How to Accept WooCommerce Payments in Bangladesh
Bangladesh sells to the world. The country is one of the largest garment exporters anywhere, and around that industry has grown a layer of smaller online businesses: Dhaka boutique labels selling their own designs, jute and handicraft brands shipping nakshi kantha and home goods abroad, and a very large community of freelancers and agencies selling digital services to overseas clients. Many of them build their storefronts on WordPress and WooCommerce.
The checkout is where plans meet reality. As of 2026, Stripe and Square do not support Bangladesh as a merchant country, which removes the two gateways most WooCommerce guides assume. A Bangladesh-based store needs a processor that will actually onboard a Bangladeshi business and pay out to a local bank account.
This guide lays out how customers in Bangladesh pay online, the gateway options that genuinely work for local merchants, and how to set up HandyPay for WooCommerce, particularly for stores selling internationally.
The Gateway Landscape for Bangladesh-Based Stores
Payment gateways onboard the merchant, not the website. Your store can be hosted anywhere and look like anything; what determines your options is where your business is registered and where your bank account sits.
Stripe's supported merchant countries do not include Bangladesh as of 2026, and Square operates in only a handful of markets. Their plugins will install on a Bangladeshi WooCommerce site but cannot process an order, because a Bangladesh-based business cannot open the required account behind them.
What Bangladesh does have is a developed domestic payments ecosystem, plus a small number of international platforms that support Bangladeshi merchants. The right mix depends heavily on whether your buyers are local, foreign, or both.
How Customers in Bangladesh Pay Online
Cash on delivery remains a major force in domestic Bangladeshi e-commerce. Many local buyers still prefer to pay the courier, and domestic-focused stores generally cannot ignore it.
bKash is the most widely recognized mobile financial service in the country, and Nagad is prominent as well. For a store selling to customers inside Bangladesh, offering mobile financial service payments meets buyers where their money already lives.
Cards matter most for international sales. Foreign customers buying handicrafts, apparel, or digital services pay by card, and the Bangladeshi diaspora in the Gulf, the United Kingdom, and North America does the same.
Local gateway aggregators such as SSLCommerz bundle cards, mobile financial services, and internet banking into one checkout for domestic merchants.
The pattern that falls out of this: domestic sales lean on cash on delivery and mobile financial services, while export and freelance income leans on cards. WooCommerce can host multiple payment methods at checkout, so a store serving both audiences can offer both.
Gateway Options for a Bangladesh-Based WooCommerce Store
SSLCommerz and other local aggregators. Strong domestic coverage, including bKash and internet banking, with WooCommerce integrations. The natural pick for stores whose customers are mostly inside Bangladesh.
Bank merchant accounts. Some Bangladeshi banks provide online acquiring directly. Formal onboarding, and integration usually needs a developer.
HandyPay. HandyPay is our product, so read this section knowing that. Bangladesh is one of HandyPay's supported countries. The free plan charges 4.9% plus US$0.40 per transaction with no monthly fee and no hardware; the Pro plan at US$29 per month lowers fees to 4.2% plus US$0.40. Onboarding is online with identity verification, and payouts go to your local bank account on a daily schedule, typically arriving within 2-4 business days. The account also includes payment links shareable by WhatsApp, SMS, or email, QR code payments, and recurring subscriptions. For exporters and freelancers whose buyers are abroad, card checkout plus shareable links covers the two ways foreign clients actually pay: on the website, or from an invoice link.
Setting Up HandyPay for WooCommerce
The gateway plugin is HandyPay for WooCommerce, free on WordPress.org, with no extra plugin fee beyond HandyPay's standard transaction rates.
Step 1. Open a HandyPay account, complete identity verification online, and connect your payout bank account.
Step 2. In WordPress, go to Plugins, then Add New, search for HandyPay, then install and activate the plugin.
Step 3. Under WooCommerce, then Settings, then Payments, enable HandyPay and connect it using your account credentials from the Merchant Portal.
Step 4. Place a small live test order, confirm the order moves to processing and shows in the Merchant Portal, then reverse it. Refunds are issued directly from the WooCommerce order screen.
On currency: HandyPay's pricing and settlement currency support varies by country, so check inside the app which currencies a Bangladeshi account can use before setting prices. Export-focused stores often price in a currency their foreign buyers recognize; domestic stores should keep taka pricing clear and consistent from product page to checkout.
Comparing the Options
| Option | Bangladeshi merchants | Domestic methods (bKash, COD) | International cards | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe or Square | Not supported as of 2026 | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| SSLCommerz | Yes | Strong | Yes | Varies by plan |
| Bank merchant account | Yes, with review | Varies | Yes | Common |
| Cash on delivery | Yes | The default for many buyers | No | None |
| HandyPay | Yes | Card checkout only | Yes | None on free plan |
A Note for Freelancers and Digital Sellers
Bangladesh has one of the largest freelance workforces in the world, and a WooCommerce store is an increasingly common way to productize that work: selling design packages, templates, courses, or retainer subscriptions instead of bidding on marketplaces that take their own commission.
Card checkout handles one-off purchases. For retainers, HandyPay's recurring subscriptions bill clients automatically each cycle. And for the client who says "just send me an invoice," a payment link by email does the job without them ever visiting the store. All three run from the same account and settle to the same local bank account on the same daily payout schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Stripe for my WooCommerce store in Bangladesh?
Not as a Bangladesh-based business. As of 2026 Stripe does not support Bangladesh as a merchant country. You need a gateway that onboards Bangladeshi merchants, such as a local aggregator or HandyPay.
Should I still offer cash on delivery?
If you sell to domestic customers, probably yes. Cash on delivery remains deeply established in Bangladeshi e-commerce. Card checkout and COD are not rivals; WooCommerce can offer both, and many stores do.
What does HandyPay cost for a Bangladeshi store?
The plugin is free. Transactions cost 4.9% plus US$0.40 on the free plan, with no monthly fee and no hardware. The Pro plan at US$29 per month lowers fees to 4.2% plus US$0.40.
Can I bill overseas clients on a monthly retainer?
Yes. HandyPay supports recurring subscriptions, so a monthly retainer can bill automatically instead of you chasing an invoice every cycle.
How do refunds work?
From the WooCommerce order screen. Open the order, issue the refund, and the plugin processes it through your HandyPay account.
How fast do payouts reach my bank in Bangladesh?
Payouts run on a daily schedule and typically arrive in your local bank account within 2-4 business days after the sale.
Related Guides
- How to Accept Payments in Bangladesh
- WordPress Payments in Bangladesh
- How to Accept Payments on a Website
- Payment Links vs Payment Gateways