How to get paid online in Mexico: real methods and costs

The 5 online payment methods (and when to use each one)

• Online store checkout: the classic card cart. For catalog sales with volume. Typical commission 3-4% + VAT.
• Payment link: you generate a link and send it by WhatsApp or email. Ideal for conversational sales, quotes and services. Same cost as checkout, zero development.
• SPEI / transfer with reference: low or no commission, no chargebacks. Perfect for high ticket and B2B; The challenge is to reconcile — automate it.
• Cash in convenience stores: the customer pays in the store with a reference. Essential if you sell to the unbanked public.
• Recurring / subscription charge: direct debit to card for memberships, tuition, rents and plans. The key is automatic retry when a card fails.

Months without interest: when are they convenient

MSIs raise the average ticket by 30-60% in Mexico, but they cost: the business absorbs an additional 4-12% surcharge depending on the term. The practical rule: activate them only on tickets above $1,000-1,500 MXN and raise them to the price or margin.

Used well, MSIs are not an expense: they are a conversion lever. A cart for $6,000 MXN "at 6 fortnights of $1,000" sells much easier than the same cash price.

Chargebacks: the hidden cost that no one explains to you

A chargeback occurs when the customer disputes the charge with their bank. While it is resolved, the money is frozen — and in most cases the merchant loses if it does not have evidence of delivery.

Protect yourself from the design: save evidence of delivery (guide with acknowledgment, confirmation by WhatsApp), use clear collection descriptors (that the customer recognizes the charge in their account statement), and in high tickets consider transfer instead of card.

What to look for when choosing your catwalk

• Actual total commission: percentage + fixed per transaction + VAT on commission. Compare to your average ticket, not the advertised percentage.
• Deposit time: between 1 and 7 business days depending on provider. With tight flow, those days matter.
• Method coverage: cards + SPEI + cash + MSI in a single provider simplifies your reconciliation.
• Integration with your operation: have the payment mark the order as paid, trigger the invoice and update your flow — just. Charging in one system and managing in another is eternal double capture.
• With Aura Payments, collections live within your system: checkout, payment links, MSI and physical terminal, with the order, invoice and reconciliation connected from the source.