How to accept payments on a Nigerian website

By Jordan Sede, Fritt. Updated October 2026.

The short answer: you connect your website to a payment gateway. Nigerian businesses commonly use Flutterwave or Paystack, and businesses registered in a country that Stripe supports can use Stripe. Your website collects the order, the gateway handles the payment, and the money is paid out to your own bank account.

How online payments work

When a customer checks out, your website sends them to the payment gateway, either on a hosted payment page or in a pop up. The customer pays by card, bank transfer, or another method the provider offers. The gateway confirms the payment to your website so the order can be marked as paid, and your money is then paid out to the bank account you linked. Payout timing differs by provider, so check it before you launch.

Which payment provider should you use?

If you sell mostly to customers in Nigeria and your business is based here, Flutterwave or Paystack is usually the simplest route. If your business is registered abroad, Stripe is often the better fit. Provider availability and rules change, so check each provider's current requirements before you decide.

What you need to get started

• Your identity or business details, for the provider to verify you.
• A bank account where the money will be paid out.
• Details about your website and what you sell.

Exact requirements vary by provider and by how your business is registered, so read the provider's current sign up guide.

The setup steps

1. Choose a provider that suits where your business is based and who your customers are.
2. Open the account in your own name or your business name.
3. Complete verification and add the bank account for payouts.
4. Connect it to your website. A developer adds the checkout and links it to your provider account.
5. Test, then go live. Most providers offer a test mode, so you can run practice orders before taking real money.

What do payments cost?

Payment providers charge a fee on each transaction. The rate and any cap differ by provider, payment method, and country, and they change over time, so check each provider's pricing page for current figures. Work the fee into your prices so it does not eat into your margin.

Why you should own your payment account

Open the account in your own name, with your own bank account for payouts, and let your developer connect it. That way the money goes straight to you and never passes through anyone else. You control refunds and disputes, you can see every transaction yourself, and you keep the account if you ever change developers. Be careful with any arrangement where a developer collects your customers' money first and pays you later.

Questions to ask your developer

• Which payment providers can you set up for my business?
• Will the account be in my name, with payouts to my bank account?
• Can I test payments before the site goes live?
• What happens to an order if a payment fails?
• Is the payment setup included in the price?

How Fritt sets up payments

The Ecommerce Starter, from ₦500,000, includes cart, checkout, and payments. For Nigerian businesses my default is Flutterwave, and I can set up Paystack or another provider if you prefer. For businesses registered in a country Stripe supports, I can set up Stripe. In every case the payment account is yours, in your name, with payouts going to your own bank account.

You can read more about ecommerce website development in Port Harcourt, see how much a website costs in Nigeria, or compare Shopify and a custom built store.