As the digital economy continues to evolve at a rapid pace, business owners are seeking new and innovative ways to accept payments from customers around the world. Crypto payments, in particular, offer merchants exciting opportunities for growth by removing geographic and financial barriers. However, integrating cryptocurrencies can seem daunting to those unfamiliar with the complexities of this new technology.
That's where services like NOWPayments come in. In this NOWPayments review, we'll take a comprehensive look at everything this platform has to offer merchants—from accepting over 300 cryptocurrencies to receiving fiat payments directly. By the end, you'll understand why NOWPayments has become one of the most widely used crypto payment processors on the market.
What is NOWPayments: A best-in-class crypto payment gateway
Founded in 2019, NOWPayments was created by the team behind the popular crypto exchange ChangeNOW to make accepting digital currencies as simple as possible. Merchants can sign up for a NOWPayments account, generate API keys, and begin accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and over 300 other coins within minutes.
API & plugins
For sophisticated integrations, NOWPayments provides a robust yet simple-to-implement RESTful API that can be used to enable crypto payments on custom software. They also offer major CMS plugins like:
WooCommerce: For WordPress-based stores
Magento 2: Popular e-commerce platform
OpenCart: Flexible open-source option
WHMCS: Billing & invoicing applications
Widgets & buttons
Easier integration comes through customizable payment widgets and buttons that can be dropped into any website or platform. Options include:
Donation button: Accept one-time or recurring donations
Payment button: Add to checkout process
Invoices: Generate customized payment requests
In addition to cryptocurrencies, NOWPayments also lets merchants receive payments directly in the form of fiat currency. This provides flexibility for merchants or customers who aren't yet ready to fully adopt digital currencies.
NOWPayments simplifies what could otherwise be a complex process. Their intuitive dashboard allows businesses to track orders, payouts, and more with just a few clicks. Customer support is also available 24/7 to answer questions—ensuring merchants never miss a sale.
Fast, free, and flexible payouts
One concern that prevents some merchants from accepting cryptocurrency is the perceived delay in withdrawing funds. However, NOWPayments handles payouts with blazing speed by crediting deposits directly to users' wallets. This means funds are at the merchant's fingertips within minutes rather than days.
Unlike other payment processors that take a percentage, NOWPayments provides merchants with a purely volume-based pricing model. The more business you drive through the platform, the lower your fees become—down to as little as 0.5% for top earners. Additional bonuses are also offered every month.
Merchants are given complete control over which coins they wish to support as well. You can enable payments in just Bitcoin if that's your preference, or make your products globally accessible by accepting 300+ currencies. Funds can be withdrawn in whatever coin or stablecoin you like too, like USDC for price stability.
In other words, NOWPayments lets businesses structure crypto payments entirely on their terms—without locking you into unfavorable contracts down the road. Such flexibility is crucial for keeping operational costs low over the long haul.
Generate new leads through NOWPayments affiliate marketing
One way NOWPayments stands out from rivals is its comprehensive affiliate program. Merchants and influencers can earn a generous 25% recurring commission from the processing fees generated by each referral for an entire year. Plus, there's no limit on the number of people you can sign up.
The process works like this: affiliates share their unique promotional links which track referrals in real-time through the NOWPayments dashboard. Every time a new merchant integrates crypto or fiat payments using your link and exceeds the minimum fee threshold for that month, you get paid.
Rather than a one-time payout, affiliates continue earning a portion of fees month after month as long as the referral remains active. Over time, this can turn into a highly profitable passive income stream with no extra effort required beyond the initial promotion.
NOWPayments also makes it dead simple to market their services. Visual tools are provided like custom banners, buttons, and widgets that seamlessly promote the platform on blogs, newsletters, and social media. All an affiliate needs to do is include the embed code on their websites.
