Key takeaways
- A payment gateway takes payment details online and passes them to a processor. Most B2B buyers don't need one: they pay invoices by bank transfer.
- At Stripe's published US rates, a $50,000 invoice paid by an international card with currency conversion would cost $2,700.30, or 5.4%.
- A gateway earns its fee when buyers want to pay by card at checkout. For larger invoices from repeat customers, account details and bank transfers usually cost far less.
- Many companies use both: a gateway for small orders, and local account details on the invoice for everything else.
The short answer
A payment gateway is the service that takes a buyer's payment details online and passes them on for processing. In B2B, you need one if your buyers want to pay by card at a checkout or through a payment link. You don't need one to get paid on invoices: most business buyers can pay by bank transfer, and it's usually far cheaper.
As of November 2026, the choice comes down to invoice size. A gateway's percentage fee is fine on a $200 order and costly on a $50,000 invoice. Payoneer's guide also uses the term for cross-border platforms, so check what a provider means before you compare.
What a gateway actually does
The term gets stretched, so it helps to separate three jobs.
| Job | What it means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway and processing | Accepting a card or bank debit online and getting the money to you | Stripe |
| Collecting by bank transfer | Giving buyers account details to pay into | A business account |
| Cross-border platform | Collecting, converting and paying out in several currencies | Payoneer, Airwallex |
Payoneer's guide advises looking at currency range, local receiving accounts, fees that fit your volumes, integration, automation, compliance and fraud controls. That's a fair list, and it makes the point that a local receiving account can do much of the job a B2B seller expects from a gateway.
What it costs: worked numbers
Stripe publishes its US prices. As of November 2026, a card costs 2.9% + 30¢, international cards add 1.5%, and currency conversion adds 1% when it's needed. Here's what those rates do to three invoices, with a US seller and a foreign buyer.
| Invoice | Domestic card | International card | International card with conversion | As a share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $58.30 | $88.30 | $108.30 | 5.4% |
| $10,000 | $290.30 | $440.30 | $540.30 | 5.4% |
| $50,000 | $1,450.30 | $2,200.30 | $2,700.30 | 5.4% |
Stripe also charges $15 for a dispute, and another $15 if you counter one manually, which is refunded only if you win. Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice on its Starter plan. Other providers price differently, and large sellers can often negotiate.
For US buyers, Stripe's ACH Direct Debit costs 0.8%, capped at $5, which shows how far apart cards and bank payments are: $5 against $1,450.30 on the same $50,000 invoice.
Bank transfers have costs too. A SWIFT wire can lose $15 to $50 or more to correspondent fees, according to Wise's estimate, and receiving banks may charge. OUR, SHA and BEN explains who pays, and being paid into local details avoids most of it. Even so, at this size the gap to card fees is large.
Which one to use
| Your situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Web checkout, orders under about $1,000 | A gateway | Buyers expect it, and fees are small in money terms |
| Subscriptions charged to a card | A gateway | Recurring card billing is what it's built for |
| Invoices of $5,000 or more to repeat customers | Bank transfer to local details | Saves about 3% to 5% against a card |
| US customers who pay on a schedule | ACH to a USD account | Low cost, and it's familiar to US payers |
| European customers | SEPA to a EUR account | No correspondent chain |
| Customers with stablecoins | USDC or EURC | Works at weekends, if both sides can handle it |
| A buyer needs card credit or rewards | A gateway, and consider passing on the cost where the rules allow | The buyer gets a benefit, so discuss who pays |
These thresholds are a rule of thumb from the numbers above, so run your own: take your average invoice, your share of foreign buyers, and your provider's actual rates.
Questions to ask a gateway
- Is my country supported as a merchant country, and which currencies can I settle in?
- What are the fees for international cards and conversion, in writing?
- What rolling reserve or payout delay applies to my business type?
- Where do payouts go, and does my account qualify?
- What are the dispute fees, and how long do buyers have to dispute?
- Are my products on the restricted list?
The fourth question matters for companies using non-bank accounts. Gateways set their own rules on what kinds of payout account they accept. If you're considering a named account from a payment provider, including Align, check with the gateway first rather than assuming it will work.
Getting paid by bank transfer instead
If you move invoices off cards, make paying easy. Put full account details on the invoice, in the currency the buyer pays in. Give the reference to quote. Tell buyers which rail to use, and send a reminder before the due date. If you're outside the US and sell to US companies, read how to get paid by US customers without a US entity.
Check the name on the account. Finance teams at larger buyers often need the account name to match the supplier's legal name. Named vs pooled virtual IBANs explains why, and what a proof of account letter is for helps when a buyer asks you to prove it.
How Align fits
Align isn't a payment gateway, and it doesn't process cards. If you need card acceptance, you need a gateway alongside it. What Align provides is the other half:
- Account details. Named USD, EUR, GBP and AED details in your company's name for customers to pay into. USD ACH and wires run through a US banking partner, on request and after its own review.
- Invoices. Invoicing drafts invoices and takes payment by bank transfer or in USDC or EURC, matching payments to each invoice. How to send invoices shows the steps.
- Stablecoins from customers. See how to accept USDT and USDC from business customers.
Align is for registered companies, isn't a bank, and doesn't onboard companies in sanctioned countries or on the FATF grey list. Pricing is by quote. If nearly all your sales are small card orders on a website, a gateway alone is the better fit.
Sources
- Stripe, Pricing (accessed November 2026)
- Payoneer, B2B payment gateway guide (updated August 2026)
- Wise, What are Swift correspondent fees? (accessed November 2026)
Common questions
- What is a B2B payment gateway?
- It's a service that lets a business buyer pay another business online, usually by card or bank debit, through a checkout, a payment link or an invoice. Some providers also use the term for cross-border platforms that collect, convert and pay out money for companies.
- What is an international payment gateway?
- It's a gateway that accepts payments from buyers in other countries, often in several currencies. It helps with buyers who want to pay by card. Check the extra fees for international cards and currency conversion, which together add 2.5 percentage points at Stripe's published US rates.
- Do I need a payment gateway to accept international B2B payments?
- No. If you invoice other companies, they can pay by bank transfer to account details you put on the invoice. You need a gateway only if buyers want to pay by card or you sell through a website checkout.
- Is Align a payment gateway?
- No. Align doesn't process card payments. It gives companies named USD, EUR, GBP and AED account details, so customers can pay invoices by bank transfer, and invoices can also be paid in USDC or EURC.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and providers' terms change; check the sources linked above and take advice on your own situation.
