total | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $4,000 (50) | $135.00 | $129.50 | $5.50 |
| $20,000 (250) | $675.00 | $527.50 | $147.50 |
| $80,000 (1,000) | $2,700.00 | $2,020.00 | $680.00 |
What the example shows:
- At low volume, fixed monthly fees can erase most of the gap, so flat-rate may be the simpler choice.
- As volume grows, the percentage difference matters far more than the fixed fees.
- Your real break-even depends on your own statements. Our guide to when your store should switch from flat-rate to interchange-plus walks through how to find it.
Some merchants also consider programs that shift card costs to customers, such as surcharging or dual pricing. These programs come with card network rules and state law considerations. Treat them as a separate decision, and confirm with a qualified professional what's permitted where you and your customers are located.
Switching Gateways Without Losing Saved Customer Cards
Switching gateways is mostly a configuration job. Saved cards are the exception. Stored payment methods are generally tied to the gateway that vaulted them. If you switch without a plan, returning customers may find their saved cards gone. For more on keeping saved cards working, see our guide to network tokens for online stores.
Work through these steps in order:
- Inventory what's stored. Count active saved cards and any orders still in authorize-only status.
- Ask about card data migration. Many providers will securely transfer vaulted card data to another PCI DSS–compliant vault on request. Policies, timelines and formats vary, so get confirmation in writing from both the old and new provider.
- Settle open authorizations. Capture or void pending authorizations on the old gateway before you disable it.
- Keep the old gateway available for refunds. Refunds on earlier orders usually have to go back through the original gateway, so run both gateways briefly if you can.
- Test before launch. Place test orders that cover a card payment, a wallet payment, a refund and a partial capture.
- Tell customers if needed. If cards can't be migrated, send a short note asking customers to re-save their card on their next visit. That's better than a surprise at checkout.
- Warn your new provider about volume. If you're moving established volume or heading into a busy season, tell the new provider up front. Our article on warning your processor before a sales spike explains why.
A Short Checklist for the Best Payment Gateway for BigCommerce
The best payment gateway for BigCommerce is the one that fits your order profile. Use this list when comparing options:
- Total cost at your actual monthly volume and average ticket, including gateway fees and any platform fees in your plan
- Payout timing and how holds or reserves are handled
- Stored card support, account updater and data export policy
- Wallets and alternative payment methods your customers use
- Multi-currency settlement, if you sell internationally
- Capture controls for backorders and split shipments
- Fraud tools you can tune
- A support contact who can explain your statement
Next Steps
Start by pulling your last three months of processing statements. Note your volume, order count and average ticket. Then compare your current setup against the options above, and confirm your BigCommerce plan's fee terms while you're at it.
If a dedicated merchant account looks worthwhile, MannyPay offers online payment processing and payment gateway options that connect to BigCommerce. Approval and pricing depend on underwriting.
To see how the numbers look for your store, request a free quote. A MannyPay specialist will respond within one business day.
This article is for general educational purposes and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Card network rules and state laws change; confirm current requirements for your business.
