Online Payment Methods in Pakistan: Complete Guide

If you are selling online in Pakistan, "accept payments" rarely means just one thing. Customers pay in different ways depending on habit, trust and what is sitting in their wallet app at that moment. This guide walks through every online payment method actually in use in Pakistan today, and where each one fits for a business.

The main online payment methods in Pakistan

1. Mobile wallets -- JazzCash and Easypaisa

Mobile wallets are the most widely used online payment method in the country by transaction volume. A customer enters their wallet number, approves the charge from their phone, and the payment is confirmed within seconds. For most small and mid-size Pakistani merchants, JazzCash and Easypaisa together cover the majority of their customer base.

2. Raast -- the State Bank's instant payment system

Raast is Pakistan's own instant payment rail, built by the State Bank of Pakistan. On the customer side it is usually presented as a QR code: the buyer scans it from their banking app and the payment settles instantly, bank account to bank account, without card networks or wallet apps in between. It is free or near-free per transaction for the institutions involved, which is why it is growing quickly as a checkout option.

3. Debit and credit cards

Card payments (Visa, Mastercard, and local scheme cards) remain important for higher-ticket purchases, subscriptions, and customers who simply prefer paying by card. Card acceptance usually needs separate onboarding/compliance from wallet acceptance, since it runs through a different network entirely.

4. Direct bank transfer

Some businesses still accept manual bank transfers with the customer sending a screenshot as proof. It works, but it is slow, needs manual verification, and does not scale -- most businesses move away from it once they can accept wallets or Raast directly.

How a payment gateway ties these together

A business could, in theory, set up a direct merchant relationship with JazzCash, a separate one with Easypaisa, apply for Raast participation, and get a card merchant account -- each with its own onboarding, dashboard and settlement cycle. In practice almost nobody does this for a small or growing business, because it means four separate integrations and four separate KYC processes.

A payment gateway like ZurvaPay sits in front of all of it: one integration, one checkout page, one dashboard, and the customer simply picks whichever method they prefer -- JazzCash, Easypaisa, Raast QR, or card -- at the point of payment.

Which method should a business actually accept?

For most Pakistani businesses selling to Pakistani customers, JazzCash, Easypaisa and Raast QR cover the bulk of transactions, and cards add reach for customers who prefer that. The honest answer is: accept as many of the relevant ones as you reasonably can on one checkout page, because the method a customer wants to use is the one they are most likely to actually complete a payment with.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most used online payment method in Pakistan?

Mobile wallets -- JazzCash and Easypaisa -- are the most widely used online payment methods in Pakistan today, with Raast growing quickly as banks and apps add QR-based instant payments.

Do I need separate accounts with JazzCash and Easypaisa to accept both?

Not if you use a payment gateway. A gateway like ZurvaPay lets a business accept JazzCash, Easypaisa, Raast QR and cards through one merchant account and one integration, instead of applying to each provider separately.

Is Raast safe and reliable for business payments?

Raast is operated by the State Bank of Pakistan and settles directly between bank accounts, which makes it one of the more straightforward and lower-cost ways to accept instant payments in Pakistan.