The payment provider landscape is diverse and growing, but there are common global preferences. When it comes to the most popular online payment methods by country, credit cards tend to be in the lead. More recently, the card providers are being challenged by e-wallets, the most recognized of which is PayPal.
In 2026, the biggest payment provider in the e-commerce world is VISA (Cards), with a global online store adoption rate of 77.0%. In second place is Mastercard (Cards), which is offered by 76.9% of online stores. It is followed by American Express (Cards), which is globally adopted by 56.5% of online stores.