From $199/mo
Whether Shopify Payments rejected you, closed your account, is not offered in your country, or you simply want a second rail, there are more options than the settings page suggests. Here are nine, grouped by how they connect, with the trade-off each one carries.
Available almost everywhere and often the first fallback. Wallet-heavy checkout, its own risk reviews and holds. Restricted categories get the same treatment they got from Shopify Payments.
Neutral gateway listed in the US and a few other countries. Pair it with a merchant account that accepts your category and it becomes the classic route for supplements and nutraceuticals.
European gateway with iDEAL, Bancontact, SEPA and cards, listed for several EU countries. Mainstream risk appetite; good for ordinary EU stores that just want out of Shopify Payments.
Enterprise acquirer with excellent local-method coverage, generally available to larger Shopify stores. Conservative underwriting; not a home for restricted categories.
Acquirer with a high-risk desk in some regions. Listing on Shopify varies by country; where it is missing, it connects through an external checkout. Nuvei on Shopify.
Klarna, Afterpay and similar add a payment method rather than replace card capture. Useful for average order value; they do not solve a card-processing gap.
All of these carry Shopify's third-party transaction fee on most plans. How the fee is calculated.
The workhorse for restricted categories in North America: an acquirer that underwrites your products, fronted by the NMI gateway. Not on Shopify's list; connects through an own-domain checkout. High-risk processors compared.
Lets buyers pay in USDC, BTC or ETH with no card network in the loop. Best as a last route rather than the only one; most buyers still reach for a card first. Crypto beside cards.
Move the checkout step to checkout.your-brand.com and connect whatever gateway approved you, with a second one behind it. Orders write back into Shopify. This is CascadeCheckout. How own-domain checkout works.
| Option | Restricted categories | Shopify third-party fee | Backup route | Setup time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal | Rarely | Yes on most plans | No | Same day |
| Authorize.net + MID | Depends on MID | Yes | No | Days to weeks for the MID |
| Mollie / Adyen | No | Yes | No | Days |
| Nuvei | Some, by region | Yes if listed | No | One to three weeks |
| NMI + high-risk MID | Yes, by acquirer | Only on Shopify-processed payments | Yes, inside a cascade | MID approval + 24-48h wiring |
| Crypto rail | Yes | No | As last route | Same day |
| Own-domain checkout | Yes, with the right acquirer | Only on Shopify-processed payments | Yes, up to four routes | 24-48h after keys |
If you are an ordinary store that simply wants a different processor, activate a listed gateway and accept the fee. If your category is the reason you are here, a listed gateway will usually decline you for the same reason Shopify did; go straight to an acquirer that underwrites your products and connect it through an own-domain checkout. If you have been through one termination already, wire two routes from day one so the next decline is a rotation, not an outage.
For ordinary stores, a natively listed gateway such as PayPal, Authorize.net or Mollie. For restricted categories, an acquirer that underwrites your products, connected through an own-domain checkout with a second route behind it.
Shopify Payments is built on Stripe's rails, and a direct Stripe account is not offered as a Shopify gateway in most countries. A store that Shopify Payments declined will usually get the same answer from Stripe.
On most plans, yes, a percentage per order in addition to the gateway's own rate. Payments captured outside Shopify's checkout are not processed by Shopify and are not assessed that fee; review Shopify's terms for your plan.
Yes. CascadeCheckout writes each paid order into Shopify with line items, buyer, shipping and discount details, tagged so you can filter them.
Live in 24-48 hours. Founder-answered support on WhatsApp.
Alternative for restricted stores → · Checkout without Shopify Payments → · High-risk processors → · Pricing →
CascadeCheckout is checkout software, not a payment service provider, bank or merchant-account seller. You contract with your own gateway or acquirer, disclose your real business category to them, and receive payouts from them. We never hold funds and we do not promise that any processor will approve you.