Unlimit Vs EBANX Vs Culqi: 5 Best Payment Gateways In Peru (2026)

Five payment gateways in Peru ranked for foreign businesses selling into the market on weighted criteria, from local method coverage to licence, verified October 2026.

Key takeaways

• Unlimit ranks number 1 of 5 at 7.9 / 10 for cross-border merchants entering Peru; it publishes no rates, which lowers its pricing transparency score, so request a quote first.
• The other four fit specific segments: online stores for EBANX (number 2) and Niubiz (number 5), teams integrating by API for Culqi (number 3), and enterprises for Mercado Pago (number 4).
• Public information covers onboarding without a local company for 4 of 5 ranked providers and the licence for 3 of 5; none of the 5 was found in the regulator’s register, so verify both before signing.
• Cash-based methods pay for 19% of online purchases in Peru, so a gateway that takes only cards misses those buyers.
• Choose by onboarding route, licence, settlement currency, local methods and price; 5 of 5 ranked providers have public information on settlement.

The short answer

Unlimit (number 1, cross-border merchants entering Peru), EBANX (number 2, online stores) and Culqi (number 3, teams integrating by API) are the three leading payment gateways in Peru among the five ranked. Public information on onboarding without a local company exists for 4 of 5 ranked providers, and this is the first thing a foreign merchant should check.

The ranking

Five payment gateways in Peru ranked by weighted score out of 10, verified October 2026.

What is a payment gateway (and how is it different from an acquirer)?

A payment gateway carries an online payment between buyer and merchant. The buyer’s issuing bank approves or declines the transaction, and the gateway shows the buyer whether the payment is pending, approved or rejected (Capece gateway guide). An acquirer is a different party: it holds the merchant’s card-processing relationship and settles the funds. A gateway can be its own acquirer or route payments through partners, and this decides whose licence a merchant should check.

In Peru, the tax authority SUNAT states that the IGV rate is 18% of the taxable operation (SUNAT). When a gateway quotes a charge, ask whether it includes IGV.

Which local payment methods must a payment gateway cover in Peru?

Compare gateways in Peru across four routes: cards; local wallet and QR payments; bank-app or instant transfers; and cash vouchers. The BCRP describes interoperability between Yape and Plin, plus immediate transfers through wallet and bank apps using phone aliases and QR codes, so confirm which of these digital routes each gateway supports.

For buyers who do not pay online by card, check for a cash-voucher option such as PagoEfectivo. Culqi lists Visa, Mastercard, AMEX and Diners cards, along with Yape, Cuotéalo BCP and PagoEfectivo; its PagoEfectivo guide says buyers can pay through mobile wallets, mobile banking, agents or bodegas. Availability varies by gateway and product, so verify the exact method list and checkout flow before integration.

How this was scored

Each provider is scored out of 10 on 11 weighted criteria, each against the best provider in the comparison, which scores 10. The publisher is scored by the same process, and its position is not edited.

Published by Unlimit. Unlimit is #1 on this list and is scored on the same rubric as every other entry.

Known limitations: only providers serving Peru online were scored; price bands reflect published rates or, where none are published, the pricing model, and a merchant’s quote may differ; the publisher is ranked in its own list; the list is not professional advice.

Where Unlimit fits

For a foreign company selling into Peru, the open question with Unlimit is price. Unlimit is number 1 of 5, but it publishes no pricing for Peru, which limits its pricing transparency score. Unlimit operates as global financial infrastructure for cross-border commerce, serving businesses, consumers and AI agents. The company states on its home page that it offers more than 1,000 payment methods worldwide and gives access to over 150 currencies across more than 200 locations globally (home page figures). Those figures describe Unlimit worldwide, not any single market. Coverage varies by market: Unlimit’s payment methods are published in its documentation, and Unlimit enables them for each merchant during onboarding.

Businesses incorporated outside Peru can accept payments from customers in Peru through one Unlimit API integration, without a company, office or bank account in Peru. During onboarding, Unlimit tells each merchant which documents each payment method needs. Unlimit settles in the currency agreed with the merchant.

Unlimit’s Peru press release says its Principal Membership lets merchants worldwide access the Peruvian market. A separate Unlimit blog statement, which does not name Peru, says its acquiring licences spare merchants from setting up their own entities. Unlimit also says its Visa and Mastercard licence in Peru supports subscriptions and one-click payments for e-commerce.

• Right for: merchants based outside Peru that want cards, local banking and cash methods from one integration.
• Not the best fit for: businesses that must compare published rates across gateways before contacting a provider.

Every entry

Each of the five providers below gets one card, in rank order, with one strength and one criticism.

