How do people in Honduras pay online?
Cards lead, and most are debit cards. In the detailed chapter of its 2025 inclusion report, the banking regulator CNBS counted 5,773,556 active debit cards at the end of 2024, a ratio of 85.5% to active savings accounts, rising to almost 100% among people under 40. Credit cards are fewer: CNBS data reported by El Heraldo show 1,231,188 credit cards in circulation in 2025, issued by 12 commercial banks, and the national survey of November 2024 found that 9.4% of adults hold one, 13.68% in towns and 6.63% in rural areas. Apple Pay and Google Pay are both available in Honduras.
Many people are still outside the banking system. The financial inclusion module of the November 2024 household survey, run by CNBS and the statistics institute INE, found that 39.7% of adults have a financial account. Among them, 49.8% use online or mobile banking.
Transfers and phones are growing. In the CNBS report for 2024, mobile phones carried 51.7% of digital banking transactions but only 10.0% of their value, a sign they are used for small everyday payments. The bankers’ association AHIBA told La Prensa in November 2025 that the ACH carries about 2 million transactions a month across 7 million accounts, and that QR payments were developed in 2024. Electronic wallets are a small niche: 2.7% of adults hold one, and CNBS counted 425,870 active wallets at the end of 2024, 10% fewer than a year earlier.
What rules shape online payments in Honduras?
Sales tax is 15%. PwC lists a general sales tax (ISV) rate of 15% and an 18% rate for beer, alcoholic drinks and tobacco. Financial transactions also carry a temporary security contribution of HNL 2 per thousand, with some exceptions.
E-money and payment services are regulated by the central bank. Two Banco Central de Honduras rules, Acuerdo 12-2022 and Acuerdo 13-2022, took effect on 26 August 2022. They regulate payment and transfer services with electronic money, whoever provides them, and set the rules for electronic payment service providers, whose services include e-commerce.
E-commerce has its own law. Congress approved the 28 articles of the Electronic Commerce Law on 20 January 2015. ECIJA notes that it regulates information sent as data messages in commercial activity, without overriding rules on consumer interests or tax.
Consumer complaints go to the DGPC. The consumer protection office under the Ministry of Economic Development applies the Consumer Protection Law, which El Heraldo summarised in 2020 as including a warranty of at least 60 days and the right to cancel with a refund when a provider fails to deliver.
There is no general data protection law. DLA Piper notes that personal data is covered by the habeas data right in Article 182 of the Constitution and by the transparency law, while a dedicated data protection bill was still under discussion.
How would Omno route payments in Honduras?
A merchant would connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group. In Honduras:
- Card pay-ins would be routed by BIN, so local debit cards and international credit 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.
- Apple Pay and Google Pay would appear in the hosted checkout for shoppers on supported phones, with the underlying card routed by the same rules.
- Bank transfers could be offered through a provider that supports ACH payments in lempiras, with the order pending until the provider confirms the payment.
- Customer groups could offer saved cards to returning customers, while first-time buyers see transfers next to the card form.
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 debit cards. Far more Hondurans hold a debit card than a credit card, so check that your providers accept local debit cards for online payments.
Plan for a transfer option. About half of account holders use online or mobile banking, and the ACH already carries millions of payments a month.
Plan for phones. Mobile banking carries most digital transactions, so keep the checkout short and offer Apple Pay or Google Pay where shoppers have them.
Plan for local rules. Charge 15% sales tax where it applies and keep a clear complaints and refund process for the consumer protection office.