How do people in Haiti pay online?
Online payment is still uncommon. The US Commercial Service describes e-commerce in Haiti as a slow-growing sector, held back by limited internet access and energy infrastructure. Most companies do not have websites, many sell through Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and cash, cheques and bank transfers are the preferred ways to pay. Only a few companies offer phone or online payment, and PayPal is not available. The World Bank, using ITU data, puts internet use at 47.9% of the population in 2024.
Mobile money leads digital payments. MonCash, from the mobile operator Digicel, has the most active customers in the country, about two million, and many formal businesses use it for electronic payments. Natcom’s NatCash is the second large service, and the government uses both to send cash subsidies. The central bank (BRH) lists MonCash, NatCash, Sogebank’s Mago, KashPaw and HaitiPay as licensed electronic payment service providers. Mobile banking is seen as a more reliable alternative to bank branches, which face service disruptions.
Cards are held by few people. In the World Bank’s 2017 Global Findex survey, 32.6% of adults had an account, 13.5% a mobile money account and 10.9% a debit card. Google Pay is listed for online and in-app payments in Haiti, while Apple Pay is not on Apple’s list of supported countries.
Some shoppers pay for foreign orders in cash. Amazon Cash, launched in Haiti in 2019, lets shoppers place Amazon orders at participating stores and pay there in cash or by card, without needing a card of their own.
What rules shape online payments in Haiti?
Sales tax is 10%. The turnover tax (TCA), which works like a VAT, is charged at 10% on local sales of goods, services and imports, according to the US Commercial Service. Orders placed through Amazon Cash also carry a 30% customs rate and the 10% TCA on top of a 40% service charge.
Electronic transactions are legally binding. Parliament passed a law in 2017 that makes electronic signatures and electronic transactions legally binding, although a cybercrime bill had not been ratified when the guide was published.
Payment providers follow central bank rules. BRH Circular 121 sets the rules for electronic payment service providers, including banks, mobile operators and fintech companies, covering authorisation, governance, risk management and transaction security. Circular 131 sets the principles of financial consumer protection, including fair treatment, clear information, confidentiality of personal data and complaint handling.
The central bank sets a daily reference rate. The BRH publishes a reference rate for the gourde, which was 130.6751 gourdes per US dollar on 29 October 2026.
How would Omno route payments in Haiti?
A merchant would connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group. In Haiti:
- MonCash and NatCash could be offered through providers that support them, with the order pending until the provider confirms the payment.
- Card pay-ins would be routed by BIN, so local and international cards each go to the provider set for them, with cascading to the next provider in the rule if one is unavailable or rejects the request.
- Currency rules could send HTG payments to providers with local support and other currencies to international providers.
- Bank transfers could be offered through providers that support them, confirmed by the provider’s notification before the order ships.
Webhooks would report the final status of every payment, and the routing-decision log would show which provider handled each payment and why.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for mobile money first. MonCash has the largest number of active customers among Haiti’s mobile payment services, so a checkout without it misses many shoppers who pay digitally.
Plan for few cards. Only about one adult in ten held a debit card in the 2017 Findex survey, so cards should sit next to mobile money rather than replace it.
Plan for offline habits. Many businesses sell through social media and take cash or transfers, so clear payment links and order confirmation matter.
Plan for currency. The BRH publishes a new reference rate every day, so decide which currency each customer group pays in and how often prices are updated.