The question usually arrives as one line on WhatsApp: can my customers pay by card or JazzCash on the website? The answer is yes. But a gateway is an agreement between your business and a payment provider, and the website is only where it is plugged in. Here is what that involves for an online store in Pakistan.
Which payment methods do Pakistani customers use online?
Cash on delivery remains the first choice for many buyers, because they pay when the parcel is in their hands. Bank transfer suits customers who already trust you and larger orders. JazzCash and EasyPaisa wallets are familiar on every phone. Cards are common with customers abroad or buying from brands they know. A store needs the methods its own customers ask for, not all of them on launch day. How the cash side works is in cash on delivery on your own online store.
What is a payment gateway, and why does the business sign up for it?
A payment gateway is a service that takes a card or wallet payment on your website, checks it with the bank or wallet, and settles the money into your bank account. To use one, the business opens a merchant account with the gateway in its own name. Gateways that serve Pakistani businesses, such as PayFast and Safepay, take cards and wallets; banks offer their own as well. The developer cannot sign up for you and should not: the money must land in your account, the statements must come to you, and any dispute with a customer is between your business and the gateway. If a freelancer offers to run payments through their own account, say no.
What does a gateway usually ask for?
- Business registration: sole proprietorship, partnership or company papers.
- The business's NTN and, where it applies, sales tax registration.
- A bank account in the business's name for settlement.
- The owner's CNIC and contact details.
- A live website, or at least the domain, with a returns policy, a privacy page and a contact page.
Each gateway has its own list and its own process; confirm with the gateway or your bank before you plan the launch around it.
How is the gateway integrated into the store?
Checkout
The customer chooses card or wallet at checkout, and the order is saved as unpaid.
Gateway page
The store sends the customer to the gateway's secure page, or shows the gateway's own form inside the checkout. Card details go to the gateway, never to your website.
Confirmation
The gateway tells the store whether the payment succeeded. The store marks the order paid and sends the order confirmation to the customer and the admin.
Failed payment
If the payment fails or the customer closes the page, the order stays unpaid, with a link to try again or switch to cash on delivery.
Settlement
The gateway pays the collected money into your bank account on its own schedule, and the admin shows which orders each settlement covers.
Keep the gateway's keys on the server, not in the page, and give the gateway login to the owner only. The rest of the checklist is in business software security basics.
How do the payment options compare?
| Option | How the customer pays | When the money arrives | What the store needs | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash on delivery | Cash to the courier at the door | When the courier settles with you | Confirmation step, courier booking, settlement tick-off | Everyday orders across Pakistan |
| Bank transfer | Transfers to your account and sends proof | Once staff see it in the account | Bank details at checkout, a place to upload the receipt, manual confirmation | Trusting customers, custom and larger orders |
| JazzCash or EasyPaisa | From the wallet, through a gateway or to your merchant number | Into the wallet or bank, by the gateway's schedule | Merchant account, gateway connection or manual checking | Buyers who keep money in a wallet |
| Card gateway | Card on the gateway's page or form | Settled to your bank by the gateway | Merchant account, policy pages on the site, integration | Customers who prefer cards or shop from abroad |
Should I launch with cash on delivery only and add a gateway later?
Often, yes. A gateway takes paperwork and approval, and a store can sell with cash on delivery and bank transfer while that runs. Build the checkout so a new method is a setting rather than a rebuild: the order record already carries a payment method and a paid status, so adding card or wallet payment later means connecting the gateway and switching it on. If your customers are mostly abroad, or you sell digital products, start the gateway process before design, because without it you cannot sell at all.
Can customers pay by bank transfer and send a screenshot?
Yes, and it is a sensible way to take prepayment without a gateway. The checkout shows your bank details, the customer transfers and uploads the receipt or sends it on WhatsApp, and staff mark the order paid after checking the account. Dawatnama, a platform for digital wedding and event invitations, uses bank-transfer checkout with order emails to the customer and the admin. The cost is a manual check per order, which is fine at low volume and tiring once orders grow.
Who connects the gateway to the website?
Your developer. Operix builds the checkout, connects the gateway your business has signed up with, tests successful and failed payments, and shows the paid status on every order in the admin. RAAH Fits, a Karachi streetwear store, takes cash on delivery across Pakistan on an admin built this way. Our web development page covers online stores, and our website development company in Karachi page explains how a project runs. What the rest of the store needs is in online store development in Pakistan. Contact us with the gateway you have in mind, or ask us which to approach.
Questions people ask
Does the developer need my bank details?
No. The merchant account is opened by you, and the developer only needs the integration keys the gateway issues. Keep the gateway login with the owner.
Do I need a gateway for JazzCash and EasyPaisa?
For automatic confirmation, yes. Without one, customers send money to your merchant number and staff check and mark each order paid by hand.
Can a customer pay part in advance and the rest on delivery?
Yes, if the store is built for it. An advance by wallet or bank transfer is recorded on the order and the balance is collected by the courier.
Is card payment safe on my website?
The card details are entered on the gateway's page or form, not on your site, so your website never stores them. Keep the site on HTTPS and the gateway keys on the server.
Can I change gateway later?
Yes. If the checkout is built with the payment method as a setting, switching gateways means connecting the new one and testing payments again.
