Payment methods in Colombia: PSE, Nequi, Bre-B, cards and cash for merchants

Which payment methods do people use in Colombia?

Colombia combines a high reliance on cash with fast growth in digital transfers. In the 2024 edition of Banco de la República's survey on habitual payments, cash was used in 77.8% of everyday transactions, down from 88.1% in the 2020 edition. Online, the picture is different: bank transfers through PSE and cards carry most e-commerce, and mobile wallets have brought millions of first-time account holders into digital payments.

For a merchant this means checkout has to cover three groups: shoppers who pay from a bank account, shoppers who pay by card, often in cuotas, and shoppers who prefer a wallet or cash.

How does PSE work for online payments?

PSE (Pagos Seguros en Línea) is run by ACH Colombia. At checkout the shopper chooses PSE, selects their bank and approves a debit from their savings or current account in online banking. The merchant's provider receives the result immediately, which makes PSE behave like a redirect bank payment in Europe.

PSE is the default online method for many Colombians: ACH Colombia reported 236 million transactions in the first quarter of 2026, 12% more than a year earlier. Payments cannot be charged back, and refunds are made as separate transfers. Most Colombian payment providers expose PSE through an API, so a PSE integration rarely requires a direct contract with ACH Colombia.

How do cards and cuotas work in Colombia?

Colombian credit cards are used in cuotas by default: when paying, the cardholder chooses how many monthly instalments to split the purchase into, commonly from 1 to 36. The issuer finances the instalments and charges the cardholder interest, while the merchant receives the full amount from the acquirer.

Online card processing in Colombia is typically priced at a few percent per transaction plus a fixed fee and IVA. Card acceptance gives access to chargebacks and 3-D Secure, so fraud management matters more than with PSE or wallets.

What are Nequi, Daviplata and Bre-B?

Nequi, part of the Bancolombia group, and Daviplata, part of Davivienda, are mobile wallets used by millions of Colombians for transfers and payments; Nequi reported 28 million users in 2026. Merchants usually accept them through their payment provider as a separate method or through PSE.

Bre-B is Banco de la República's instant payment system. It started operating for users in September and October 2025, works 24/7, and lets people send money in seconds to a key such as a phone number, ID number or email, across banks and wallets. In its first year 116 million keys were registered. Merchant collections via QR and keys are still being rolled out by banks.

How can merchants accept Nequi payments?

There are two routes. A Colombian business can integrate Nequi directly through the Nequi Negocios APIs, or it can use a payment provider that has already built the Nequi integration and offers it next to cards and PSE. Most merchants take the second route, because one provider contract then covers several Colombian methods.

Going direct means opening a Nequi business account, testing in Nequi's sandbox and passing a certification of every service you use before Nequi issues production keys. Nequi certifies both individual merchants and payment aggregators (pasarelas), which is how gateways add Nequi for their own merchants.

Among providers, Wompi, which belongs to the Bancolombia group like Nequi, lists NEQUI as a payment method in its API alongside cards and PSE. For merchants without a Colombian entity, the cross-border providers dLocal and EBANX document Nequi for Colombia: dLocal offers Nequi push, a combined push and QR flow, and Nequi QR, while EBANX offers a QR voucher flow and a recurring option. Coverage and terms change, so confirm current Nequi support, settlement currency and fees with each provider before you build.

How does a Nequi payment work at checkout?

In the push flow the shopper types the mobile number linked to their Nequi account, receives a notification in the Nequi app and approves or rejects the amount there. On desktop, a QR code that the shopper scans with the Nequi app is often more practical, and some providers show both options on one page.

The result arrives asynchronously. Keep the order pending until your server receives a final status by webhook or status query, not when the shopper returns to your site. Unapproved requests expire after a window that depends on the integration, and Nequi's own API requires merchants to call its reversal service when a payment status cannot be confirmed because of a timeout or error.

Nequi states that push payments work only for Nequi users and are not interoperable with other wallets, so keep PSE, cards or Bre-B available for everyone else.

• Ask for the mobile number only when the shopper picks Nequi
• Show a clear waiting screen that tells the shopper to open the Nequi app
• Confirm the payment from a webhook or status call before you ship or grant access
• Plan refunds and reversals per route, because direct and gateway integrations handle them differently
• Check whether recurring charges are supported if you sell subscriptions

How do cash payments work in Colombia?

Cash networks such as Efecty and other payment points let shoppers pay an online order in person with a reference number. The provider confirms the payment to the merchant once the cash is collected, which can take from a few hours to the next business day.

Cash payments cannot be reversed by the shopper, but refunds need to be made by bank transfer. Unpaid references expire after a set period, so orders should stay pending until confirmation.

How can a foreign merchant accept payments in Colombia?

A Colombian entity can contract local providers such as PayU, Wompi, ePayco or Mercado Pago and settle in pesos. Without a local entity, cross-border providers such as dLocal or EBANX accept PSE, cards, wallets and cash on your behalf and settle abroad, usually in USD.

Foreign sellers of digital services to Colombian consumers must register with the DIAN and charge 19% IVA. Through OrsunPay, Colombian methods appear in checkout when the provider accounts you connect support them, and COP payments can be routed to the connection that covers PSE and wallets. OrsunPay does not connect to Nequi itself; Nequi shows up when a provider account you add through provider connections supports it.

1. Choose the model Decide between a local entity with a Colombian provider or a cross-border provider that collects locally.
2. Pick methods Combine PSE, cards with cuotas, Nequi or Daviplata, and one cash network.
3. Settle tax Check IVA registration with the DIAN and invoicing obligations.
4. Plan refunds Define how PSE, wallet and cash payments are refunded by transfer.