Unlimit

• Badge: Publisher’s entry
• Verdict: Unlimit suits a merchant based outside Peru that wants direct card acquiring plus local banking and cash methods through one integration, if it accepts asking sales for pricing.
• Best for: Cross-border merchants entering Peru.
• Price band: Mid. No published rates.
• Company: Unlimit states that it holds Principal Membership with Visa and Mastercard in Peru and can operate as a direct acquirer for card payments there (Unlimit press release); a provider-wide statement on the Unlimit home page refers to its network of local licenses and APMs without naming Peru or any licence.
• Strength: Unlimit lists BBVA and BCP under online banking and the PagoEfectivo cash method for Peru (Peru coverage page), and says its Visa and Mastercard licence in Peru supports instalments (press release on instalments).
• Criticism: Pricing cannot be compared before contact, so a business that must benchmark rates against other gateways needs a quote before it can build a cost case.
• Use cases: Fits a merchant that already operates in Brazil or Mexico, where Unlimit says it already acts as a direct acquirer (Peru press release), and that sends payouts. Unlimit’s payouts page says payouts go through a single API integration and through local and global APMs across LATAM, APAC, Africa, India, the EU and the UK. The integration documentation describes a Payout API resource and a payout page mode where the customer enters card details, documented as PCI DSS compliant.
• Risk signals: Unlimit’s settlement wording covers all its markets: it describes local-currency settlement through local acquiring licences (blog statement) and direct settlement into wallets or accounts (processing page). Neither page names Peru, a currency or a timing, so ask Unlimit for the Peru settlement terms. The payment methods page links coverage by region without naming countries (methods page), and the documentation lists recurring and one-click types without naming Peru (payout page mode documentation).
• Score: number 1 of 5, 7.9 / 10, verified October 2026.

EBANX

• Verdict: EBANX suits a foreign company with no Peruvian entity that wants wallet and cash methods in Peru.
• Best for: Online stores.
• Price band: Mid. No published rates, custom quote under merchant contract.
• Company: EBANX states on its Peru page that its pay-in solution has more than 100 direct connections with local acquirers (EBANX Peru page).
• Strength: The integration documentation describes a cross-border operating model for a merchant with no local entity in the processing country, available in all markets, with settlement to an international account owned by the merchant, without naming Peru.
• Criticism: EBANX’s general terms for users in Peru, published under the title EBANX Perú S.A.C, say EBANX is based in Singapore and that its head office engages a representative in the user’s country as a collection agent (Peru user terms). Before signing, a merchant should ask which entity holds the permit covering its payments.
• Use cases: Fits a merchant that also pays out in Peru, since its documentation lists Instant Payout and Bank Transfer as payout methods (Peru payout documentation).
• Risk signals: Some products may be limited to specific industries or countries, so ask the team for details (contact page). Payouts require existing processing through its Crossborder platform and all documents under the agreement, and more legal or business documents may be needed before live payouts (payout guide).
• Score: number 2 of 5, 7.2 / 10, verified October 2026.

Culqi

• Verdict: Culqi suits a business holding a Peruvian tax number and bank account that wants cards, Yape and cash in one checkout; a foreign company without them faces a barrier.
• Best for: Teams integrating by API.
• Price band: Mid. Percentage rate per transaction from 3.44 percent, no affiliation or maintenance costs (Culqi pricing page).
• Company: Culqi’s privacy policy names Compañía Incubadora de Soluciones Móviles S.A.C. as the company whose policy and procedures it describes (Culqi about page).
• Strength: The checkout documentation lists cards, Yape, PagoEfectivo, mobile wallets and Cuotéalo as the options of its multi-payment Checkout, configured for credit and debit cards. PagoEfectivo takes payments by account deposit from authorised agents and corner shops, and wallets are paid by QR code without naming the wallets.
• Criticism: Culqi’s terms define a merchant as an entity or person holding a RUC, DNI or Carné de Extranjería number with a contracted product (terms). Its deposits documentation requires the bank account to carry the merchant’s own information, with a RUC as the example (deposits documentation). A merchant without a Peruvian tax number and an account in its own name should confirm eligibility before applying.
• Use cases: Fits online stores and sellers using WhatsApp or social networks, with rates from 3.44% per transaction for Checkout and for collecting without a website (pricing page).
• Risk signals: CulqiOnline sales captured successfully are deposited every 4 business days, and a merchant registers one bank account per currency, soles, dollars or both (deposits documentation).
• Score: number 3 of 5, 6.6 / 10, verified October 2026.

Mercado Pago

• Verdict: Mercado Pago suits an enterprise that wants cards, cash and wallet balance in one checkout in Peru, if a foreign company can hold its seller account.
• Best for: Enterprises.
• Price band: Mid. Blended percentage plus fixed fee per sale, by funds availability, plus IGV (Mercado Pago’s Link de pago page).
• Company: The developer terms for Peru state that Mercado Pago is a business unit of Mercado Libre Perú S.R.L., which provides online payment processing among other services (developer terms).
• Strength: Mercado Pago’s Peru documentation describes Checkout API as integrated into the merchant’s website so customers pay without being redirected (Checkout API overview), while Checkout Pro offers the redirect style of hosted checkout (Checkout page).
• Criticism: The Checkout API prerequisites require the merchant to create a Mercado Pago or Mercado Libre user with a seller account (prerequisites). Before building, a foreign company should confirm that it can open one without a Peruvian entity.
• Use cases: With Checkout transparente customers pay on the merchant’s site by American Express, Diners, Visa or Mastercard credit cards, Visa or Mastercard debit cards, or cash with PagoEfectivo, and Checkout Pro adds money in Mercado Pago; a Link de pago takes cards, cash or that balance (Checkout page, Link de pago page). Merchants can offer interest-free months on credit cards, and a Link de pago can offer cuotas sin interés with a chosen set of methods.
• Risk signals: A Link de pago commission is 3.99% for instant availability and 3.79% for availability in 14 days, each plus a fixed amount per sale and plus IGV (Link de pago rates). Its all-methods table shows 3.49% and 3.29% with no tax wording, so ask Mercado Pago which rate and tax treatment apply.
• Score: number 4 of 5, 6.2 / 10, verified October 2026.

