What payment gateway works best for European vape shops?

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment
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Topic summary

A Slovakian merchant is seeking payment gateway recommendations for a vape-only e-commerce store, as mainstream providers typically reject high-risk product categories like vaping.

Official Recommendation:

  • Shopify support suggests reviewing the Slovakia-specific payment provider list and potentially using Authorize.net, though this may not address the high-risk nature of vape products.

Community-Suggested High-Risk Processors:

  • WallidPay — Multiple users recommend this as a specialized solution for high-risk EU merchants, with direct Shopify integration
  • Viva Wallet — May support vape products depending on regional policies
  • Pixxles — UK-based but potentially available for EU merchants
  • eMerchantPay/Nuvei — Experience with regulated industries

Key Considerations:

  • Verify Slovakia registration support
  • Check Shopify integration compatibility
  • Review reserve fund or rolling fund policies that high-risk processors often require

The discussion remains open with no confirmed resolution, though WallidPay appears to be the most frequently endorsed option for this specific use case.

Summarized with AI on October 26. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hello,

We are launching an e-shop with vapes, as the sole product. We are located in Slovakia, Europe, and are having trouble finding a compatible payment provider. Do you have any tips for high-risk payment providers in our region?

Thank you for any help :slightly_smiling_face:

2

Hi @VoomSK ,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community! I’m happy to provide some assistance with locating a payment provider for the shop, to ensure this gets resolved.

To share some insight, Shopify has integrated with over 100 different third-party payment providers to allow you to continue accepting credit cards online. Due to this, I encourage you to check out this complete list of all available payment providers within Slovakia.

For any questions that you may have regarding a specific payment provider, I encourage you to connect with them directly. They will be able to share more information with you and advise whether your business can be supported. Authorize.net however, may be a great option and best suited for your business needs.

For more information on this, you can check our Third-Party Payment Providers documentation as it touches on this further.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

3

Hi there,
You’re right — finding a payment provider for vape products in Europe can be tricky, especially since many mainstream providers don’t support high-risk categories like vaping.

Since you’re based in Slovakia, your best bet is to look into specialized high-risk payment processors that are open to working with vape products. A few options that some merchants in similar industries explore include:

  • Viva Wallet (check their policy on vaping products in your region)

  • Pixxles (UK-based, but may support EU merchants)

  • eMerchantPay or Nuvei (both have experience with regulated industries)

  • You might also want to look into WallidPay (https://apps.shopify.com/wallidpay)——) it’s geared toward high-risk products and may work with Shopify, depending on your business type and region.

The key things to check are:

  • Whether they support businesses registered in Slovakia

  • Their integration process with Shopify

  • Any reserve or rolling fund policies they may apply

4

If you’re launching a vape-only shop in Slovakia (or anywhere in Europe), you’re right that finding a reliable payment gateway can be tricky — because vape and related products are considered high-risk by many mainstream providers like Shopify Payments, Stripe, or PayPal.

A solid option to consider is WallidPay. They’re known for supporting high-risk industries like vape, CBD, adult, supplements, and similar niches that often get rejected by traditional payment gateways.

Why WallidPay works for EU vape stores:- Supports vape and other high-risk products.

  • Works with EU-based companies — including Slovakia.

  • Fast onboarding and flexible verification requirements.

  • Fully integrated with Shopify — you can add it easily from the Shopify App Store.

Where to learn more:

So if you’re tired of getting blocked or delayed, WallidPay can be a good fit to keep your vape shop running smoothly. Good luck with your launch!