Which online payment methods to offer in your store

For an online store in Romania, the practical mix is: card payment, cash on delivery (ramburs) and at least one digital wallet (Apple Pay / Google Pay). Card and wallets get you paid instantly and cut abandoned orders, while cash on delivery stays essential because many Romanians still want to see the product before they pay. Bank transfer is a useful extra, mainly for large orders or B2B clients. You don't need all of them from day one — start with card + cash on delivery and add the rest once you see what your customers ask for.

What do Romanian shoppers actually prefer?

Cash on delivery (cash or card to the courier) is still in high demand, especially outside big cities and on first orders from a new store, when trust hasn't formed yet. It's the buyer's safety net: see the parcel, then pay. In parallel, online card payment has grown a lot, pushed by couriers who accept cards at delivery and by the habit of Apple Pay / Google Pay on the phone.

The practical takeaway: don't choose between them. Drop cash on delivery too early and you lose hesitant buyers; skip card and you lose the ones who want to finish fast, from their phone, without waiting for the courier. Offer both and let the customer choose.

Card: how it works and what it costs

For card payments you need a payment processor. In Romania the most common are Netopia Payments, EuPlătesc and PlatiOnline (bank-linked), plus Stripe if you also sell abroad. The money lands in an account and is paid out to you periodically (usually within a few days).

What it costs you: a per-transaction fee, typically a small percentage plus a fixed amount per payment. The usual order of magnitude in the market is somewhere around 1–2.5% of the order value, sometimes with a monthly subscription or setup fee, depending on the provider and your volume. Ask the provider for a concrete quote — the percentage usually drops as you sell more. We won't promise exact figures from each processor, because they vary case by case and year to year.

The advantage of card: you get paid whether or not the customer is still home, and the order is confirmed on the spot. That reduces "changed my mind" returns and parcels refused at the door.

Cash on delivery: safe for the customer, but with hidden costs

Cash on delivery brings you buyers who otherwise wouldn't purchase, but it isn't "free". The real costs are: the courier's cash-handling fee, money reaching you later (after the courier collects and transfers it), and a higher rate of refused parcels — the customer orders on impulse and then doesn't pick it up. Every refused parcel means round-trip shipping you pay for.

The trick is not to remove it, but to make it slightly less attractive than card: for example, a small cash-on-delivery fee shown transparently, or free shipping only with online payment. You nudge gently toward card without losing the customer who genuinely wants cash on delivery.

Bank transfer and digital wallets

Bank transfer is cheap for you — near-zero fee — but slow and full of friction: the customer has to leave your store, open their banking app and type in the IBAN. It suits large orders, B2B invoices or clients who pay that way anyway. As the only option for an impulse-buy store, it loses sales.

Digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) usually run through the same processor as card payment, so they don't add a big separate cost, but they dramatically shorten checkout on the phone: one touch with fingerprint or face, no typing the card number. On mobile, where more and more shopping happens, this directly reduces abandoned orders.

Table: the methods side by side

What to start with

At launch: card + cash on delivery, plus Apple Pay / Google Pay if your processor includes them in the same contract (they often do). Add bank transfer when large orders or company clients appear. Don't clutter the payment page with ten options — too many choices slow the decision down. And if you're building a store anyway, a clear, fast checkout matters as much as the methods themselves; see also how much a website costs and why I need a website.

A store from us starts from €690, and we handle the payment-processor integration as part of delivery, so you're not left alone with the technical side.

Want to see how your store would look with online payment set up? Message us on WhatsApp at wa.me/40750257140 and we'll do a free demo, no strings attached.