Flutterwave Payment Gateway Setup for Ecommerce — Complete Guide
Everything you need to know about setting up Flutterwave as your ecommerce payment gateway. From account creation to accepting your first payment.
If you are running an ecommerce business in Nigeria, you need a reliable payment gateway that supports all the ways Nigerians prefer to pay. Flutterwave is the leading choice, processing billions of Naira in transactions every year and supporting businesses across Africa.
Table of Contents
- What is Flutterwave?
- How to Create a Flutterwave Account
- KYC Verification
- Payment Methods Supported
- Transaction Fees Breakdown
- Integration with FlexiCommerce
- Vendor Payouts (Flutterwave Transfers)
What is Flutterwave?
Flutterwave is an African fintech company that provides payment infrastructure for businesses. Founded in 2016, Flutterwave processes payments for over 1 million businesses across Africa and is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, which means your customers' payment data is handled with the highest level of security.
Flutterwave supports payments in over 150 currencies and enables both domestic and international transactions. For Nigerian ecommerce businesses, it offers the most comprehensive set of local payment methods.
How to Create a Flutterwave Account
- Visit dashboard.flutterwave.com and click "Sign Up"
- Enter your email address and create a strong password
- Verify your email address via the confirmation link
- Select "Nigeria" as your country and choose your business type
- Fill in your business details (name, address, phone number)
- You will get a test account immediately — you can start testing payments right away
KYC Verification
To go live and accept real payments, you need to complete KYC (Know Your Customer) verification. Here is what Flutterwave requires:
Personal Documents
Valid government-issued ID (NIN slip, International Passport, Driver's Licence, or Voter's Card). BVN (Bank Verification Number).
Business Documents
CAC registration certificate, TIN (Tax Identification Number), and business bank account details. Sole proprietorship or limited company both accepted.
Verification Timeline
KYC verification typically takes 24-72 hours. Once approved, you can switch from test mode to live mode and start accepting real payments.
Payment Methods Supported
Flutterwave supports all major payment methods used by Nigerian consumers:
Card Payments
Visa, Mastercard, and Verve cards. 3D Secure authentication for fraud prevention. Supports both Nigerian and international cards.
Bank Transfer
Customers pay via direct bank transfer from any Nigerian bank. A unique account number is generated for each transaction. No USSD codes needed.
USSD Payments
Supports USSD banking codes from all major banks — GTBank (*737#), Access Bank (*901#), Zenith Bank (*966#), First Bank (*894#), UBA (*919#), and more. No internet required.
Mobile Money
OPay, PalmPay, Moniepoint, Kuda, and other popular Nigerian mobile wallets. Customers pay directly from their wallet balance.
NQR (QR Code)
Nigeria Quick Response code payments. Customers scan a QR code with their banking app to pay. Contactless and fast.
Cash on Delivery (COD)
Essential for Nigerian ecommerce. With FlexiCommerce, COD includes OTP verification — the customer must provide an OTP code to confirm receipt, preventing delivery fraud.
Transaction Fees Breakdown
Flutterwave charges competitive transaction fees for Nigerian businesses:
| Payment Method | Fee | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Local Cards | 1.4% | Capped at ₦2,000 |
| International Cards | 3.8% | No cap |
| Bank Transfer | 1.4% | Capped at ₦2,000 |
| USSD | 1.4% | Capped at ₦2,000 |
| Mobile Money | 1.4% | Capped at ₦2,000 |
Important: The fee cap means that for transactions above ₦142,857, you pay a maximum of ₦2,000 regardless of the transaction amount. This makes Flutterwave very cost-effective for high-value orders.
These fees go directly to Flutterwave. FlexiCommerce charges 0% commission on top — you keep 100% of your revenue minus Flutterwave's processing fee.
Integration with FlexiCommerce
If you are using FlexiCommerce, Flutterwave integration is already built in. Here is how to connect it:
- Log in to your FlexiCommerce admin panel
- Go to Settings > Payment Gateway
- Select Flutterwave as your payment provider
- Enter your Flutterwave Public Key and Secret Key (from your Flutterwave dashboard)
- Configure your webhook URL (auto-generated by FlexiCommerce)
- Enable the payment methods you want (Cards, Bank Transfer, USSD, Mobile Money, NQR)
- Save and test with a small transaction
That is it — no coding required, no plugins to install, no technical setup. Everything is pre-configured.
Vendor Payouts (Flutterwave Transfers)
If you run a multi-vendor marketplace with FlexiCommerce, vendor payouts are handled via Flutterwave Transfers. When a vendor requests a payout, the admin approves it, and the money is transferred directly to the vendor's Nigerian bank account through Flutterwave's disbursement API.
This process is fully automated within the FlexiCommerce admin panel — no manual bank transfers needed.
Conclusion
Flutterwave is the best payment gateway for Nigerian ecommerce businesses. It supports every payment method your customers need, has competitive fees with a cap that benefits high-value orders, and integrates seamlessly with FlexiCommerce.
Start Accepting Payments Today
FlexiCommerce + Flutterwave = Complete Nigerian ecommerce solution. 20 minutes to go live.