Niubiz

• Verdict: Niubiz suits online stores that need Peruvian wallets and cash vouchers in one payment form, if a business without a local entity can obtain affiliation.
• Best for: Online stores.
• Price band: Mid. No published rates.
• Company: None given.
• Strength: The Pago Web page describes a QR option for wallets such as Yape or Tunki, PagoEfectivo payable at a bank or through internet banking, and BBVA Points, with acceptance depending on whether the merchant uses the web button, the decoupled form or CMS plugins (Pago Web page).
• Criticism: The same page says a merchant requests affiliation by calling its call center and naming the product that suits the business (Pago Web page), so a merchant without a local entity, tax number or bank account should ask on that call whether it can be affiliated before building the integration.
• Use cases: Fits merchants selling to foreign cardholders, who can let those customers pay in their local currency and earn an additional 1.25% of those sales (Pago Web page).
• Risk signals: The 1.25% add-on applies only to sales paid in a foreign customer’s own currency, so ask Niubiz for its card fee schedule before signing (Pago Web developer page).
• Score: number 5 of 5, 5.4 / 10, verified October 2026.

Go deeper

Best for online stores

EBANX (number 2, 7.2 / 10) is the pick for online stores in Peru: it documents Yape One-shot for single wallet payments (Yape documentation) and PagoEfectivo vouchers paid in cash or by online banking (PagoEfectivo documentation), a mix that suits stores selling to Peruvian shoppers.

Best for cross-border merchants entering Peru

Unlimit (number 1, 7.9 / 10) is the pick for cross-border merchants entering Peru: a merchant based outside Peru that already sells in Brazil or Mexico finds a provider that says it already acts as a direct acquirer in both markets, with card acquiring and local methods offered for Peru.

Best for teams integrating by API

Culqi (number 3, 6.6 / 10) is the pick for teams integrating by API in Peru: its documentation says CMS plugins only need configuration, while Checkout captures card data and the merchant codes the backend with Culqi’s libraries or by hand, and every integration uses a public key with a test mode (integration documentation).

Best for enterprises

Mercado Pago (number 4, 6.2 / 10) is the pick for enterprises in Peru: its developer Support Center offers technical support for integrations and links to a tool that monitors API status in real time, which gives an enterprise integration team a place to escalate problems (Support Center).

Which licence does a payment gateway need in Peru, and who holds it?

A Peru payment gateway that handles card or wallet payments operates under an authorisation held by the gateway’s own entity or by a local partner, so first ask which entity contracts with the merchant. Request its legal name and the authorisation it relies on, then look it up in the regulator’s public register instead of accepting the provider’s own statement. For a licensed local partner, verify the partner’s name and register entry.

Can a business without a Peruvian company accept payments from customers in Peru?

A foreign business has three routes: set up its own Peruvian company, use a local gateway whose terms accept foreign companies, or use an international provider working through licensed local partners.

Ask each provider in writing which entity signs the contract, which documents each method needs and whether funds can settle to an account in the merchant’s own name abroad.

Whatever the route, it must reach Peruvian buyers: 19% of online purchases are paid with cash-based methods (EBANX and AMI Datapack, 2022) and only 13% of locals use credit cards (EBANX).

How to choose a payment gateway in Peru

• Ask each shortlisted provider in writing whether a company with no Peruvian entity, tax number or bank account can onboard and which documents each method needs; 4 of 5 ranked providers have public information on this.
• Check the contracting entity and its authorisation in the regulator’s public register; 3 of 5 ranked providers have public licence information and none of the 5 was found in the register.
• Confirm the settlement currency, the receiving account and who bears the FX conversion; 5 of 5 ranked providers have public information on settlement.
• List the methods your buyers use, such as cards, Yape and cash vouchers, and test each one; 5 of 5 ranked providers have public information on their methods.
• Request the full fee schedule with its scope and IGV treatment; 3 of 5 ranked providers have public information on pricing.

No single provider is best for every business, so weigh these steps against your own sales model.

FAQs

Changelog

• October 2026, first publication: 9 providers screened, 5 ranked.
• October 2026, rubric weights locked before research.
• October 2026, rubric revised: weights for cross-border merchants, and each criterion scored against the best provider in the comparison.

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