What is a payment gateway?
A payment gateway is the infrastructure that lets you accept online payments — cards, mobile wallets like JazzCash and easypaisa, Raast, and bank transfers — through your website, app, or a hosted checkout page. It handles authorization, fraud checks, and settlement to your bank.
In Pakistan, the right gateway should support every method your local customers actually use, not just cards.
What to look for in a Pakistani payment gateway
- Local payment method coverage: Visa, Mastercard, PayPak, Raast, JazzCash, easypaisa, bank transfer.
- Transparent MDR: Published on the website, no surprises on contract.
- Settlement speed: T+1 is the new standard. Anything slower hurts your cash flow.
- Integrations: WooCommerce, Shopify, Wix plugins. REST APIs and webhooks for custom builds.
- Built-in invoicing: Lets freelancers and agencies share payment links over WhatsApp.
- 3-D Secure on cards + fraud monitoring: Reduces chargebacks.
- Local team: Support in your timezone, in English and Urdu.
How Rapid Gateway compares
Rapid Gateway covers all the above with a flat 2% MDR on mobile wallets and 2.5% on cards, settled T+1 to your Pakistani bank account. There are no setup or monthly fees, and integration plugins exist for every major e-commerce platform.
Most importantly, online invoicing and the payment gateway are unified — so freelancers, agencies and SMBs do not need a second tool.
Final checklist before signing up
- Confirm support for every payment method your customers already use.
- Get the published MDR in writing — both wallet and card.
- Test the checkout from a customer's perspective on a real Pakistani 4G connection.
- Verify settlement timeline (aim for T+1).
- Try the dashboard for tracking payouts, refunds and disputes.
- Ask about onboarding time. Same-day go-live should be possible.