Setting up Shopify Payments in the Netherlands: iDEAL, Klarna and more

Payment is the last moment before conversion, and simultaneously the place where most drop-offs happen. If you don’t offer the right payment methods, you’ll lose customers who absolutely expect them. In this article I explain how to set up Shopify Payments for the Dutch market and what choices to make.

Shopify Payments vs. external payment provider

Shopify has two options for handling payments:

Shopify Payments is Shopify’s own payment service. Advantages: directly integrated, no extra transaction fees (only the standard card fees), and your dashboard shows everything in one overview. In the Netherlands, Shopify Payments supports iDEAL, Bancontact, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) and Klarna.

External payment providers such as Mollie, MultiSafepay or Buckaroo. Advantages: sometimes more local payment methods, well-known names with Dutch consumers. Disadvantage: Shopify charges an extra transaction fee of 0.5%–2% on top of the provider’s fees (unless you use Shopify Payments).

For most Dutch stores, Shopify Payments is the best choice due to lower total costs and simple integration.

Activating Shopify Payments

1. Go to your Shopify dashboard → Settings → Payments
2. Click Activate Shopify Payments
3. Fill in your business details: Chamber of Commerce number, IBAN, VAT number
4. Verify your identity (Shopify requests a copy of an ID)
5. Activate the desired payment methods

Verification typically takes 1–3 business days. You can go live with your store, but payouts start only after approval.

Setting up iDEAL

iDEAL is the most widely used payment method in the Netherlands — more than 60% of all online payments go via iDEAL. It’s therefore not optional, it’s a must.

After activating Shopify Payments you enable iDEAL as follows:

1. Settings → Payments → Shopify Payments → Manage
2. Enable iDEAL under Dutch payment methods
3. Set your IBAN for payouts

Costs: iDEAL transactions via Shopify Payments cost approximately €0.29 per transaction (no percentage). This is cheaper than most external providers.

Klarna: buy now, pay later

Klarna is an essential part of the Dutch e-commerce landscape in 2026. “Buy now, pay later” significantly lowers the purchase barrier — and you see that reflected in your conversion rate.

Klarna offers three options:

• Klarna Pay Later — pay within 30 days
• Klarna Slice It — pay in instalments
• Klarna Pay Now — direct payment via Klarna’s interface

Costs: Klarna charges a percentage per transaction (typically 2.99% + €0.35). Shopify Payments integrates Klarna directly without additional Shopify charges.

Credit cards and Apple/Google Pay

Credit cards are activated automatically via Shopify Payments. Apple Pay and Google Pay are also automatically offered to shoppers who have these set up in their browser or device — no extra configuration on your part.

In 2026 a growing share of mobile shoppers pay via Apple Pay. Make sure your checkout doesn’t stumble on this.

Comparing transaction costs

With Basic plan + Shopify Payments:

• iDEAL: ~€0.29 per transaction
• Credit card (NL): 1.8% + €0.25 per transaction
• No extra Shopify transaction fee

With Basic plan + external provider (e.g. Mollie):

• Mollie’s own rates (iDEAL: ~€0.29)
• Plus 2% extra Shopify transaction fee per order

The difference adds up quickly at higher volumes. At €20,000 revenue per month, the external provider costs you around €400 extra in fees.

What to do at high volume?

If you have more than €50,000 monthly revenue, it’s worth upgrading to the Shopify plan or Advanced plan — the transaction fees for card payments decrease, and the Shopify surcharge for external providers also drops.

Practical advice

Offer at minimum: iDEAL, Klarna Pay Later and credit card. That covers 95%+ of Dutch buyers. Consider Bancontact if you also serve Belgian customers.

Keep your checkout steps to an absolute minimum. Shopify’s One Page Checkout (available on all plans since 2024) demonstrably reduces drop-off rates.

Need help setting up payments or the technical configuration of your Shopify store? Book a free conversation and I’ll help you sort it out.