What is Airwallex Payments and How Does it Work?

Airwallex is a fintech company that provides holistic financial management solutions to businesses. It offers a reliable payment gateway, an expense management tool, multi-currency accounts, a currency converter, and a payout platform.

In this article, we'll share how the Airwallex payment gateway works, its key features and its benefits. Additionally, you’ll learn how Wise Business helps UK businesses receive payments in 8+ through online transfer, payment links, QRcodes and credit or debit cards.

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What is Airwallex Payments?

Airwallex payments is a multi-currency digital wallet that allows businesses to receive local and international payments from customers through a variety of payment methods. It helps businesses settle payments in the same currency without having to set up several entities or pay hidden conversion fees.

With these features, businesses can easily scale and broaden their customer base globally. For example, GOAT, the fashion and sneakers brand for new and used clothing items, widened its reach to other countries using Airwallex’s multi-currency features¹.

How Does Airwallex Payment Gateway Work?

Airwallex's payment gateway lets customers securely receive money in 20+ currencies.² It supports multiple payment methods while offering affordable transaction fees and a merchant integration feature, connecting various payment platforms with your online store, website or app.

With Airwallex’s UK Global Account, UK businesses will receive local and international payments. To get a Global Account:

• start the application process from your dashboard.
• submit all the required information and documents.
• wait for the next 1 to 3 business days for your application to be approved.³

Once you open a Global Account, you can receive payments in GBP (or converted to GBP) from customers or clients within and outside the UK.

N.B.: Since the Global Account is not a holding account, it will automatically be converted to GBP and deposited in your wallet.⁴

So, how can you use Airwallex’s payment gateway?

Say you own a B2B SaaS sales tool for smarter prospecting, you can use Airwallex’s API integration to effectively manage user subscriptions for your product. Alternatively, a media agency that’s wrapping up a successful campaign can create a branded payment link to request payments via social media or email, with no checkout or subscription needed.

Here’s a brief overview of Airwallex’s payment gateway features:

Airwallex Payment Gateway: Key Features

Airwallex’s payment gateway simplifies global payments for modern businesses while making it cost-effective to accept such payments. Here are the features it offers:

Multicurrency Global Accounts

With Airwallex, you can create global accounts in 20+ currencies,² including USD, GBP, CAD, EUR, and HKD. You can also receive payments in GBP when local and international customers send payments using other currencies.

Secured Payment Channel

Airwallex offers a protected gateway by requesting additional verification from customers for online transactions (3D secure)⁶ and adding fraud detection elements to help you lower chargebacks.

Multiple Payment Connections

You can use any of Airwallex’s payment connection solutions to easily process online payments from customers. Airwallex offers four major payment connections:

• Payment Checkout: Choose between an embeddable checkout element for your site or a hosted payment page that automatically redirects your customer to an Airwallex checkout page from your site. This feature allows you to add numerous payment methods and also save your customers’ card details for later.
• Payment Links: Create a branded link or QR code and share directly with your clients through email and social media.
• E-commerce Plugins: Connect your online store – on Shopify, WooCommerce, or Shopline – directly to your Airwallex account and start receiving money from customers locally and internationally through various payment methods. Always ensure that Airwallex supports your e-commerce platform.
• Payment API: Build a simple payment system with an automatic billing structure for your platform using Airwallex’s API components.

Airwallex Payment Methods

Airwallex provides UK-based businesses with several ways to receive domestic and international payments from clients. You can accept domestic bank transfers, Apple Pay and Mastercard and other local payment methods for domestic transactions. On the other hand, here is a comprehensive list of global payment methods⁷:

• Visa Card
• Mastercard
• American Express
• Unionpay
• Diners Club
• Discover (Only works if the shopper is in the US)
• Bank Transfers (SWIFT)
• Apple Pay
• Alipay
• Google Pay
• Airwallex pay
• PayPal
• Skrill
• Klarna
• Afterpay/Clearpay

Airwallex Payment Gateway Fees

Airwallex fees vary based on factors like the country, currency, and type of payment method used, with a fixed gateway fee of 0.20 GBP per transaction⁸ (whether successful or not). Here is a quick list of other fees to guide you:⁹

• 3.15% per transaction: Payments through international cards.
• 1.30% per transaction: UK Card payments.
• 2.40% per transaction: EEA and American Express cards.
• 0.40% per transaction: Subscription-based payments (for businesses that use Airwallex's payment API).

N.B: The fees listed are usually charged together with the general gateway fee, excluding subscription-based payments. Have a more detailed look at Airwallex's gateway fees for the UK in its full fee schedule here.

Simplify online payments with Wise Business

Complex payment gateway integrations are in the past, you can start accepting credit and debit card payments in currencies in minutes with Wise, no code required.

Just send a payment link, invoice, or QR code to your customers, and let Wise handle the rest, ensuring timely payments and improving your cash flow. This streamlined approach wipes out the technical challenges and time-consuming setup associated with traditional payment gateways, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: growing your business.

Say goodbye to high and complex payment processing fees. Wise Business offers a transparent, low-cost solution with just 1% fee 2.9% for international and business cards.

And once the payment is done you can manage multiple currencies effortlessly, all in one account. Enhance your customer relationships and support your business's global expansion with a payment solution that prioritises simplicity and efficiency.

Get started with Wise Business 🚀

FAQs: Airwallex Payment Gateway.

What is the Airwallex payment gateway?

The Airwallex payment gateway is a feature that allows businesses to accept online payments from customers globally. It supports a wide range of payment methods, including cards and bank transfers (including digital wallets), and then deposits the funds directly into your Airwallex wallet through a dedicated Global Account.

What payment methods does Airwallex support?

Airwallex supports major cards like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, and local payment methods depending on your region or country.

Is Airwallex safe to use as a payment gateway?

Yes. Airwallex is regulated in multiple countries and uses advanced encryption and fraud detection systems to protect transactions, like 3D secure and additional verification from customers, i.e OTP.

Sources used in this article:

Sources last checked 24/06/2025.