Where do my funds go?

Directly to your wallet. Smart contracts route every payment from customer to your wallet address. Zateway never holds, touches, or has access to your funds.

Which tokens and chains are supported?

USDT and USDC on Polygon, Solana, Base, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, and Optimism. Customers can pay from any compatible wallet including MetaMask, Phantom, and WalletConnect.

How fast is settlement?

Settlement happens as soon as the transaction is confirmed on-chain — typically seconds to a few minutes depending on the chain and network conditions. There is no batching, no holding period, no payout schedule.

What does Zateway charge?

1% flat fee per transaction, enforced by smart contract. No monthly fees, no setup costs, no withdrawal fees, no hidden charges.

Can the fee ever increase?

For payments processed through our on-chain router contracts, the 1% fee rate is immutable — it cannot be changed by anyone. For all payment paths, the fee rate is governed by our Terms of Service.

Is there a sandbox for testing?

Yes. Zateway includes a separate test mode with zate_test_* keys and sandbox-tagged sessions so you can exercise checkout and webhook flows on testnet without mixing them with live traffic.

Basic verification may be required for higher transaction volumes. You can sign up and explore the dashboard immediately, but KYC verification ensures full access to all features.

How do I integrate Zateway?

Three ways: no-code payment links from the dashboard, REST API for custom integrations, or hosted checkout pages. Shopify and WooCommerce plugins are coming soon. Most developers ship in under an hour.

What is the best alternative to Coinbase Commerce?

Zateway is a leading non-custodial alternative to Coinbase Commerce. It allows merchants to accept crypto directly to their own wallets without intermediary holding periods, custody risks, or arbitrary account suspensions.

Can I accept USDT and USDC payments without high gas fees?

Yes. Zateway supports 6 Layer-2 and high-performance blockchains including Polygon, Solana, Base, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, and Optimism, ensuring sub-cent transaction fees for stablecoin payments.

What is a non-custodial crypto payment gateway?

A non-custodial payment gateway routes customer payments directly to the merchant's own wallet. Unlike custodial solutions like Coinbase Commerce or BitPay, your funds are never held by a third party — reducing counterparty risk to zero.

Is Zateway a good Stripe alternative for crypto?

Yes. While Stripe handles fiat card payments at 2.9% + 30c per transaction, Zateway handles stablecoin payments at just 1% flat with zero chargebacks and direct on-chain settlement. Many merchants use both side-by-side.

How do I send a crypto invoice to my client?

From your Zateway dashboard, create a Payment Link with the invoice amount, description, and optional expiry date. Share the unique link with your client — they see a branded checkout page and can pay in USDT or USDC from any wallet.

Can I add crypto checkout to my Shopify or WooCommerce store?

Yes. Zateway offers hosted checkout flows plus plugins for Shopify and WooCommerce. Crypto checkout appears alongside your existing payment methods with no changes to your store's workflow.

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Guide 5 min readMarch 10, 2026

How to Reduce Payment Processing Fees by 65% with Crypto

You're paying 2.9% + $0.30 on every transaction. Here's how to cut that to 1% flat — without losing customers.

Payment processing fees are one of the largest operational costs for online businesses. A company doing $1M in annual revenue pays $29,000–$35,000 in credit card processing fees. That's the salary of a full-time employee — going to Visa, Mastercard, and their processor middlemen.

The Fee Breakdown You Never See

When you pay 2.9% + $0.30 to Stripe, here's where the money actually goes:

Interchange (Visa/MC)Paid to the issuing bank

1.5–2.0%

Network feesPaid to card network

0.13–0.15%

Processor markupStripe/PayPal's cut

0.7–1.2%

Fixed per-txn feeHits small transactions hardest

$0.30

With crypto payments, you eliminate all four layers. There's no card network, no issuing bank, no processor markup. Just one flat fee — 1% — enforced by a smart contract.

The Savings at Scale

Annual Revenue	Stripe (2.9%+30c)	Zateway (1%)	You Save
$50K	$1,750	$500	$1,250
$250K	$8,500	$2,500	$6,000
$1M	$33,000	$10,000	$23,000
$5M	$160,000	$50,000	$110,000

The Migration Path

You don't have to go all-in. The smartest approach is to add crypto as a payment option alongside your existing card processor. Let customers who prefer crypto self-select. Even if only 20% of your customers pay in crypto, you save significant money.

With Zateway, integration takes under an hour. Use payment links (no code), the REST API, or hosted checkout. Shopify and WooCommerce plugins are coming soon. There's no minimum volume requirement, no monthly fee, and no lock-in contract.

But What About Volatility?

This is the most common objection — and the most outdated one. Zateway only processes stablecoins (USDT and USDC). These are pegged 1:1 to the US dollar. If a customer pays $100 in USDC, you receive $99 in USDC ($100 minus the 1% fee). No volatility. No conversion. No surprises.