Preferred Payment Method

Overview

The Preferred Payment Method feature allows sellers to configure their customers' preferred payment methods during checkout. By using this feature, you can streamline the purchase process, guide customers toward a preferred payment option, or limit the payment methods shown.

Use cases

Preferred Payment Method offers several benefits to sellers:

• Dedicated purchase experience: Offer a streamlined checkout that accepts only your preferred method for specific audiences. For example, accept only cards for customers in the United States or prefer iDeal for customers in the Netherlands.
• Geo-location optimization: Enhance conversion rates by aligning payment methods with buyer preferences in targeted regions. For example, offer SEPA for customers in Italy, where it is the most common payment method.

Prerequisites

Before implementing a preferred payment method, confirm you have:

• A FastSpring checkout (Popup or Embedded) configured in your store
• Familiarity with the FastSpring Store Builder Library
• At least one valid payment method accepted by FastSpring in the target region

How it works

Sellers can implement the preferred payment method in three ways:

Option 1: Preselect one and hide others (FastSpring method)

Choose one of the following ways to preselect a payment method and hide all others.

Preselect and hide others using fastspring.builder.secure()

  fastspring.builder.secure({
      "country": "DE",
      "language": "en",
      "items": [{
          "product": 'virtuso-100-credits',
          "quantity": 2
        }],
      "paymentMethod": 'paypal',
      "hideOtherPaymentMethods": true
  });

Preselect and hide others using the payment directive

fastspring.builder.payment(‘paypal’,true);

Result: Preselects PayPal and hides all other available payment methods in the customer’s region.

Note:

• hideOtherPaymentMethods accepts a boolean (true or false).
• Do not combine hideOtherPaymentMethods with hidePaymentMethods.
• Ensure the preselected payment method is supported for the customer’s country and currency.

Option 2: Preselect one and show others (FastSpring method)

Choose one of the following ways to preselect a payment method while still allowing customers to select other available payment methods.

Preselect and show others using fastspring.builder.secure()

  fastspring.builder.secure({
      "country": "DE",
      "language": "en",
      "items": [{
          "product": 'virtuso-100-credits',
          "quantity": 2
        }],
      "paymentMethod": 'paypal'
  });

Preselect and show others using the payment directive

fastspring.builder.payment('paypal');

Result: Preselects PayPal but leaves other valid payment methods visible and selectable.

Note:

• Do not include hideOtherPaymentMethods or hidePaymentMethods if you want your customers to see alternative payment methods.
• Ensure the preselected payment method is supported for the customer's country and currency.

Option 3: Preselect one and hide specific others (FastSpring method)

Use this option to preselect a payment method and hide only specific other payment methods, rather than all alternatives.

Preselect and hide specific others using fastspring.builder.secure()

  fastspring.builder.secure({
      "country": "DE",
      "language": "en",
      "items": [{
          "product": 'virtuso-100-credits',
          "quantity": 2
        }],
      "paymentMethod": 'paypal',
      "hidePaymentMethods": ["sepa", "wire", "klarna", "card"]
  });

Result: Preselects PayPal and hides the specified payment methods at checkout.

Note:

• hidePaymentMethods accepts an array of payment method identifiers.
• hideOtherPaymentMethods accepts a boolean (true or false).
• hidePaymentMethods and hideOtherPaymentMethods cannot be used at the same time.
• Ensure the preselected payment method is supported for the customer's country and currency.

Valid payment method values

The following table lists the valid values for each supported payment method. Use these values for the "paymentMethod" field in a payload or as an argument passed into the fastspring.builder.payment() method.

For more information, see Payment Methods Accepted.

Customer experience

The Preferred Payment Method feature changes how your customers see and interact with checkout. Below are examples of how the experience looks in different scenarios.

Preselected payment method

When customers reach checkout, the preferred payment method is already selected, allowing them to enter their payment details immediately.

Choosing a different method

If other payment methods are available, customers can switch from the preselected payment method to any other supported in their region.

Returning customers with saved methods

Returning customers see their saved default method automatically. To limit them to a specific card, pass that payment method in the payload.

Note: FastSpring uses tokenization to store payment details securely. Information is only stored if customers opt in via the Securely save payment details checkbox for subscriptions or perpetual products, and it’s never shared with third parties.

FAQs