Online payments for websites in Lebanon: what actually works
SummaryEvery store I build in Lebanon starts with one question, before any design: how will customers pay? Most answers online are a row of logos, and half of them are closed to merchants here. So I went to each provider's own pages in October 2026 and checked. Here is what I found, provider by provider, and what I set up on a site.
The short answer
- Stripe and Shopify Payments do not serve Lebanon.
- PayPal cannot pay money out to a business in Lebanon.
- What works: cash on delivery, Whish Pay, a local card gateway, bank transfer and WhatsApp orders. Most stores need 2 of these, not all 5.
The options in 2026, one by one
Cash on delivery
Still the way most online orders in Lebanon are paid. Older trade data on the country puts cash at more than two thirds of all payments, and every local guide I read this year says cash on delivery is still the default. Customers trust it because they pay when the box is in their hands.
It needs no account and no approval. On Shopify it is a built-in manual payment method, with your instructions shown on the order page. On a custom-built site I add it as a checkout option with the delivery fee shown before the customer commits. Surprise fees at checkout stop orders, so show them early.
Whish Pay
Whish is a Lebanese wallet licensed by Banque du Liban in August 2022, with more than 1,000 locations where people cash in and out. Whish Pay lets a customer pay from their Whish balance.
On Shopify there is a free Whish Pay app, launched in March 2025. The customer enters the mobile number tied to their Whish account, approves with a code in the app, and the money arrives in your Whish account. A merchant on Shopify's forum noted in 2026 that it takes the customer away from the checkout page to pay. Several Lebanese developers also list Whish Pay on WordPress and custom sites. Whish does not describe that on its public pages, and its fees page lists no merchant rate, so ask Whish about both before you count on it.
Local card gateways
These take Visa and Mastercard from customers in Lebanon and abroad and settle to you here. The names I verified on their own pages or on official Lebanese lists:
- NetCommerce. Running since 1999, founded by Credit Libanais, Fransabank and Teleinvest. Its site shows Visa, Mastercard and American Express. It says onboarding takes a few business days once the paperwork and approvals are done, and depends on your website being ready. Fees are not published. You ask.
- areeba. The Beirut card company that runs much of the card terminal network in Lebanon. Merchants on Shopify's forum say its online gateway takes Visa and Mastercard and that areeba asks for a registered company. Its site blocked my requests and it does not publish fees, so the terms come from areeba directly.
- Bank gateways. Bank of Beirut offers an online gateway for all major cards to its merchants. Bankmed's e-payment gateway appears on the Ministry of Economy's list of online payment platforms. Both are bank products, so expect the bank to want you as a client first.
- MontyPay. Registered in Lebanon and authorised by the central bank as a payment service provider. Offers a gateway, pay by link and QR. Fees not published.
- Amazon Payment Services. Lists Lebanon as 1 of the 9 countries it serves in the region.
- Tap Payments. One to be careful with. Tap's Lebanon page still advertises payment links and payouts to Lebanese bank accounts, but its support page, updated in April 2025, says it is not taking new merchants from Lebanon. Check with Tap before you build around it.
The Ministry of Economy's list also carries PinPay, CMO and CashU. The same list appeared in a 2019 government directory, and merchants on Shopify's forum reported those three inactive since then. Treat the list as a starting point, not a promise.
Bank transfer
For bigger orders, some customers prefer to transfer and send you the receipt on WhatsApp. On Shopify this is the bank deposit manual method. On a custom site it is a checkout option with your account details on the confirmation page. No gateway fee, but you confirm each payment by hand.
WhatsApp order, pay on delivery
The site shows products, prices and delivery fees. The customer taps the WhatsApp button, you confirm, they pay at the door or by Whish transfer. It is in every package I build, and for a shop with 20 products it is often the only checkout needed on day 1.
International cards
Customers abroad pay with Visa or Mastercard through the same local gateways. A family abroad ordering for parents in Beirut is the common case: the card is foreign, the delivery is local, and the gateway settles to you in Lebanon. Ask each provider about foreign cards and currency before signing, because the rules differ.
OMT
OMT Pay is OMT's wallet. It holds both Lebanese pounds and US dollars, with payments in stores and by QR. OMT's site and FAQ do not describe a checkout for websites, so I do not promise one. Where OMT helps is pickup: a customer abroad sends cash to an OMT branch for a relative to collect, and that settles an order.
