Adding payments to a site means choosing a provider, integrating their secure checkout, and handling success and failure cleanly. For European businesses the usual mix is cards via Stripe, PayPal, SEPA direct debit and local methods like Klarna.
The main options
| Method | Good for |
|---|---|
| Cards (Stripe/Adyen) | Everyone — the default |
| PayPal | Buyers who trust the wallet |
| SEPA direct debit | Recurring euro payments |
| Klarna | Pay later, popular in DACH/Nordics |
Security and compliance
Card details should always be handled by the provider's hosted fields or checkout, never stored on your server — that keeps you out of the heaviest PCI obligations. In Europe, Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) means most card payments need a second factor, which good providers handle for you.
Never touch raw card data: let the provider tokenise it. Your site sees a token, not a card number — safer for customers and far simpler for you.
What you need to start
- A registered business and a merchant account with a provider.
- Integrated checkout with clear success and failure handling.
- Webhooks so your system reacts the moment a payment settles.
Selling inside chat instead? See payments in a Telegram bot.