Use cases
Real-world examples of how businesses use Payment Acceptance — e-commerce checkouts, mobile app payments, in-store QR payments, and recurring billing scenarios.
Overview
This page maps real-world business scenarios to the PayMongo payment methods and features that fit them best. Each scenario links to the relevant implementation guides — this page doesn't repeat integration steps.
E-commerce checkout
A customer browses your online store, adds items to their cart, and pays at checkout.
Common payment methods:
- Cards — Visa/Mastercard, with optional 3D Secure
- E-wallets — GCash, Maya, GrabPay, ShopeePay
- QR Ph — customer scans QR at checkout
- Direct Online Banking — bank transfer via BPI, UBP, and others
- BNPL — customer pays in installments via BillEase
Relevant features:
- Refunds — process full or partial refunds when orders are cancelled or returned
Typical flow: Present all payment methods at checkout. The customer selects one, completes any redirect or authentication required, and lands on your order confirmation page.
Mobile app payments
A customer pays inside your iOS or Android app.
Common payment methods:
- Cards
- E-wallets — with deep link support so the payment completes inside the GCash app without switching browsers
- Google Pay — one-tap payment using cards saved in the customer's Google account
Relevant features:
- Handle Deep Links — required for GCash payments in mobile apps; without this, the "Open in GCash" button won't work
- Card Vaulting — store a card token on a Customer object so returning users don't re-enter card details
Typical flow: Customer pays in-app, GCash opens via deep link, customer authenticates, control returns to your app.
In-store and counter payments
A customer pays at a physical counter, market stall, or service window.
Common payment methods:
- QR Ph (In-store) — static QR code the merchant displays; customer scans and enters the amount
Typical flow: Print or display the QR code standee at your counter. The customer scans it with their banking app, enters the amount, and you receive an SMS and a dashboard notification when payment is confirmed.
Recurring billing and subscriptions
A customer pays automatically on a schedule — monthly SaaS, annual membership, weekly delivery service.
Relevant features:
- Subscriptions — create billing plans and manage automated invoice generation and payment collection
- Card Vaulting — required for card-based subscriptions; the customer's card is stored as a token
Supported payment methods for subscriptions: Cards (Visa/Mastercard), Maya
Typical flow: Customer subscribes and completes the first payment manually. Subsequent billing cycles are charged automatically from the stored payment method.
International customers paying in USD
An international buyer wants to pay in US dollars.
Relevant features:
- USD Card Acceptance — set the Payment Intent currency to
USD; PayMongo converts to PHP automatically before settlement
Typical flow: Standard card payment flow, with "currency": "USD" in the Payment Intent. The customer sees and pays in USD; you receive the equivalent in PHP.
High-value orders with fraud risk
A merchant wants to verify an order before charging the customer.
Relevant features:
- Hold Then Capture — authorize the card to hold funds for up to 7 days, then capture (charge) only when you're ready to fulfill
Typical flow: Create a Payment Intent with capture method set to manual. Customer completes 3DS authentication. Funds are held. You verify the order and call the Capture endpoint. Customer is charged only at that point.
Updated about 4 hours ago