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Published on 1 December 2025•8 minutes

Best PCI compliant payment gateways in 2026

Alex Hammond
Content Marketing Manager (EMEA)

Best PCI compliant payment gateways in 2026

Key takeaways

PCI DSS compliance is about managing payment data securely. It’s your responsibility, as well as your payment gateway provider’s.
Payment card fraud is rising and a major concern for consumers. Using a PCI DSS compliant gateway protects their data, your brand, and your spending on expensive legal issues.
Airwallex’s payment gateway is Level 1 certified (the highest possible) for PCI DSS. We process all the major card schemes, as well as 160+ local payment methods and 130+ currencies. With low-cost FX rates and local settlement in 60+ countries, you keep more of the money you earn.

When researching payment gateways, there are two acronyms that need close attention: PCI (Payment Card Industry) and PCI DSS (Data Security Standard).

PCI is a global forum representing payments stakeholders and steers industry standards for account and data security. PCI DSS compliance is a signal – for you and your customers – that a payment gateway is secure and trustworthy.

In this article, we’re going to highlight some of the best PCI compliant gateways available, so you can be confident when choosing your next payments platform.

Seven PCI compliant payment gateways to consider in 2026

The providers listed below aren’t your only options, but they represent a great cross-section of the market and a variety of use cases.

Airwallex

Building global financial infrastructure for growing businesses – 160+ payment methods, 130+ currencies, and like-for-like settlement in 60+ countries.

Great for: Businesses with an international customer base.

Cost of debit card transaction: 1.30% + 0.20 GBP

Stripe

Providing a suite of financial and payments products, Stripe is a huge name in payments. They estimate they processed 1.3% of the world’s GDP in 2024. ¹

Great for: Pick-and-choose products to build a custom payments system.

Cost of debit card transaction: 1.5% + 0.20 GBP ²

Adyen

One of Europe’s biggest names in payments, Adyen is an enterprise-level payment processor with a full range of payments products.

Great for: Businesses with an annual transaction volume over £5 million. ³

Cost of debit card transaction: £0.11 + Interchange+ + 0.60%. ⁴

Checkout.com

As the name suggests, Checkout.com specialises in eCommerce and online payments.

Great for: Straightforward, no added extras, online checkout.

Cost of debit card transaction: Pricing on enquiry.

Worldpay (FIS)

Payments, fraud prevention, revenue optimisation, and embedded finance in one package, Worldpay is a holistic solution for retailers.

Great for: Pay-as-you-go package deals.

Cost of debit card transaction: 1.30% + 0.20 GBP on pay–as-you-go plan. ⁵

Mollie

An established name in European payments, with a customer base exceeding 250,000, Mollie is a popular gateway provider.

Great for: Businesses with a variety of sales channels, predominantly in Europe.

Cost of debit card transaction: 1.20% + 0.20 GBP. ⁶

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Comparing PCI compliant gateway options

Before we go any further into security, let’s compare them on some basics for these PCI compliant payment gateways. You’ll have your own criteria, but this is a good starting point.

	Number of currencies accepted	Number of payment methods accepted	Cost of a £100 online debit card transaction*	TrustPilot rating**
Airwallex	130+	160+	£1.50	3.6 ⁷
Stripe	135+ ⁸	100+ ⁸	£1.70	1.9 ⁹
Adyen	139 ¹⁰	103 ¹¹	£1.11 (presuming 0.4% interchange rate)	1.3 ¹²
Checkout.com	145+ ¹³	46 ¹⁴	Unknown	3.0 ¹⁵
Worldpay	135 ¹⁶	60+ ¹⁶	£1.50	4.2 ¹⁷
Mollie	29 ¹⁸	41 ¹⁹	£1.40	4.5 ²⁰

* Based on pricing listed above, actual costs may differ.

** Correct at the time of publishing.

What PCI compliance means for payment gateways

A PCI compliant payment gateway handles payment and account data securely. The fuller answer is a bit more complex, so let’s look at these nuances.

A more detailed explanation of PCI DSS

The Data Security Standard sets out ways to handle payment data securely, reducing the risk of fraud and breaches. DSS standardised data security in the payments industry.

The latest edition is v4.0.1, released in March 2025. ²¹ Merchants and processors have to keep up to date with new versions, as each update becomes the active standard. The DSS has 12 core requirements, separated into six categories:

Build and maintain a secure network and systems
Protect account data
Maintain a vulnerability management program
Strong access control measures
Regularly monitor and test networks
Maintain an information security policy

You’re always responsible for complying with PCI DSS, even when using a third party payment gateway. A compliant gateway mitigates your risk; it doesn’t remove it.

What happens if you aren’t PCI DSS compliant?

DSS is compulsory for merchants and gateway providers. If you aren’t compliant, you face multiple risks and costs:

You could be fined and incur second-order costs (e.g. legal representation, fraud recovery, and compensation claims).
Your ability to handle payment data could be revoked (and thus your ability to take card payments).
Your company may face legal action from customers.

The risk isn’t worth taking – and there’s no good reason to take it in the first place.

Understanding PCI DSS compliance vs. certification

Gateways can be non-compliant, compliant, or certified. But, what do those labels mean exactly?

Non-compliant: One or more elements of the gateway fail to meet PCI DSS standards. These gateways could increase the risk of fraud, data breaches, and resultant punishments.
Compliant: The gateway has followed all the requirements of the DSS, confirmed by a self-assessment.
Certified: The gateway has been assessed and approved by an external qualified security assessor (QSA). Certification is the ultimate in PCI DSS compliance.

