Adyen
Adyen is an enterprise payment processor for high-volume, global businesses. If you're doing under $10M/year in volume, they'll reject you. If you're over $50M/year, they're worth serious consideration.
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When to Use Adyen
You should use Adyen if:
- You're processing over $10M/year ($850K/month minimum)
- You're selling in 10+ countries
- You need a single global processor (not multiple regional processors)
- You have a development team for integration
- You want enterprise-grade reliability (99.99%+ uptime)
- You're willing to pay for white-glove support
Skip Adyen if:
- You're under $10M/year (they'll reject you)
- You're primarily US-only (Stripe is easier)
- You don't have developers for integration
- You want plug-and-play setup (Adyen requires customization)
Pricing Breakdown
Pricing is 100% Negotiated
Adyen does not publish pricing. Everything is negotiated based on:
- Transaction volume
- Countries/regions
- Payment methods
- Risk profile
- Integration complexity
Typical Pricing Ranges
| Volume/Year | Typical Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| $10M-$50M | 1.8-2.2% + IC+ | Entry tier, limited negotiation |
| $50M-$250M | 1.2-1.8% + IC+ | Moderate negotiation |
| $250M-$1B | 0.8-1.2% + IC+ | Significant negotiation |
| Over $1B | 0.4-0.8% + IC+ | Maximum leverage |
IC+ = Interchange Plus pricing (you pay interchange + Adyen's markup)
Additional Fees
| Fee Type | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Setup fee | $0-$50,000 | Waived for large accounts |
| Monthly platform fee | $0-$10,000 | Volume-dependent |
| Dispute fee | $15-25 | Per chargeback |
| Authorization fee | $0.01-$0.05 | Per auth attempt |
| Settlement fee | $0-$0.50 | Per settlement transaction |
Hidden Costs
| Cost | Reality |
|---|---|
| Integration | $50K-$500K in dev time |
| Certification | Required for card-present |
| Account management | Included at high volumes |
| Reporting tools | Included but require training |
Effective rate for most enterprises: 1.5-2.5% all-in depending on volume and mix.
What Adyen Does Well
1. True Global Processing
Adyen provides single-platform global processing:
- 250+ payment methods
- 150+ currencies
- Local acquiring in 50+ countries
- One integration, every market
Competitors require multiple regional processors. Adyen does it all.
Example: Uber uses Adyen globally. One integration, 70+ countries, hundreds of payment methods.
2. Enterprise-Grade Reliability
Adyen's infrastructure is built for mission-critical businesses:
- 99.99%+ uptime SLA
- Multi-region redundancy
- Real-time failover
- Sub-second authorization times
Best for: Businesses where downtime = lost millions (marketplaces, ride-sharing, travel).
3. Unified Commerce
Adyen handles online, in-store, and mobile from one platform:
- Same reporting for all channels
- Single reconciliation
- Consistent fraud rules across channels
Best for: Omnichannel retailers (online + physical stores).
4. Revenue Optimization
Adyen's platform includes built-in optimization:
- Smart routing (route to best-performing acquirer)
- Network tokenization
- Local scheme optimization
- Auth rate optimization tools
Reality: Auth rates are typically 2-5% higher with Adyen vs other processors due to optimization.
What Adyen Does Poorly
1. SMB-Unfriendly
Adyen will reject you if:
- Under $10M/year volume
- US-only business
- No technical team
- Slow growth trajectory
Minimum viable: $850K/month ($10M/year) with growth plans.
Reality: Adyen wants enterprise clients. SMBs need not apply.
2. Complex Setup
Adyen integration is not plug-and-play:
- 3-6 months typical implementation
- Requires experienced developers
- Certification process for card-present
- Training needed for admin portal
Budget: $50K-$500K in development and integration costs.
Contrast: Stripe takes days to integrate. Adyen takes months.
3. Rigid Contracts
Adyen contracts include:
- Multi-year commitments (2-3 years typical)
- Minimum volume commitments
- Early termination penalties
- Auto-renewal clauses
Reality: Once you're in, switching is expensive and time-consuming.
4. Opaque Pricing
Adyen pricing is complex and not transparent:
- Different rates per payment method
- Different rates per country
- Authorization fees, settlement fees, platform fees
- Hard to calculate total cost upfront
You need a spreadsheet to understand your actual effective rate.
Pricing Comparison (Adyen vs Competitors)
| Processor | Online Rate | Setup Complexity | Min Volume | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adyen | 1.2-2.2% + IC+ | Very High (months) | $10M/year | Enterprise, global |
| Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 | Low (days) | None | Startups, SMBs |
| Square | 2.9% + $0.30 | None (instant) | None | Retail, small business |
| PayPal | 3.49% + $0.49 | Low (hours) | None | Brand recognition |
Verdict: Adyen has best rates at scale but highest barriers to entry.
Who Adyen Is Best For
Perfect Fit
| Business Type | Why Adyen Wins |
|---|---|
| Marketplaces | Split payments, global sellers (Uber, Airbnb, eBay use Adyen) |
| Global e-commerce | Selling in 20+ countries with local methods |
| Omnichannel retail | Online + stores unified |
| Travel/hospitality | Complex auth flows, global reach |
| High-volume SaaS | Enterprise subscription billing |
| Gaming/streaming | Global audience, alternative payment methods |
Common trait: Over $50M/year, global presence, technical team.
