Selling online across Europe means dealing with a mosaic of payment habits. What converts well in Italy may leave the cart abandoned in Poland or Germany. With Magento 2.4.9 (available since 12 May 2026) new local methods built for EU markets arrive natively. Let us look at why they matter and how to use them.

Why local payments boost conversion

When shoppers cannot find the payment method they normally use, they often abandon the cart. Offering the right local methods cuts checkout friction and lifts conversion, especially in cross-border markets:

• Trust: a familiar method signals reliability and reduces last-minute hesitation.
• Less friction: shoppers pay the way they are used to, without entering card details.
• Market coverage: in some countries local methods outweigh international cards in share.

The new local methods in 2.4.9

The release introduces several methods designed for specific European markets:

• BLIK (Poland): the most widely used mobile payment system in Poland, based on time-limited codes generated by the banking app.
• Pay Upon Invoice (Germany): the classic "buy now, pay later on invoice" deeply rooted in German purchasing habits.
• ELO cards: support for a card scheme widely used in certain markets, broadening coverage beyond the standard international networks.

Google Pay vaulting

Among the new features is Google Pay card vaulting via Braintree: shoppers save a card in their account and reuse it on later checkouts without re-entering it. For returning buyers this means a faster payment with fewer steps, directly improving the order completion rate.

Wallets and BNPL: the bigger picture

Beyond the native methods, in many EU markets digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) and BNPL solutions like Klarna are now baseline expectations. Integrating them alongside local methods rounds out the checkout offering, covering both one-tap payers and those who prefer to spread the cost.

PSD2, SCA and checkout localization

In Europe PSD2 mandates Strong Customer Authentication (SCA): card payments require multi-factor authentication (typically 3-D Secure). Make sure your active methods handle SCA correctly to avoid declined transactions. Likewise, localizing the checkout — language, currency, formats and per-country methods — is decisive: a checkout that matches local expectations converts better.

Want to enable local payments on your store?

Choosing and configuring payment methods per market requires care around compliance, gateways and the checkout flow. If you need help setting up EU local payments on your Magento and optimizing cross-border conversion, the Shine Software team is here to help.