For instance, Airwallex has been certified as a Level 1 Service Provider – the highest and most stringent certification possible.

Why PCI compliance matters more in 2026

EU citizens consistently list payment fraud as their main financial issue ²² – and with good reason. In the EU, card payment fraud rates exceeded any other payment type in H1 2023. ²³In the UK, H1 2025 saw a 5% increase in the value of card fraud and a 19% increase in cases. ²⁴

Card payments are only becoming more popular. In 2024, they accounted for 64% of all payments in the UK and will reach 67% in 2034. ²⁵ Card payments are growing and increasingly attractive to criminals.

A PCI DSS breach dovetails with a data protection breach. Combining PCI and ICO fines could be eye-watering. Plus, if you have international customers, you may have duties under their local data laws.

Cloud computing, AI, and API integrations are inescapable in 2026. These systems unlock potential, revenue, and success – and weak points.

The overarching risk you face is damage to your brand and reputation. A data breach is a red flag and it’s hard to build trust with that in your history.

Key criteria for evaluating a PCI compliant gateway

Our focus in this article is PCI compliant payment gateways – so let’s lay out the security criteria to consider when assessing different providers.

Criterion	Why it matters	What to look for
PCI certification level	The more transactions a company processes, the higher its certification must be.	A public or available-on-request certificate. See Airwallex’s certificate for an example.
Tokenisation and encryption	For secure transmission, your gateway should encrypt and tokenise payment data.	Claims that they use tokenisation and 256-bit encryption (the current gold standard for encryption).
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)	Customers should prove their identity with at least two different credentials to make a payment.	3D Secure, push notifications, and other MFA systems.
Fraud and risk tools	Fraud is best prevented, rather than treated.	Real-time fraud tools and data and actions based on your fraud rates.
Chargeback policies	Chargebacks are a part of retail, but a fair and clearly explained policy will protect you.	A policy you can understand, that feels fair, and has no hidden or awkward clauses.
Integration and DevRel	Your gateway and its data need to be flexible and accessible – for your technical level.	Detailed API documentation, a clear onboarding process, and suitable customer service SLAs.

Airwallex’s fraud prevention dashboard

Common mistakes when choosing a “secure” gateway

You can’t account for everything, but you can avoid some of the more common errors when searching for a PCI compliant payment gateway.

Don’t presume a gateway is compliant. Check for their Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) or certificate from a QSA.
Don’t assume that you’re compliant. Check your obligations under data protection laws and PCI DSS and don’t leave any gaps with your gateway provider.
Account for international customers and their local data laws. GDPR compliance won’t help you in the USA.
Don’t decide on cost and cost alone. Pricing matters, but you could pay more in the long-term with a low-cost, high-risk provider.

How Airwallex delivers PCI compliant payment infrastructure

Airwallex’s Service Provider Level 1 certification means that, among many things, we:

Have a QSA conduct an annual on-site audit.
Complete and submit an annual Report on Compliance (RoC) and Attestation of Compliance.
Undergo quarterly network vulnerability scans with an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV).

Our wider security measures also include:

Airwallex tokenises payment data, adding a further layer of security for you and your customers.
We use local rails for 90% of our transactions, reducing your exposure to fragile legacy payment methods.
The Airwallex API uses the OAuth 2.0 protocol and only supports HTTPS requests secured with PCI DSS-compliant TLS and cipher suites. The result is a highly secure, yet powerful and flexible integration.

Beyond security, Airwallex offers competitive and transparent prices on payments, transfers, and FX. With an Airwallex Global Account, you can settle payments and hold balances in currencies used in over 60 countries. This is the financial infrastructure that global businesses need to succeed.

Compliance pays when choosing your payment gateway

If you or your payment gateway fail to process payment data securely, you’ll take a huge financial and reputational hit.

Thankfully, there are many great PCI compliant payment gateways on the market. You still have a responsibility to stay compliant, but with a partner like the ones listed in this article, you can act with more confidence.

Balancing costs and compliance is a delicate act. Consider your choice of gateway as an investment in the future health and success of your company.

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FAQs

Is PCI DSS a law?

PCI DSS is not a law. It’s a security standard, agreed by the payments industry. As the accepted standard across the industry, non-compliance puts you at risk of fines and other punishments from payment networks and data protection offices.

How do I know if I’m complying with PCI DSS?

The easiest step is to use a payment gateway provider that has a Level 1 Service Provider certification. This means they’ve been independently assessed as meeting all the requirements of the Standard.

You’re still responsible for compliance, though. If you’re unsure about anything, you should contact a cybersecurity specialist with an understanding of the payments industry.

Do I have to pay for PCI DSS compliance?

There are costs involved with PCI DSS compliance, including self assessment and vulnerability scanning. There are further costs for full certification,

The exact price and your involvement depends on multiple factors. You’ll need to contact a PCI DSS Qualified Security Assessor to find out.

How do I keep customer payment data safe?

The biggest thing you can do is use a PCI DSS compliant payment gateway. They will, at the very least, encrypt all payment data to a high standard. Many will also use tokenisation to protect payment and account data. Sticking to best practice with API management and general data security will also help.

Sources and references

Alex Hammond
Content Marketing Manager (EMEA)

Alex Hammond is a fintech writer at Airwallex. He specialises in creating content that helps businesses navigate global and local payments, and scale at speed.

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