Payment Providers in UniLink Storefront (Stripe, PayPal, and Manual Options)

Connect the payment provider that fits your market, compare fees side by side, and switch providers without losing your order history.

Choosing the right payment provider is one of the most consequential decisions you make when opening an online store. The wrong choice can mean your customers' preferred payment method is not available at checkout, or that a significant slice of every sale disappears into transaction fees before it reaches your bank. UniLink gives you the flexibility to connect the providers that actually serve your market rather than locking you into a single gateway.

What Payment Providers Do

A payment provider is the service that securely collects your customer's payment details, authorizes the transaction with their bank or digital wallet, and deposits the funds into your account. UniLink integrates with providers at the API level, which means the checkout experience stays on your UniLink page rather than redirecting customers to an external site — a critical factor for conversion rates, since every redirect introduces a drop-off point.

Stripe is the primary provider and the one UniLink recommends for most sellers. Its integration covers standard card payments (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) and also activates Apple Pay and Google Pay automatically for customers whose devices and browsers support them. No extra configuration is needed for wallet payments — they appear as options the moment Stripe is connected and your storefront is served over HTTPS. PayPal is the preferred choice for markets where a significant portion of buyers do not hold credit cards but do maintain PayPal balances, and for sellers whose customers are more comfortable with a name they have trusted for decades. Manual payment methods — bank transfer and cash on delivery — require no third-party integration and are useful for local businesses, B2B sellers with established client relationships, or markets where card and digital wallet penetration is still low.

UniLink does not charge an additional transaction fee on top of what your payment provider charges. Your only cost is the provider's own fee structure, which varies by country and plan.

How to Get Started With Payment Providers

1. Open payment settings — In your UniLink dashboard, go to Storefront → Settings → Payments. You will see a list of available provider integrations.
2. Connect Stripe — Click "Connect Stripe" and follow the OAuth flow. You will be redirected to Stripe's site to log in or create an account. Once authorized, UniLink stores your credentials securely and displays your connected account email. Stripe is available in 46+ countries — verify your country is supported at stripe.com/global before starting.
3. Enable wallet payment methods — After Stripe connects, toggle on Apple Pay and Google Pay in the Stripe section. UniLink automatically handles the domain verification that Apple Pay requires. No additional steps are needed.
4. Connect PayPal (optional) — Click "Connect PayPal" and sign in with your PayPal Business account. Personal PayPal accounts are not supported for storefront payments. PayPal is available in 200+ countries and supports 25 currencies.
5. Add manual payment methods (optional) — Scroll to the "Manual Payments" section. Enable "Bank Transfer" and enter your bank details in the instructions field — customers will see these instructions after placing their order. Enable "Cash on Delivery" if applicable and set any extra handling fee.
6. Set the payment method display order — Drag the connected providers into the order you want them to appear at checkout. Put your primary provider first since most customers choose whatever appears at the top.
7. Place a test order — Use Stripe's test card number (4242 4242 4242 4242, any future expiry, any CVC) to simulate a payment and confirm funds appear in your Stripe dashboard under "Test Mode" before switching to live mode.

How to Use Payment Providers

1. Monitor transaction status — Go to Storefront → Orders. Each order shows the payment provider used and the payment status (Paid, Pending, Refunded, Failed). Click any order to see the transaction ID you can use to look it up directly in Stripe or PayPal.
2. Issue a refund — Open the order, click "Refund", choose full or partial refund amount, and confirm. UniLink sends the refund instruction directly to the payment provider. Stripe refunds typically return to the customer's card within 5–10 business days; PayPal refunds are usually instant to the PayPal balance.
3. Handle a failed payment — Failed payments appear with a red badge. Open the order to see the decline reason (for example "insufficient funds" or "card expired"). UniLink automatically sends the customer a "payment failed" email with a link to retry using a different card.
4. Approve manual payment orders — Bank transfer orders arrive in a "Payment Pending" state. Once you confirm the funds have landed in your bank account, open the order and click "Mark as Paid" to move it into the fulfillment queue.
5. Switch providers without disruption — You can disable a provider at any time from the Payments settings page. Existing paid orders retain their original provider reference. New orders will use only the providers you leave active.
6. Export transaction data — Use Storefront → Reports → Payments to export a CSV of all transactions for a date range, broken down by provider. This is useful for reconciling with your accounting software.
7. Update expired API credentials — If you rotate your Stripe API keys or disconnect your PayPal account, return to Storefront → Payments and reconnect. Payments will fail until credentials are refreshed, so update them promptly.

Key Settings Explained

How to Get the Most Out of Payment Providers

Payment fees are one of the few costs in e-commerce that scale directly with revenue, so understanding the fee structure of each provider matters from day one. Stripe charges a flat rate per transaction (commonly 2.9% + $0.30 in the US) with no monthly fee. PayPal's rates are similar but slightly higher for cross-border transactions. Both providers offer volume discounts once monthly processing exceeds certain thresholds — contact them directly once you reach $10,000/month to negotiate custom rates.

For international sellers, currency handling is an important variable. Stripe supports settlement in 135+ currencies and can deposit in your local currency automatically. PayPal holds funds in a multi-currency wallet and requires manual conversion or withdrawal instructions. If you sell in multiple currencies, Stripe generally involves fewer manual steps and lower conversion fees over time.

Manual payment methods like bank transfer are particularly useful for high-ticket items where customers feel more comfortable with a direct bank-to-bank transfer than entering card details. Set clear payment instructions and a payment window (for example "pay within 48 hours or the order will be cancelled automatically") in the bank transfer instructions field to reduce ambiguity and minimize orders that are never paid.

Regularly review your payment failure rate in Storefront → Reports → Payments. A failure rate above 5% suggests you may be triggering fraud filters more than necessary — review your Stripe Radar settings and consider relaxing rules that block legitimate customers from your target market. A failure rate under 1–2% is typical for healthy storefronts.

Troubleshooting Common Issues