Payments online: providers, iDEAL and the stores' rules
Payments look like a technical topic, but most surprises sit in the rules around them: which method your customer expects, what a provider costs, and what Apple and Google demand as soon as it happens inside an app.
01
What your customer expects
In the Netherlands iDEAL is still the norm for consumers. Alongside it people expect credit card, in Belgium Bancontact, and increasingly pay-later or instalments. Business customers ask for an invoice with payment terms.
Every method you lack costs orders. Every method you add costs a little oversight and sometimes a fixed monthly fee. So choose on what your customers actually use, not on what looks complete.
And do not forget the edges: what happens on a failed payment, what does a refund look like, and which confirmation does someone receive? Those are the moments trust is won or lost.
02
Providers and costs
A payment provider arranges the connection to banks and methods. You typically pay per transaction, sometimes with a fixed monthly fee, and rates differ per method: iDEAL is usually a fixed amount per transaction, credit card a percentage.
When comparing, look beyond the rate: payout terms, what a chargeback costs, how good the dashboard is and whether you can switch without hassle.
For small volumes a payment link or invoice can be enough — you do not need a shop for that. Only when ordering becomes structural does a real checkout pay for itself.
03
The app stores' rules
As soon as payment happens inside an app, Apple's and Google's rules apply. If you sell digital things used inside the app — a subscription, extra features, credit — they in many cases require their own checkout, with the associated commission.
If you sell physical products or services delivered outside the app, you may simply use your own payment provider. Misjudging that distinction is one of the most common reasons for rejection.
The rules have been relaxed in parts in recent years and differ per region; so it is wise to check them at the moment you build, rather than trusting what you once heard.
- Choose methods on what your customers use: iDEAL, credit card, Bancontact, pay-later
- Compare providers on rate, payout, chargebacks and ease of switching
- Small volumes: a payment link or invoice is often enough
- Digital purchases inside an app usually fall under the store's checkout
- Physical products and services outside the app: your own provider is fine
Quick questions on this topic
Do I need a shop to sell something?
Not always. For a handful of products or services an enquiry form with a payment link works fine, and it saves the administration around it. A shop pays for itself as soon as you have volume, variants and stock.
Can I switch payment providers later?
Usually yes, but the effort depends on how deeply the provider sits in your system. Ask up front how subscriptions, refunds and stored payment details move across — those are the parts that make a switch expensive.
Knowledge base
A question that is not here?
Just ask. Plaincodelab answers even when the answer is that you do not need something.