Thanks to its ease of doing business and generous tax exemption for offshore companies, Hong Kong has become a major hub for technology startups and e-commerce businesses that sell to a global market.
Until recently, one part of setting up and running a Hong Kong-based online business has been a major challenge: accepting payments.
With companies like Braintree and Stripe expanding to Hong Kong, online businesses based in the territory now have more options than ever before. Below, we’ve listed six payment gateways and processors that are available for online businesses incorporated in Hong Kong.
Stripe
Massively popular among merchants in the USA, UK and other Western countries, Stripe is now available in Hong Kong as part of a private beta.
Stripe’s biggest strengths are its user-friendly dashboard and simplicity. Setting it up is a matter of creating an account, entering your business’s banking information and adding Stripe to your website using the checkout app or the Stripe API.
The Hong Kong private beta started this April, with invitations available via Stripe’s website for companies that:
Are registered in Hong Kong
Have a Hong Kong bank account denominated in HKD
Just like in other territories, Stripe lets Hong Kong-based merchants accept payments in a huge range of currencies from Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Payments are deposited into the connected Hong Kong bank account every seven days.
Stripe’s pricing is straightforward and simple. Small businesses on the pay as you go plan pay a 3.4% commission on each card charge, as well as a HK$2.35 transaction fee. Stripe’s costs for Hong Kong-based merchants are in line with its pricing in Singapore and other Asian markets.
Successful chargebacks incur an HK$85.00 fee, which is reversed if the customer’s bank rules in your favor.
Want to start using Stripe to accept credit card payments with your Hong Kong company. View the full Hong Kong price structure here and enter your email address to receive information on the Hong Kong private beta. =
Braintree
PayPal subsidiary Braintree has made its way to Hong Kong, offering an inexpensive and easy payment processing service for local companies.
Braintree’s strengths are similar to Stripe’s — it’s easy to use, does anything a small-to-medium business could need out of the box, and has an affordable fee structure with no monthly fees or minimum ongoing costs.
Owners of Hong Kong companies can sign up for Braintree online, or test the payment gateway in the sandbox before applying.
Like Stripe, Braintree is available for companies that are registered in Hong Kong that also bank in HKD. Merchants can accept any credit cards on the Visa, MasterCard and American Express networks, as well as PayPal.
Transactions are processed in 2-5 business days (Visa and MasterCard are typically deposited in two days or less, with American Express taking slightly longer) via direct deposit into a linked Hong Kong bank account.
Braintree’s fees are almost identical to Stripe’s. There’s a 3.4% commission on each charge, a HK$2.35 transaction fee and an additional 1% fee for transactions made in a foreign currency. Businesses that accept more than HK$650,000 per month are eligible for discounted rates.
Chargebacks are subject to a HK$160 fee. Braintree’s chargeback fee is imposed even if your business successfully disputes and reverses the chargeback.
If you’d like to use Braintree to process credit card and PayPal payments for your Hong Kong business, you can sign up online here.
2Checkout
Global payment processor 2Checkout is available in Hong Kong, although its significant fees for cross border transactions make it less appealing than Stripe and Braintree for online businesses that generate most of their revenue internationally.
With a 2Checkout account, Hong Kong companies can accept payments in 87 currencies using eight payment methods, ranging from Visa, MasterCard and American Express to options such as PIN debit cards and PayPal.
For Hong Kong companies that do business internationally, 2Checkout’s biggest weakness is its pricing. There’s a 3.9% commission on each transaction, as well as a 45c fee. Any cross border payments incur a 1.5% fee, with an additional 2-5% currency conversion fee to HKD.
While these costs can add up, 2Checkout does have its strengths. It integrates with more than 100 shopping carts and offers easy recurring billion for subscription businesses. It also offers a variety of payment gateway languages, making it ideal for businesses with a global audience.
If you’d like to use 2Checkout to process payments for your Hong Kong company, you can sign up here.
PayPal
While it may not be the most glamorous payment processor available, PayPal is a great option for Hong Kong businesses that want to get up and running quickly. Hong Kong companies can accept credit card payments via a PayPal button or Express Checkout.
Fees for Hong Kong-based PayPal users start from 2.9% of the total transaction value, with an additional HK$2.35 fee per payment. Overseas payments have a higher 4.4% fee, with currency conversion fees for payments received in a currency other than HKD.
PayPal offers discounted rates for merchants that process a high volume of sales, which bring its fee structure down to the same level as Stripe and Braintree. PayPal Website Payments Pro is also available for Hong Kong companies, with a fixed HK$200 monthly fee.
If your Hong Kong business does a modest transaction volume or simply wants to get up and running as quickly as possible, PayPal is a good option. You can register online here and start processing credit card and PayPal payments right away.
eWAY
Australian payment processor eWAY, which has been serving Australian businesses since 2004 and New Zealand businesses since 2009, is available in Hong Kong. Like Stripe and Braintree, eWAY has a quick registration process that lets you start taking payments within a few days.
Fees start from 3.6% + SG30c per transaction, with a SG$20 monthly account fee billed on an annual basis. An all-in-one plan with no monthly fee is also available. All eWAY plans come with a dedicated account manager and unlimited free support via phone or online chat.
eWAY integrates with a large variety of shopping carts, ecommerce platforms, membership site software and accounting applications. View eWAY’s pricing plans and register online here.
AsiaPay
AsiaPay is a Hong Kong-based payment processor that primarily works with companies trading in Hong Kong. If you sell to local Hong Kong customers online and have a reasonable volume of sales, one of AsiaPay’s various services could be a good fit for your business.
Paydollar, AsiaPay’s e-commerce payment processing service, supports up to 126 currencies and allows payment methods ranging from the usual credit cards to China-specific options like AliPay, TenPay and China UnionPay.
AsiaPay’s support for Chinese payment solutions make it a great choice if your company sells to customers in the People’s Republic of China. Learn more about AsiaPay’s services and request pricing information here.
Do you know of any we missed? Let us know via Twitter 🙂
