How do people in Mexico pay online?
Mexico runs on three rails at once. SPEI, Banco de México’s real-time bank transfer system, processed about 7.3 billion transfers in 2025 and around 73.5 million adults already use it. Banxico expects SPEI operations to exceed debit and credit card payments by the end of 2026. Online, SPEI usually appears as a CLABE reference: the customer gets a unique account number, pays from their banking app, and the merchant is notified when funds arrive.
Cards remain the main checkout for e-commerce. They took 57% of e-commerce transaction value in 2025, credit cards alone 32%, and wallets 26%, according to the Global Payments Report as reported by Publimetro. Visa and Mastercard dominate, American Express has a premium base, and Carnet is the domestic network used by many debit cards. Mexican shoppers expect meses sin intereses (MSI), interest-free monthly instalments on credit cards, for larger baskets, and debit card approval rates online tend to be lower than credit, so a card route needs a second provider in the rule.
Cash is still essential. 85% of people mainly use cash for purchases of 500 pesos or less, according to the national financial inclusion survey for 2025-2030. OXXO Pay lets a customer generate a reference online and pay it in cash at an OXXO convenience store, with the merchant notified after the payment is processed. Wallets such as Mercado Pago, and Banxico’s CoDi and DiMo services for phone-based transfers, add further options. The audience online is large: INEGI counted 104.9 million internet users aged six and over in 2025, 86.1% of that population, and 37.3% of internet users bought something online.
What rules shape online payments in Mexico?
Shoppers can cancel within five business days. Under Article 56 of the Federal Consumer Protection Law (LFPC), which PROFECO applies to online purchases, the shopper can revoke a purchase without liability within five business days of delivery or of signing the contract, whichever comes later. The merchant must refund the price paid, and the shopper pays freight and insurance for the return. Article 76 BIS requires online merchants to show their identity and contact details, the total price including shipping, payment methods, delivery times, warranties and their return and cancellation policies before the purchase.
Foreign sellers of digital services charge Mexican VAT. Since 1 June 2020, companies with no residence or establishment in Mexico that supply digital services used in the country, such as streaming, downloads, online courses and marketplaces, must charge 16% VAT. They register with the tax authority SAT, obtain a tax ID, appoint a legal representative and a tax address in Mexico, issue compliant invoices and file monthly, and providers that do not comply can have their services temporarily blocked in Mexico. Marketplaces also withhold tax from the sellers that use them: from 2026, income tax withholding on most individual sellers rose from 1% to 2.5% of gross income, platforms withhold half the VAT owed by Mexican companies selling through them, and they withhold all of it for non-resident sellers of goods. From 1 April 2026, the SAT can require foreign platforms to give it real-time access to their tax information.
Cross-border parcels carry import tax. From 15 August 2025, the flat rate on goods imported by courier from countries without a trade agreement with Mexico, China among them, rose from 19% to 33.5% on shipments under US$2,500. Parcels from the United States and Canada keep USMCA treatment: exempt under US$50, 17% from US$50 to US$117 and 19% above that.
How does Omno route payments in Mexico?
Omno treats Mexico as a market where every customer may need a different rail. You connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group:
- SPEI pay-ins go to the provider your rule sets for that customer segment, with a second SPEI provider available when the first is slow to issue references or confirm funds.
- SPEI pay-outs follow PSP eligibility rules, so marketplace payouts only use providers that support transfers to the recipient’s CLABE.
- OXXO Pay is offered in the hosted checkout for customers who want to pay cash, with the voucher status reported by webhook once the store payment is processed.
- Cards can be routed by BIN to the acquirer your rule sets for that issuer, with MSI instalment plans passed through where the provider supports them.
Customer groups and customer verification levels let you keep new customers on conservative limits until checks are complete, then open more providers and higher limits.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for SPEI first. It is the cheapest and fastest rail for both payments and refunds, and transfers to a CLABE make it the natural choice for returning funds.
Plan for cash timing. OXXO payments confirm after the customer visits a store, so orders should stay pending until the webhook confirms them.
Plan for a second card provider and instalments. Debit cards decline more often online, so a rule with a next provider for when one rejects the request matters, and MSI offers drive conversion on higher baskets.
Plan for cancellations and refunds. Publish your return and cancellation policy before checkout, and make sure refunds can go back by SPEI or to the original card within the five-day window and after it.
Plan for tax if you sell from abroad. Register with the SAT if you supply digital services to Mexican consumers, expect marketplace withholding if you sell through one, and use the routing-decision log in Omno to reconcile MXN settlements by route.