Poor Fit
| Business Type | Better Alternative |
|---|---|
| SMBs | Stripe, Square (Adyen will reject you) |
| US-only | Stripe (easier, cheaper) |
| Startups | Stripe (faster to market) |
| Non-technical | Square, PayPal (plug-and-play) |
| Under $10M/year | Any other processor |
Common Gotchas
1. Volume Commitments
Adyen contracts often include minimum volume commitments:
- Commit to $X million/year
- Penalty if you don't hit it
- Makes sense for stable businesses, risky for startups
Example: Commit to $50M, only do $30M = penalty fees or forced renegotiation.
2. Payment Method Pricing Varies
Different payment methods have different rates:
- Cards: 1.5% + IC+
- iDEAL (Netherlands): 0.5%
- SEPA: 0.3%
- WeChat Pay: 3%
Your effective rate depends on your payment method mix. Calculate carefully.
3. Authorization Fees Add Up
Adyen charges $0.01-$0.05 per authorization attempt:
- Failed auths still cost money
- Fraud screening auths count
- Retry attempts count
At 1M auth attempts/month with 80% approval:
- Successful: 800K × rate
- Failed: 200K × $0.03 = $6,000/month in auth fees
This is unique to Adyen. Other processors don't charge for failed auths.
4. Multi-Currency Complexity
Adyen supports 150+ currencies but:
- Settlement currency affects fees
- Cross-currency conversion has markup
- Reporting is per-currency
You need finance team resources to manage multi-currency properly.
Test to Run
Adyen readiness assessment:
Question 1: Volume
- Current annual volume: $_______
- If under $10M: Not ready for Adyen
- If $10M-$50M: Barely ready, may struggle with minimums
- If over $50M: Good fit
Question 2: Geographic footprint
- Countries selling to: ___
- If under 5 countries: Stripe is easier
- If 5-10 countries: Adyen becomes competitive
- If over 10 countries: Adyen advantage is strong
Question 3: Technical resources
- Developers available: ___
- If 0-1: Not ready for Adyen integration
- If 2-5: Can manage with effort
- If 5+: Good fit
Question 4: Payment complexity
- Payment methods needed: ___
- If cards only: Stripe is fine
- If 5+ methods: Adyen makes sense
- If 20+ methods: Adyen is best option
Success criteria: Over $50M volume, 10+ countries, 3+ developers, 10+ payment methods = Adyen is worth serious consideration.
Scale Callouts
Under $10M/year:
- Don't bother applying to Adyen
- Use Stripe or Square
- Revisit Adyen when you cross $10M
$10M-$50M/year:
- Adyen will consider you but rates won't be great
- Integration costs may not justify savings
- Consider if you're growing fast to $50M+
$50M-$250M/year:
- Adyen becomes compelling
- Negotiate hard on rates
- Savings of 0.5-1% = $250K-$2.5M/year
- Integration costs justified
Over $250M/year:
- Adyen is likely cheaper than alternatives
- Negotiate very aggressively (0.8-1.2% achievable)
- Consider multi-processor strategy for leverage
- Savings: 1-1.5% = millions per year
Where This Breaks
-
Volume drops: If you commit to $50M and business slows, you're locked in with penalty clauses. Only commit to what you're confident about.
-
Regional processors beat Adyen in their region: In some countries, local processors have better rates or relationships than Adyen's local acquiring.
-
Switching costs are massive: Once you're on Adyen, switching requires months of re-integration. Build this into your decision.
-
Reporting complexity: Adyen's reporting is powerful but requires training. Budget for learning curve.
-
Not plug-and-play for card-present: Adyen's terminal certification takes 6-12 months. If you need card-present quickly, this is painful.
Adyen vs Stripe: When to Switch
Stay on Stripe if:
- Under $50M/year
- Growing fast and need agility
- US/EU-focused
- Small technical team
Switch to Adyen if:
- Over $50M/year and stable
- Expanding to 10+ countries
- Need unified global platform
- Have technical team for integration
- Want 0.5-1% cost savings
Hybrid approach:
- Use Stripe for primary markets
- Use Adyen for global expansion markets
- Evaluate at $100M/year whether to consolidate
The Adyen Sales Process
What to expect when talking to Adyen:
Month 1-2: Discovery
- Adyen sales rep asks about volume, geography, growth
- You provide financials, payment data
- They determine if you're viable
Month 2-3: Proposal
- Adyen provides pricing proposal
- Rates are per payment method and region
- Contract terms are negotiable
Month 3-4: Negotiation
- You negotiate rates, minimums, terms
- Bring competitive quotes for leverage
- Legal reviews contract
Month 4-6: Implementation
- Technical integration begins
- Certification for card-present (if applicable)
- UAT and testing
Month 6-9: Go-live
- Gradual rollout by region/percentage
- Monitor, optimize, expand
Total timeline: 6-9 months from first call to full production.
Next Steps
Considering Adyen?
- Run the readiness assessment above
- If qualified, request proposal from Adyen sales
- Compare to Stripe pricing at your volume
Currently on Stripe, thinking about Adyen?
- Calculate potential savings: (Stripe rate - Adyen rate) × annual volume
- Subtract integration costs ($50K-$500K)
- Payback period: Integration cost / annual savings
- If payback < 1 year, seriously evaluate Adyen
Already on Adyen?
- Review your contract terms (rates, minimums, renewal)
- Check if you're hitting volume commitments
- Optimize payment method mix (use cheapest methods when possible)
- Request account review if over $100M and rates aren't sub-1.5%
See Also
- Stripe - Competitor for mid-market
- PayPal - Consumer recognition
- Square - SMB card-present
- Processor Comparison - Full comparison
- Buying Payments - Enterprise selection framework
- Going Global - International expansion
- Auth Optimization - Leveraging Adyen's optimization