Is PayPal available in Lebanon?
No, not in a way that pays you.
- PayPal's developer documentation has a table of countries and what each can do: send, receive and withdraw. Lebanon is not in it.
- PayPal's own community moderators tell people in Lebanon that PayPal is not available there, and that using a VPN or another country's account can get the account limited.
- Zoho's list of countries where PayPal does not support registered businesses includes Lebanon.
Some guides say you can still send money from a Lebanese card through PayPal. PayPal's community says it is not available at all. Either way, receiving is out, so a PayPal button on a Lebanese site has no account to land in. A cousin's account abroad is against PayPal's rules, and frozen funds are the usual end of that story. If your customers are abroad, give them a card gateway that takes foreign cards instead.
What a merchant needs to apply
Each provider has its own list. From the providers' pages and the merchant threads I read, plan on:
- A registered business. Merchants report areeba asks for one. Bank gateways come through the bank, so a business account there.
- An account to receive the money. A bank account for card gateways, a Whish account for Whish Pay.
- Your ID and the company papers.
- A website that is ready to review. NetCommerce ties its onboarding time to that.
- Days to weeks for approval. NetCommerce says a few business days after approvals. The others do not say.
My build takes 7 days. The gateway approval runs on the provider's clock. Apply on day 1, and by day 7 the store is live with cash on delivery while the card account finishes.
How it plugs into your website
Two patterns. A hosted page: the customer is sent to the provider's page to pay and comes back with the order marked paid. A built-in form: the card fields sit on your own checkout. Whish Pay on Shopify is the first kind. Most local card gateways offer the first kind as standard.
On Shopify, the gateway has to appear in Shopify's provider list for Lebanon, or have an app like Whish Pay's. On a custom-built site, I connect whatever the provider gives you, and the order status updates when the payment confirms.
What my $150 online payments add-on covers
Online payments is an add-on to any package, $150.
- I connect one gateway or wallet that you have an account with.
- I set cash on delivery and bank transfer beside it, with delivery fees shown up front.
- I test it with a real order before launch.
- The provider's fees and the gateway account itself are not included. Those are yours.
Offer the way your customers prefer to pay. For most shops in Lebanon that means cash on delivery first, Whish or a card gateway second.
Side by side
| Option | Open to merchants in Lebanon | Customer needs | You need | Fees | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash on delivery | Yes | Nothing | A delivery plan | None from a provider | Every store, day 1 |
| Whish Pay | Yes | A Whish account | A Whish account | Not published, ask Whish | Local customers who already use Whish |
| Local card gateway: NetCommerce, areeba, bank, MontyPay | Yes | Visa or Mastercard | Registered business, bank account, approval | Provider publishes or quotes them | Card sales, local and abroad |
| Amazon Payment Services | Lists Lebanon | A card | Merchant account | Provider publishes them | Stores selling across the region |
| Tap Payments | Not taking new Lebanese merchants, per its April 2025 support note | A card | Check with Tap | Provider publishes them | Existing Tap merchants only |
| Bank transfer | Yes | A bank account | A bank account | Bank charges only | Large orders |
| WhatsApp order | Yes | None | Small catalogues | ||
| PayPal | No, cannot receive | - | - | - | Nothing in Lebanon |
| Stripe, Shopify Payments | No | - | - | - | Nothing in Lebanon |
Frequently asked questions
Which payment gateway in Lebanon should I pick?
The one that approves you and that your customers already use. For most small shops that is cash on delivery plus Whish Pay. Add a card gateway like NetCommerce or areeba when you have card customers, or customers abroad.
Can I accept online payments in Lebanon without a registered company?
Cash on delivery, bank transfer and WhatsApp orders, yes. Whish Pay depends on Whish's merchant terms. Card gateways and bank gateways expect a registered business. Ask the provider before you build.
Can customers abroad pay on my Lebanese site?
Yes, with a card through a local gateway that takes foreign Visa and Mastercard. Not with PayPal.
Does the $150 add-on include the gateway account?
No. The account, the approval and the provider's fees are yours. The $150 covers connecting the account to your site and testing it.
Is cash on delivery enough to start?
For most shops, yes. It is how most orders in Lebanon are still paid. Launch with it in 7 days and add a gateway when the account is approved.