Quick Answer: HitPay is a MAS-licensed payment gateway (PS20200643) that supports card payments (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay) alongside PayNow, GrabPay, ShopeePay, Atome, and 50+ other payment methods — with no monthly fees and next business day SGD payouts. Singapore SMBs that need both card acceptance and local e-wallets in a single integration will find HitPay the most comprehensive option without a subscription cost.

Accepting card payments in Singapore is no longer a differentiator — it is a baseline expectation. Visa and Mastercard are accepted everywhere from Orchard Road boutiques to Tanjong Pagar F&B operators. The real question for SMBs is which gateway delivers card acceptance alongside PayNow, GrabPay, and ShopeePay — without a monthly fee eating into thin margins.

Payment gateways operating in Singapore must hold a valid licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the Payment Services Act 2019. Choosing an unlicensed provider creates regulatory and financial risk. Every gateway in this comparison is MAS-licensed or operates under a regulated entity.

For a broader view of how card payments fit within a full digital payment strategy, the guide to credit card payment options for small businesses in Southeast Asia covers card economics, chargeback risk, and acceptance infrastructure in detail.

What card payment methods does each Singapore gateway support?

All major gateways in this comparison accept Visa and Mastercard. The differences emerge around Amex, UnionPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and — critically for Singapore — local e-wallets and PayNow.

Card-only acceptance is sufficient for some use cases — but a Bugis street-wear brand or a Tiong Bahru café that only accepts cards will miss the significant share of Singapore consumers who default to PayNow or GrabPay at checkout.

How do payout speeds compare for Singapore card transactions?

Cash flow timing is a material operational factor, not an administrative detail. A retail operator waiting T+3 to settle card revenue is effectively extending interest-free credit to their payment provider.

• HitPay: Next business day in SGD for domestic card and PayNow transactions. Cross-border payments (e.g. WeChatPay, UPI, PromptPay) settle at T+2.

• Stripe: Standard payout schedule applies; faster payouts available for eligible accounts via debit card.

• Adyen: “Faster payouts” — exact timing varies by configuration and account tier.

• 2C2P: T+1 to T+3 depending on payment type.

• Airwallex / PayPal / Fiuu: Payout timelines vary; merchants should confirm directly.

For Singapore SMBs running tight weekly cash cycles, next business day settlement on card revenue is a concrete operational advantage.

Which gateways are built for Singapore SMBs vs. enterprise?

HitPay

Best for: SMBs across Singapore that want card payments, PayNow, GrabPay, ShopeePay, Atome, ShopBack PayLater, and 50+ methods in one integration — with zero monthly fees and next business day SGD payouts.

HitPay is MAS-licensed (PS20200643), free to sign up, and approved in 1–3 business days. It also supports cross-border card-adjacent methods including WeChat Pay, UPI (for Indian tourists), QRIS (Indonesian visitors), and PromptPay (Thai visitors) — relevant for merchants in tourist-heavy areas like Orchard Road or Marina Bay. For card transaction pricing, see hitpayapp.com/pricing.

The online payment methods available in Singapore guide outlines how these methods work together at checkout.

Stripe

Best for: Developer-led teams that need extensive API customisation, subscription billing infrastructure, or complex platform payment flows — and can manage ShopeePay’s absence from Stripe’s Singapore method set.

Stripe supports PayNow and GrabPay in Singapore alongside full card acceptance including Amex, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. It has no monthly fee. However, ShopeePay is not available as a Stripe payment method in Singapore, and Stripe’s self-serve setup favours technically capable teams over non-technical merchants.

Adyen

Best for: Enterprise retailers with high transaction volumes, existing Adyen commercial relationships, and dedicated technical teams — not SMBs needing rapid onboarding or local e-wallet support in Singapore.

Adyen processes €1.4 trillion annually and maintains 99.999% historical uptime. In Singapore, its documented payment methods are card-focused. PayNow and GrabPay are not listed as supported Singapore methods in available documentation. Onboarding timelines and minimum volume thresholds make Adyen impractical for most SMBs.

Airwallex

Best for: Businesses that primarily need multi-currency accounts, global FX transfers, and corporate cards — and for whom Singapore local e-wallet acceptance is secondary to treasury management.

Airwallex offers strong FX infrastructure and multi-currency corporate cards. Its Grow plan starts at $79/month, and the Accelerate plan from $399/month. For SMBs whose core need is accepting card payments from Singapore consumers alongside PayNow, those subscription fees add meaningful fixed cost without a corresponding local payments advantage.

2C2P

Best for: Enterprises operating across Southeast Asia that need over-the-counter payment networks (600,000+ locations across Asia) and instalment payment options — not Singapore-focused SMBs seeking fast onboarding.

2C2P’s differentiator is its physical payment network across Asia and its instalment processing capability. For a Jurong East retailer focused on accepting Visa and PayNow from local customers, this infrastructure adds complexity without direct benefit.

PayPal

Best for: Businesses selling to international customers who already hold PayPal accounts — particularly cross-border e-commerce with buyers in the US, Europe, or Australia.

PayPal’s 400 million active global accounts make it relevant for export-facing e-commerce. For domestic Singapore transactions, it lacks PayNow and GrabPay, and its consumer-facing fee structure is less competitive for high-volume local retail.

Fiuu

Best for: Businesses that need virtual terminal card acceptance via mobile phone with minimal hardware — a specific use case where Fiuu‘s virtual terminal capability is relevant.

Fiuu (formerly Razer Merchant Services) supports card acceptance in Singapore. Its local e-wallet coverage for Singapore is limited compared to HitPay. Pricing is not publicly disclosed at the transaction level.

What should Singapore SMBs prioritise when choosing a card gateway?

For most Singapore SMBs, the decision comes down to four criteria:

1. Card breadth — Visa, Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay covered in a single integration.

2. Local method coverage — PayNow, GrabPay, and ShopeePay at minimum. BNPL (Atome, ShopBack PayLater) for retail.

3. Payout speed — next business day SGD settlement for card revenue.

4. Fee structure — no monthly fees for businesses under $50K/month in card volume.

The article on lowering payment processing fees in Singapore covers practical strategies for reducing card transaction costs at the operational level.

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