Eway

Overview

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Eway is one of Australia's largest local online payment gateways. As one of the first locally built payment gateways to offer online credit card processing in Australia — more than a decade before Stripe entered the market — eWAY was later acquired by Global Payments, becoming a key strategic component of the global payments giant's Asia-Pacific operations.

As of 2025, eWAY serves over 50,000 merchants across Australia and New Zealand, processing billions of Australian dollars in transaction volume annually. eWAY is known for its simple, transparent pricing — standard rate of 2.9% + $0.30 AUD with no hidden fees or long-term contracts — making it one of the go-to online payment solutions for Australian SMBs. eWAY also deeply integrates local payment methods like Afterpay and POLi, and has deep expertise in Australian GST, AUD settlement, and local bank acquiring channels.

Key Strengths

• Local Payments Leader in Australia: eWAY is one of the oldest and most widely deployed local payment gateways in Australia, with deep expertise in Australian GST tax, AUD/NZD settlement, and local payment habits. Supports Afterpay, POLi, and other local payment methods. Compared to overseas solutions like Stripe, eWAY's local support and ANZ bank acquiring channels provide a significant advantage.
• Simple, Transparent Pricing: Standard rate of 2.9% + $0.30 AUD with no monthly fees, no hidden charges, and no long-term contracts. For SMBs with stable transaction volumes, the total cost is predictable and manageable.
• Developer-Friendly Integration: eWAY Rapid API provides well-documented RESTful interfaces and SDKs for PHP, Python, Ruby, Node.js, .NET, and more. Merchants can choose between transparent redirect, hosted page, or fully custom payment flows, offering flexibility comparable to enterprise-grade solutions.
• Simplified PCI DSS Compliance: With eWAY Responsive hosted payment page mode, merchants' websites never touch, store, or transmit credit card data, dramatically reducing PCI DSS compliance scope and audit costs — a key differentiator for Australian SMBs without dedicated security teams.
• Flexible Subscription & Token Management: eWAY Token and Recurring solutions provide out-of-the-box recurring billing capabilities for subscription e-commerce, SaaS platforms, and membership sites, reducing the technical barrier to building subscription payment features.

Product Ecosystem

eWAY Rapid API

The core payment API offers three integration modes: Transparent Redirect (consumers stay on the merchant site while data flows directly to eWAY), Responsive Hosted (payment page hosted by eWAY minimizes PCI DSS scope), and Fully Custom (complete control over payment flow and UI via API).

eWAY Token

Card tokenization service that replaces sensitive credit card numbers with secure tokens for repeat purchases and recurring billing. Once generated, tokens can be used multiple times without storing card numbers, ideal for subscription billing and one-click repurchase scenarios.

eWAY Recurring

Recurring subscription billing solution with flexible billing cycle configuration (daily/weekly/monthly/yearly), auto-renewals, and invoice generation. Works with tokenization for automatic deductions without requiring consumers to re-enter card details.

eWAY Fraud Protection

Built-in anti-fraud engine featuring 3DS authentication, CVN verification, address verification (AVS), and a custom risk rule engine. Merchants can configure rules by transaction amount, country, card BIN, and other dimensions to balance approval rates with fraud risk.

API & Integration

eWAY Rapid API provides RESTful interfaces with SDKs and sample code for PHP, Python, Ruby, Node.js, .NET, and more. Webhook notifications (transaction results, refund status, etc.), recurring billing API, token management API, and fraud rule configuration are fully supported. Native plugins and integration modules are available for Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, NetSuite, and other major ecommerce platforms and ERP systems.

Limitations

• Regional Focus, Limited Global Reach: eWAY's core market is Australia and New Zealand with no proprietary acquiring capabilities in other Asia-Pacific regions, Europe, or the Americas. Global coverage requires additional integration with Stripe or Adyen.
• Less Modern API: Compared to global leaders like Stripe, eWAY's API design, documentation experience, and developer tooling (e.g., Webhook testing, API Playground) lag behind, potentially creating friction for advanced development needs.
• Narrow Product Scope: eWAY is primarily a payment gateway, lacking comprehensive fintech platform capabilities (issuing, business accounts, financial automation). Merchants needing an all-in-one financial solution may require additional fintech integrations.

Use Cases

• Australia Market Online Payments (★★★★★): The preferred local payment gateway for e-commerce and retail businesses targeting Australian and New Zealand consumers, with transparent pricing and excellent local support.
• Subscription E-commerce & SaaS Billing (★★★★): Tokenization and recurring billing enable low-cost, quick-to-market billing capabilities for subscription-based businesses.
• SMBs Needing Simplified PCI DSS Compliance (★★★★): The hosted payment page mode dramatically reduces PCI DSS compliance scope, ideal for SMBs without dedicated security teams.
• Global/Multi-Region Business (★★): Best used as an Australia/NZ local payment option alongside Stripe or Adyen for multi-continent coverage.

Pricing

*Standard pricing shown. High-volume merchants can contact eWAY sales for custom rates. Pricing excludes GST.

FAQ

• eWAY vs Stripe for the Australian market? eWAY's advantages: local Australian acquiring, local payment method support (Afterpay, POLi), and simple transparent pricing. Stripe's advantages: more modern API, richer ecosystem products, and global coverage. Recommendation: choose eWAY for Australia-only business; choose Stripe or use both for global business needs; see Payment Gateway Rate Comparison.

• Which payment methods does eWAY support? eWAY supports Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and other major credit/debit cards, plus local payment methods including Afterpay (BNPL) and POLi (Australian bank transfer). Additional international card acceptance is available through the Global Payments network; see Cross-border Payment Platform Comparison.

• What is eWAY's settlement cycle? Typically T+1 to T+2 business days. New merchants may have an initial 7-14 day holding period. Specific settlement terms are confirmed during onboarding; see Payment Gateway Rate Comparison.

• Is eWAY suitable for non-Australian businesses? Yes, but eWAY's pricing and support system is centered on the ANZ market. Non-Australian businesses collecting payments from Australian customers can use eWAY, but for global coverage, evaluate Stripe or Adyen; see Cross-Border Collection Comparison.