Below is a summary table of key aspects of the NOWPayments affiliate program:
Description Commission % 25% of ALL fees from referred partners Commission Period Limitless referral earnings for 1 year from signups Tracking/Reporting Real-time stats dashboard for affiliates Payment Frequency Monthly payouts of accrued commissions Program Support Dedicated account manager for high-volume affiliates
In a sense, the NOWPayments affiliate program allows innovative business owners to profit from helping other merchants adapt to new digital payment trends. Those forward-thinking enough to get involved early have a chance to build profitable side businesses through referrals alone.
Exemplary security and uptime
Naturally, when processing sensitive financial transactions, security should be the top priority. That's why NOWPayments took steps to become one of the most trustworthy crypto gateways on the market.
Funds are kept fully decentralized and non-custodial—meaning merchants' coins are never stored on NOWPayments servers. Instead, deposits are instantly forwarded to users' personal wallets, which are secured with private keys only they control. This eliminates third-party risks, like the possibility of exchanges getting hacked
NOWPayments also rigorously test infrastructure to ensure optimal uptime. Their systems achieve an industry-leading 99.9% annual uptime specifically to avoid downtime, causing merchants to miss sales. Comprehensive API documentation is likewise provided so integrations can be done securely and smoothly.
Another security feature businesses will appreciate is flexible fraud rules. Merchants can program automatic filters to flag or reject questionable transactions based on amount, location, or other customizable risk parameters. This gives control over protecting revenue without hindering legitimate buyers.
Altogether, these stringent security policies have earned NOWPayments a reputation as one of the most trustworthy non-custodial crypto gateways available. Merchants integrating their services can feel confident customer financial data and funds are kept completely safe.
Creating a future-proof business model
While some merchants may currently view cryptocurrency as an experiment, NOWPayments makes it simple to future-proof businesses for what's inevitably coming. Digital currencies are here to stay and will only gain more global traction and usability in the years ahead.
By integrating NOWPayments from the get-go, companies position themselves on the leading edge of financial innovation. They gain a strategic advantage over lagging competitors by tapping into the growing crypto customer base now rather than later scrambling to adopt new technologies.
Simultaneously, merchants retain the flexibility to maintain traditional fiat operations for the portion of customers not yet comfortable transacting digitally. NOWPayments' multi-currency support creates a hybrid business model protecting current revenue while future-proofing for long-term trends.
Over the long run, those merchants getting involved earliest stand to benefit most as crypto adoption increases worldwide. Network effects will attract new customers who are familiar and comfortable with digital currencies, driving greater sales volumes and market share as legacy payment firms fall behind.
Plus, valuable freelance income can be earned through NOWPayments' appealing affiliate program, which refers to other merchants for crypto integration. The platform essentially pays business owners to help onboard competitors—a surprisingly lucrative opportunity not offered elsewhere.
In building such a comprehensive one-stop solution, NOWPayments essentially removes all barriers for merchants to gain a first-mover advantage in the emerging digital currency economy. Their services level the playing field against bigger retailers by making crypto just as easy and risk-free to adopt right away.
Closing thoughts: NOWPayments nails it for merchants
In summing up this comprehensive NOWPayments review, it's clear this platform delivers everything growing businesses need to start profiting from digital currency payments today. Integration is remarkably simple through an intuitive interface and supported shopping cart plugins.
Merchants retain full control over accepted coins, with ultra-fast payouts sent straight to private wallets. Protections like automatic conversion, fraud filters, and 24/7 support protect revenue streams from any downsides of volatility.
Perhaps most enticing of all is the generous NOWPayments affiliate program. Forward-thinking merchants can get paid to recruit other partners to expand the crypto economy. Meanwhile, new business owners gain a valuable supplemental revenue source promoting an industry-leading solution.
Altogether, NOWPayments succeeds by future-proofing businesses and empowering their growth today through inclusive multi-currency solutions. Any company looking to open their products to the massive cryptocurrency market would be remiss not to consider this best-in-class crypto payment processor. Integration is an easy decision that could pay dividends for years to come.