Did you know that India is the country that makes the most digital payments each day? More than ever, a way to receive and send electronic transactions is essential. But do you know your options?

There are a number of factors to consider when making your choice. Read on as we give our guide on digital payments. 

Essential Terms

When looking for digital payment networks, it can help to know the key terms and features. This lets you see which platforms have the most functionality and can let you compare fees. 

ACH payments are any credit and debit transactions done electronically. Standing for Automated Clearing House, ACH lets people make daily payments such as bills and purchases. Most providers will have ACH payments, but fees for using them may vary. 

Payment gateways and processors are two terms that often get confused. A gateway allows the secure transfer of financial data between the processor and the merchant. The processor is the company the merchant will employ to conduct the transaction itself and is often concerned with the security of transactions. 

Merchant accounts allow people to receive money through cards and debit card payments. They are primarily for business customers, and as such must adhere to certain regulations set out by the platform. 

Finally, you need a provider that is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. This means they are a secure service that contributes to reducing fraud and keeping data secure. 

PayPal

PayPal is the most widely used of the world’s digital payment companies. Its popularity gets attributed to its affiliation with a number of large platforms such as eBay. It is estimated to be used by over 28 million merchants worldwide. 

It is extremely easy to get started with yet remains secure. You can send and receive using your email address. All you need to do is hook up your bank account or a card, then verify it. 

From here you can send and receive payments. These can be for friends and family, or for a service, in which case a fee is added. You can also send money through the service itself to another PayPal account, which is a feature lacking in many other digital payment networks. 

Fees are also not overly excessive on PayPal. You can expect to pay $0.30 a transaction and 2.9% of the fee for domestic transactions. 

Stripe

Stripe is another of the most popular digital payment companies. It rose to popularity as it provided an easy solution for developers to integrate payment into websites. While it does have a strong API for doing so, other vendors such as PayPal have now followed suit. 

This does not mean Stripe should be overlooked. Where it differs is that it acts as a merchant account to users, allowing it to bypass the signup process. It can handle all the data compliance and approvals for them. 

Fees are also very competitive. It has no setup or monthly fees and charges $0.30 plus 2.9% per transaction. 

Google Pay

Google’s answer to PayPal is surprisingly not as well known. It connects your financial account to your Google profile. This means you can provide or take payment for service through your standard Gmail account. 

One great function it has over others is that lots of people use Google for services anyway, making integration and startup really simple. Merchants are also not charged a fee for using Google Pay. 

If you are in the US, you can even use their Google digital wallet. This app lets you send money directly to other US citizens with an email address or phone number. 

WePay

WePay is now owned by the bank Chase Morgan. If you have a Chase bank account, you can make same-day deposits using the service. However, it is not exclusive to their customers. 

Providing payment solutions, WePays primary goal is to allow software platforms and vendors access to payments. Each of these can negotiate its own rate with WePay. If they choose not to set their own rate, fees are the standard of $0.30 plus 2.9%. 

Zelle

Zelle is one of the lesser-known digital payments companies, though it is by no means inferior. It allows you to make money transfers between banks in the US, typically within minutes. All you need is the person’s phone number or email address. 

Many banks are already starting to incorporate Zelle into their payment systems, particularly smaller cooperatives and credit unions. Click here to learn more about its excellent service. 

Braintree

Braintree has a reputation as an innovative payment solution used by startups. Companies such as StubHub and Airbnb use it already. However, many people do not realize it is actually part of the PayPal company and was acquired by them in 2013. 

Where it differs, is that Braintree offers more customization options. This makes it ideal for companies and services with high sales volumes and specific needs. It lets them operate a range of payment options such as Paypal, Google Pay, along with credit and debit cards. 

The rates are the industry standard of 2.9% and $0.30 per transaction. There are no monthly fees or setup. 

Venmo

Venmo is another digital payment network owned by PayPal. It is most widely used in an app form and can let you pay friends by using a checking account or card. 

The program is a lot more social than other platforms, allowing you to send confirmation on Facebook and Twitter. It does this without any risk of security, keeping the data fully encrypted. 

Digital Payments

In summary, many digital payments for general use offer the same fees. All you need to decide is what you need to use the systems for, be it business, personal, or for integration with websites and software. 

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