💳 Get Paid in the Caribbean (Cards, Transfers, and Reality)

How Jamaica pays

Half your buyers want to pay by bank transfer and send proof; the other half want a card checkout that just works. A store that only does one loses half. Build for both from day one.

Card processing options

Local gateways like eZeePayments and Fygaro connect to your Jamaican bank and settle in JMD; Scotia and NCB offer merchant online payments with a bit more paperwork. Expect a percentage plus a small fixed fee per transaction — build it into your price. A card checkout is the single biggest jump in conversion for digital products, because impulse buyers don't do bank transfers.

Bank transfer done properly

Show the account details at checkout, ask for the proof upload right there, and mark the order paid when it lands — then the download goes out automatically. Ezy Cart does exactly this; manual WhatsApp proof-chasing is the thing you're escaping.

Set-up order

① Business bank account. ② Bank transfer checkout live (day one). ③ Apply for a card gateway (one to three weeks). ④ Switch it on and watch your conversion rate double.

✅ Do this now — step by step

1. Open a business bank account this week; gateways settle to it and buyers trust a business name.
2. Put bank transfer with proof upload live on day one — no approval needed.
3. Apply to a card gateway (eZeePayments or Fygaro for JMD; ask your bank about merchant services) — expect 1–3 weeks.
4. Price the fees in: add the percentage + fixed fee to your costs so a J$2,500 product still nets what you planned.
5. When cards go live, watch conversion for two weeks — impulse buyers appear the day card checkout does.

⚠️ Mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for card approval before launching — bank transfer sells from day one.
• Taking payments to a personal account 'temporarily' — it complicates taxes and looks unprofessional.
• Offering only one payment method — every method you skip is a segment of Jamaica you refuse.

🇯🇲 How it plays out in Jamaica