Payment Gateways in Malta: Comparing BOV, Stripe and Revolut

The best payment option depends on your business, customers and operations. Compare merchant approval, the full fee structure, settlement and the checkout integration; a low advertised transaction percentage is not a complete comparison.

Confirm that the provider accepts your business

BOV describes an eCommerce merchant offering, Stripe lists Malta among supported countries, and Revolut documents online merchant payment options. These facts do not mean every applicant or business category is accepted. Obtain approval for your actual legal entity, activity, expected volume and customer markets before paying for an integration.

Ask whether a separate merchant facility is required and which payment methods are available to your approved account. Do not confuse a personal banking account, a business account and an enabled merchant service. Country support is the start of due diligence, not the end of underwriting.

Compare total cost with your own basket mix

Request the current written charges that apply to you: processing, fixed transaction amounts, foreign cards, currency conversion, refunds, disputes and any account or gateway charges. Fees can depend on contract and transaction type. This guide deliberately does not present undated rates as a reliable quote.

Model a representative month using your average order value, likely card mix and refund rate. A fixed component has a different effect on a €10 order than a €500 order. Include integration and support costs as well as provider fees, then test how the comparison changes if sales volume grows.

Check settlement, refunds and reconciliation

Ask when funds become available, which bank receives them and how reserves or reviews could affect access. Establish who handles customer refunds and how staff match payments to order records. Export a sample settlement report before deciding it will fit your accounting workflow.

Draw the failure paths too: payment authorised but the order page closes, a delayed confirmation, a duplicate event or a partial refund. Your shop needs clear order states and a way to investigate exceptions. A successful browser redirect alone should not be treated as authoritative proof that the correct order was paid.

Choose a maintainable checkout integration

Hosted checkout and supported plugins can reduce the amount of sensitive payment handling your website performs. They still need configuration, testing and maintenance. Ask which provider documentation and software version the developer will use, and who owns the merchant credentials and integration accounts.

Test the mobile journey, cancellation, rejected payment, authentication challenge and refund process in the provider's supported test environment. Confirm that order value, currency and stock are calculated on the server. Keep secrets out of frontend scripts and never ask customers to email card details.

Decide with a short comparison sheet

Use columns for merchant approval, relevant payment methods, full monthly cost assumptions, settlement, refunds, reporting, integration ownership and support. Mark unknown items as unknown rather than interpreting missing information as a free service or unavailable feature.

Get account-specific answers from each shortlisted provider and involve your accountant where settlement or tax treatment matters. For implementation details around two other commonly encountered options, see our Apcopay and Trust Payments integration guide. The provider should fit how you run the shop, not merely the checkout button you prefer.

Sources and review

Official references checked on 18 October 2026. Provider terms, funding calls and technical documentation can change; verify the applicable version before committing to a purchase or application.

• BOV eCommerce information
• Stripe supported-country information
• Revolut online-payment integration options