Pix: how Brazil's instant payment system works for merchants

What is Pix?

Pix is an account-to-account instant payment scheme created and operated by the Banco Central do Brasil. Banks and payment institutions connect to the central bank's settlement infrastructure, so a payment moves from the payer's account to the receiver's account in seconds, at any hour, including weekends and holidays.

For shoppers Pix is free to send, works in every Brazilian banking app and needs no card. That combination made it the most used payment instrument in Brazil within a few years. Industry estimates put Pix ahead of credit cards by value in Brazilian online shopping from 2025, although cards still dominate purchases paid in instalments.

How does a Pix payment work at checkout?

Online merchants almost always use a dynamic QR code generated per order. It contains the amount, the receiver and a unique transaction identifier, so the payment can be matched to the order automatically. On mobile, shoppers usually copy the code as text, a format known as Pix copia e cola, and paste it into their banking app.

What are Pix Cobrança and Pix Automático?

Pix Cobrança is a dynamic QR code with a due date, fines, interest and discounts, which makes it a direct replacement for a boleto on invoices and instalment plans. The payer can scan it before or after the due date and the amounts are recalculated automatically.

Pix Automático, live since 16 June 2025, handles recurring charges. The payer authorises a company once in their banking app, optionally with a maximum amount, and the receiver's provider then schedules each charge 2 to 10 days before the payment date. If funds are short, the payer's bank retries the same evening and, if the authorisation allows, on the following 7 days. Only companies with an active CNPJ can receive Pix Automático, and the payer cannot be charged a fee.

What are the Pix limits, including at night?

Pix has no single scheme-wide cap, but banks must apply security limits. For individuals and sole traders the default limit between 20:00 and 06:00 is R$1,000, and raising it takes 24 to 48 hours after the request. Since November 2024, payments from a phone or computer never used for Pix before are limited to R$200 per transaction and R$1,000 per day until the device is registered with the bank.

For merchants this matters on high-value baskets and late-night sales: a shopper may be unable to pay a R$3,000 order at 22:00 even with enough balance. Showing a card or boleto alternative for large amounts avoids lost orders.

Can a Pix payment be reversed?

Pix payments are final and there is no chargeback for commercial disputes such as goods not received. Merchants issue refunds as a new Pix linked to the original transaction, usually through the provider's refund API.

The exception is the Mecanismo Especial de Devolução (MED), which lets the payer's bank claim funds back when there is a well-founded suspicion of fraud or an operational failure. The payer can open a claim within 80 days, and since October 2025 banking apps offer it as a self-service button. MED 2.0, introduced by Resolução BCB 493/2025 and mandatory from 2 February 2026, traces funds beyond the first receiving account, so merchants with sound onboarding and refund practices are rarely affected.

What does Pix cost merchants?

The central bank does not set merchant prices. Banks and payment institutions charge companies for receiving Pix, typically a fixed fee of about R$1 to R$2 or a percentage below 1%, which is well below the cost of a card payment. Cross-border providers usually charge a percentage that includes conversion from reais and settlement abroad.

How can foreign merchants accept Pix?

A Pix receiver needs an account at a Brazilian bank or payment institution, so companies without a Brazilian entity use a cross-border provider such as EBANX, dLocal or PayRetailers. The provider generates the QR code, receives the reais in Brazil, handles the foreign exchange and applicable taxes, and settles to you in USD or EUR.

Check how quickly the provider confirms payments, whether it supports refunds and Pix Automático, and how it handles MED claims. With OrsunPay, Pix is configured on the provider account you hold and is offered in hosted checkout to shoppers paying in reais.