Quick Answer: HitPay is the leading PayNow payment gateway for Singapore websites, supporting PayNow QR alongside GrabPay, ShopeePay, Atome, ShopBack PayLater, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and 10+ cross-border wallets — all with no monthly fees and next business day SGD payouts. HitPay is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under licence PS20200643 and approves merchants in 1–3 business days.

Singapore's shift to digital payments has been rapid. PayNow, operated under the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) framework, processed over 350 million transactions in 2023 — a figure that reflects how deeply instant bank transfers have embedded themselves in everyday commerce. For any Singapore website that sells products or services, the absence of PayNow at checkout is a measurable conversion gap.

But PayNow alone is not a complete payments strategy. Customers arrive with GrabPay wallets, ShopeePay balances, and Atome buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) preferences. Tourists from China use WeChat Pay. Visitors from India tap UPI. A payment gateway that handles only PayNow leaves money on the table.

What Does a PayNow Payment Gateway Actually Do?

A payment gateway is the technology layer that connects a website's checkout to payment networks. For PayNow specifically, the gateway generates a QR code or redirect that links to the customer's banking app, confirms payment in real time, and notifies the merchant's system via webhook.

A capable PayNow gateway must handle four things well:

1. Generate PayNow QR codes dynamically at checkout — unique per transaction, pre-filled with the correct amount

2. Confirm payment status instantly so the order can be fulfilled without manual checking

3. Settle funds reliably — next business day is the standard for domestic SGD transactions

4. Reconcile PayNow alongside cards and wallets in a single dashboard

Without all four, merchants end up cross-checking bank statements manually — a time cost that compounds across hundreds of transactions.

What Payment Methods Must a Singapore Gateway Support in 2026?

PayNow is the floor, not the ceiling. A complete Singapore checkout in 2026 needs to cover five customer segments:

For a boutique in Tiong Bahru or a services firm in Tanjong Pagar, missing any of these segments means turning away customers who simply cannot pay the way they prefer. Research on World Bank financial inclusion data consistently shows that checkout friction — not price — is the primary reason shoppers abandon transactions.

How Do Leading PayNow Gateways Compare?

Several gateways support PayNow in Singapore, but their coverage and cost structures differ significantly.

HitPay Supports PayNow QR, GrabPay, ShopeePay, Atome, ShopBack PayLater, GrabPay PayLater, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, UnionPay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Cross-border wallets include WeChat Pay, UPI, PromptPay, DuitNow, QRIS, QR Ph, KakaoPay, PayCo, LINE Pay, TrueMoney, and Rabbit LINE Pay. No monthly fee. No setup fee. Pay per transaction only. Domestic SGD settlements arrive next business day; cross-border payments settle at T+2. MAS-licensed (PS20200643). Approved in 1–3 business days. Best for: SMBs across Singapore that want zero monthly fees, 50+ payment methods including all major local e-wallets, and next business day payouts — without the complexity of a bank.

Stripe Supports PayNow, GrabPay, cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, WeChat Pay, and Alipay in Singapore. No monthly fee. Strong developer tooling and global reach. Local e-wallet coverage is narrower than HitPay — ShopeePay, Atome, and ShopBack PayLater are not available through Stripe in Singapore. Best for: Developer-led teams building global products that prioritise Stripe's API ecosystem over breadth of local Southeast Asian wallet coverage.

Adyen Enterprise-grade platform processing €1.4 trillion annually. Supports card payments in Singapore with global payment method access. Designed for large-scale businesses with dedicated integration resources. No public self-serve onboarding for SMBs. Best for: Established enterprises with high transaction volumes, dedicated engineering teams, and existing Adyen relationships that require a single global payments platform above all else.

How to Add PayNow to a Singapore Website Using HitPay

HitPay supports integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and custom websites via API. The setup process for most platforms follows these steps:

1. Register at hitpayapp.com — free, no credit card required

2. Submit business verification documents (ACRA registration or equivalent)

3. Receive approval within 1–3 business days

4. Install the HitPay plugin for the relevant platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, or others)

5. Enable PayNow QR from the payment methods dashboard — activation is instant

6. Enable additional methods (GrabPay, ShopeePay, wallets) — cross-border wallet activation takes 3–5 business days via partner providers

7. Test checkout using the HitPay sandbox environment before going live

For merchants selling via social channels, HitPay payment links let Singapore sellers accept PayNow and card payments directly on WhatsApp and Instagram — no website required.

Merchants already on Shopify can follow the step-by-step guide to adding PayNow to a Shopify store using HitPay for a full walkthrough including UX recommendations.

What Should Merchants Check Before Choosing a PayNow Gateway?

Four criteria determine whether a gateway is fit for purpose in Singapore:

• Payment method breadth — does it cover PayNow, major wallets, BNPL, cards, and tourist-facing cross-border methods in a single integration?

• Settlement speed — next business day for SGD domestic transactions is the benchmark; anything slower creates cash flow gaps

• Fee structure — monthly fees add fixed overhead regardless of revenue; per-transaction-only pricing scales with the business

• Compliance — the gateway must hold a valid MAS Payment Services Act licence. Merchants can verify any provider's licence status directly on the MAS public register

For a broader look at how PayNow fits within Singapore's overall online payments landscape, the complete guide to online payment methods in Singapore covers checkout strategy, platform selection, and method prioritisation in detail.

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