Choosing a payment gateway for event tickets
How to choose a payment gateway for selling event tickets: where your attendees are, currencies, payment methods, fees, payouts and refunds.
By the Tvarific team
Your payment gateway decides how attendees can pay, which currencies you can charge in and when the money reaches your bank. The right choice depends mostly on where your attendees are and how they like to pay.
Start with where your attendees are
Gateways are strongest in their home markets. In India, attendees expect UPI, netbanking and local cards, which gateways such as Razorpay, PayU and CCAvenue support. For international audiences, gateways such as Stripe, PayPal and Checkout.com accept cards and wallets in many currencies.
- Mostly one country: choose a gateway that supports that country’s favourite payment methods.
- International attendees: choose one that accepts cards in many currencies, or connect two gateways and let people choose.
Check currencies and payment methods
Make sure the gateway can charge in the currency of your tickets. Some only settle in their local currency. Then check the methods your attendees will look for: cards, wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, UPI, bank transfers or PayPal.
Understand the fees
Gateways usually charge a percentage of each payment, sometimes plus a fixed amount, and international cards or currency conversion can cost more. Check the current pricing page of each gateway you are considering, and decide whether to include the fee in your ticket price.
Know when you get paid
Ask how long it takes for money to reach your bank account, and whether new accounts have a waiting period or a hold. If you need the money before the event to pay venues or suppliers, this matters as much as the fee.
Plan for refunds
Events change. Check how refunds work: whether you can refund from your event platform or only in the gateway’s dashboard, whether the processing fee is returned, and how long the refund takes to reach the attendee.
Set it up early
Opening a merchant account usually involves verifying your business and bank details, which can take a few days. Start before you need to sell tickets, test a purchase in test mode, then switch to live mode.
Offering more than one option
You do not have to choose just one. Connecting two gateways, for example one local and one international, or adding pay at the event, lets attendees pick what suits them and can help more people finish checkout.