Payment methods players use, market by market

What the global data says

Worldpay’s Global Payments Report is the usual starting point. Its 2026 edition finds that digital wallets now account for over half of online transaction value worldwide. Worldpay publishes its country-by-country tables only in the full report, which sits behind a sign-up form. For the market table below we used each country’s central bank or scheme operator where we could, and payment processors’ own documentation for how each method behaves.

Game web shops follow the same split between concentrated and fragmented markets. The first two figures below come from Appcharge, which runs web shops for mobile games, and describe its own transactions:

In the US, cards and the two phone wallets do most of the work. In Europe and much of Asia and Latin America, a web shop that offers only cards leaves out the methods many players use.

The 14 markets in one table

The “Offer” column lists methods beyond international cards, which every web shop should take. Where we could not verify a market’s online payment mix from a primary source, the table says so.

Cash vouchers: no chargebacks, and no easy refunds

Konbini, OXXO and Boleto let a player without a card pay in cash or at a bank. For a game, they have three effects.

They remove most chargeback risk. Stripe says OXXO “doesn’t support the standard dispute process”, Boleto customers “can’t file a chargeback”, and konbini payments “can’t be disputed by the customer” in general.

They make refunds harder. OXXO and Boleto payments cannot be refunded through the payment rail at all, according to Stripe, so you need your own way to credit a player. Konbini refunds need the player’s bank account details.

They confirm late. An OXXO voucher confirms by the next business day after payment; Boleto within a business day. Deliver the currency on confirmation, not at checkout, and tell the player when to expect it.

Cash methods also reach players without a card of their own, who can include minors. Pair them with the age and parental-consent rules your game already applies to in-app purchases.

Japan: prepaid cards and konbini

KOMOJU, a Japanese payment provider, describes konbini payment at FamilyMart, Lawson and other chains, and prepaid products such as WebMoney, BitCash and NetCash that players buy for games and other digital content. It also says over 40% of users avoid credit cards. KOMOJU sells these methods, and its article does not say where that figure comes from, so treat it as the vendor’s view.

Provider rules decide whether you can use them for currency. Stripe’s konbini page lists “Real Money Trading (RMT), that is, sale of virtual (in-game) characters, currency, and so on” among categories prohibited from using konbini. Ask each provider for written confirmation that in-game currency may be sold through each Japanese method you plan to offer.

Wallets and bank methods: fewer fraud disputes

Methods where the player authenticates in a bank or wallet app tend to carry less fraud risk than a typed card number. Stripe describes UPI, Korean cards and wallets, and PayPal as lowering the risk of unrecognized payments because the customer authenticates. Card disputes feed the ratio card schemes use to flag merchants (see chargebacks and fraud).

They do not all remove disputes. Pix allows disputes for fraud and account takeover, which merchants cannot challenge. BLIK runs a claims process for fraud, double payment and wrong amounts. Korean methods allow disputes for up to 365 days.

Cross-border costs and provider limits

Local methods often carry their own fees and taxes. Stripe notes that Brazil charges IOF, currently 3.5%, on cross-border Pix payments by Brazilian customers; you choose whether the player pays it or you absorb it. Per-method fees are on the hidden fees page.

Check provider category rules for virtual currency before you plan a method mix. Besides the konbini rule above, Paddle’s list of prohibited products includes “virtual currency or stored value”. A merchant of record that does not allow currency, or a method your provider cannot use for currency, removes that option in that market.

Payment methods checklist

1. Rank your markets by in-app revenue from your top spenders, and pick methods for the top five first.
2. Get written confirmation from your provider that in-game currency may be sold through each method.
3. For cash vouchers, deliver on confirmation, and build a way to credit players where the rail cannot refund.
4. Offer the local card network where one exists (Cartes Bancaires in France, issuer-selected cards in South Korea).
5. Track authorization and dispute rates by method, and drop or reprice methods that cost more than they bring.
6. Recheck the Netherlands before 2027, as iDEAL moves to Wero.