Question 1

How does local acquiring improve international authorization rates?

Accepted Answer

When a customer in France pays with a French Visa card on your US-hosted checkout, the transaction is processed cross-border: from the customer's French issuing bank, through Visa, to your US acquirer. Cross-border transactions are flagged as higher risk by issuing banks, which decline them at significantly higher rates. Industry data shows cross-border authorization rates average 10-15% lower than domestic transactions. Local acquiring routes a French customer's payment through a French or EU-based acquiring bank — the same Visa network, but the transaction settles domestically from the issuer's perspective. The result is authorization rates that match domestic levels. For a merchant with $200k monthly European volume and 70% card authorization, local acquiring recovering 12% additional authorizations = $24,000/month in recovered revenue.

Question 2

What is dynamic currency conversion (DCC) and should I use it?

Accepted Answer

Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) is a service where an international customer is offered the option to pay in their home currency at the point of sale, rather than your merchant currency. The customer sees the price in their familiar currency; the FX conversion happens before authorization. DCC generates a margin for the merchant (typically 2-3% above the mid-market rate) and appears to be a customer convenience feature. However, DCC is controversial: the FX rates are typically unfavorable to the customer compared to their card's native conversion, and many customers feel they were misled about the true cost. GetPayment offers multi-currency checkout (pricing in local currencies at competitive rates) as an alternative to DCC — improving customer trust while still capturing FX revenue. We can advise on the optimal approach for your customer geography.

Question 3

What currencies and payment methods are most important for international ecommerce?

Accepted Answer

Currency coverage matters less than payment method coverage in most international markets. Key markets and their dominant payment methods: (1) Germany (40% of EU ecommerce): SEPA bank transfer, Sofort, PayPal — cards represent only ~35% of online purchases, (2) Netherlands: iDEAL bank transfer — over 60% of online transactions, (3) Poland: Przelewy24 — dominant local payment method, (4) China: Alipay and WeChat Pay — virtually required for Chinese consumer payments, (5) Brazil: Boleto Bancário — cash/bank voucher system used for 25%+ of online purchases, (6) India: UPI, Paytm — essential for Indian market. If you're targeting international markets, understanding the local payment method mix is as important as currency support. GetPayment's acquiring network supports local payment methods in 50+ countries.

Question 4

How do I handle foreign exchange rate risk when pricing in multiple currencies?

Accepted Answer

Multi-currency pricing exposes merchants to FX risk: if you set a product at €99 and EUR/USD moves from 1.10 to 1.05, your USD revenue per sale drops by 4.5%. Strategies to manage this: (1) Frequent repricing — update prices in each currency quarterly or monthly to reflect current exchange rates, (2) Rate floor protection — price foreign currencies with a buffer above your cost basis to absorb moderate FX fluctuation, (3) Currency settlement — if you have EUR expenses, settle EUR sales in EUR rather than converting to USD, eliminating round-trip FX exposure, (4) FX hedging — for high-volume international operations, forward contracts lock in future exchange rates. GetPayment's multi-currency platform supports currency-specific settlement accounts, so EUR revenue stays in EUR until you choose to convert — eliminating unnecessary FX transactions.

Question 5

What are the compliance requirements for international payment acceptance?

Accepted Answer

International payment acceptance creates compliance obligations beyond standard domestic PCI DSS. Key considerations: (1) GDPR/UK GDPR — EU and UK customer data must be handled with appropriate consent, data transfer mechanisms, and breach notification procedures, (2) PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) — EU transactions require SCA (typically 3DS2) for most online payments. Non-compliance results in declined transactions, not just regulatory risk, (3) Local consumer protection laws — some jurisdictions have specific requirements for refund rights, subscription cancellation, and price display that differ from US standards, (4) AML screening — high-value international transactions may require enhanced due diligence in some jurisdictions, (5) Sanctions screening — transactions involving sanctioned countries or individuals must be blocked. GetPayment provides compliance guidance for the key international markets relevant to your business.

Multi-Currency Payment Processing: Local Acquiring in 40+ Countries, 135+ Currencies, 0.8% FX

Revenue Impact of Local Acquiring

Why International Payment Optimization Matters for High-Volume Ecommerce

International Payment Challenges We Solve

135+ Currencies Supported

Multi-Currency and International E-Commerce: Localization and Authorization Optimization

Dynamic Currency Conversion: Increase International Conversion 10-15%

Local Acquiring and Authorization Rate Improvement

Regional Payment Methods: Accept WeChat, Alipay, iDEAL, Klarna

FX Rate Management and Hedging

Multi-Currency Payments FAQ

How does local acquiring improve international authorization rates?

What is dynamic currency conversion (DCC) and should I use it?

What currencies and payment methods are most important for international ecommerce?

How do I handle foreign exchange rate risk when pricing in multiple currencies?

What are the compliance requirements for international payment acceptance?

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