How to Build a Multi-Currency Checkout in 5 Steps

It’s no longer surprising for a business in Lagos to serve customers in New York, or for a startup in Ghana to get orders from China. The world has never been more connected, and cross-border buying and selling has followed that trend in enhancing international trade. But with all these opportunities comes a set of challenges, especially around payments.

One of the biggest hurdles for businesses is dealing with multiple currencies. Imagine having customers across Africa, Europe, and the US. Do you ask everyone to pay in your local currency? That can easily confuse customers, not to mention the extra headaches of conversion rates, hidden fees, and reconciliation issues.

That’s where multi-currency checkout makes a difference. It lets customers pay in the currency they’re most comfortable with, while you still receive your money in the currency that works best for your business.

In this guide, you’ll learn what multi-currency checkout is, how it works, and the pros and cons it brings to your business. Then we’ll walk through how to build one in five simple steps using Flutterwave.

TL;DR — Want to see how to build it? Jump to how to set up multi-currency checkout.

What is a Multi-Currency Checkout?

Multi-currency checkout is a payment feature that lets customers view prices and complete purchases in their preferred local currency, while the merchant receives settlement in their own domestic currency.

These checkouts can be influenced by factors like currency conversion fees, economic stability, and trade terms. If not managed properly, you could end up overcharging or undercharging customers when displaying prices.

When set up correctly, multi-currency checkout can be applied across different industries, including:

• Travel and Tourism: Airlines, booking sites, hotels, and tour operators can process payments in customers’ local currencies. This saves travelers from the hassle of currency exchange and unpredictable rates.
• Content Creators and Subscription Platforms: If you run a platform where creators from different regions earn through one-time payments or subscriptions, multi-currency checkout makes it easier for users to pay in their local currency.
• International Business Transactions: Global businesses can use it to accept payments from customers, suppliers, and partners in their preferred currencies.
• Remittance: Businesses built on remittances can let customers send money in one currency (e.g., GBP) while recipients get the equivalent amount in their local currency (e.g., NGN) directly in their bank account. This makes the process faster and more convenient.

How Multi-Currency Checkout Works

Unlike traditional payment processors that handle transactions in just one currency, often your home currency, multi-currency checkout works a bit differently. Here’s a quick overview:

The process begins when a buyer initiates a purchase on your online store. For example, a customer in Ghana adds an item to their cart. At checkout, they select GHS as their preferred currency for the transaction.

The multi-currency payment gateway then displays the price in GHS, calculated in real time using the current exchange rate. If the customer is happy with the rate, they authorize the payment using their local payment method (e.g., card, bank transfer, or mobile money).

Once the payment is processed, the payment provider settles the funds into your account in your chosen settlement currency. Depending on the provider, you may also have the option to hold, manage, and transfer funds in multiple currencies.

Benefits of Multi-Currency Checkout

Beyond convenience, multi-currency checkout brings several important benefits to your business. Here are some of the key ones:

• Reduced Payment Failure and Abandoned Carts: Currency mismatch is one of the most common causes of failed payments. For example, if a customer’s card is set to GHS or NGN but your system tries to process another currency, the bank may flag the transaction as suspicious. Multi-currency checkout reduces these issues and improves success rates.
• Automated Reconciliation: Modern multi-currency systems offer detailed reporting that breaks down revenue by currency, tracks the impact of exchange rates, and simplifies tax compliance across regions. This lowers administrative work and reduces the chances of reconciliation errors.
• Customer Retention and Trust: Showing prices in a customer’s familiar currency makes the experience more transparent. They know exactly what they’re paying for, which reduces hesitation, support tickets, and chargebacks. Over time, this builds stronger trust and loyalty.
• Market Penetration: Localized pricing makes it easier to grow in foreign markets without the hassle of opening local bank accounts. You can test and expand into new regions with fewer logistical and financial barriers.
• Competitive Advantage: Multi-currency checkout positions your business as a global brand rather than a local company trying to “go international.” It also allows you to apply geo-pricing strategies where prices aren’t just converted but tailored to local purchasing power and market conditions. This can boost your margins and help you capture market share more quickly.

While multi-currency checkout comes with many advantages, there are also a few drawbacks worth noting. Let’s explore those next.

Challenges of Multi-Currency Checkout

Below are some of the challenges of multi-currency checkouts you’ll need to manage carefully:

• Accounting Requirements: Accepting multiple currencies means juggling local and global reporting. This often increases the workload for your accounting team and can make audits more complex.
• Transaction Cost: Cross-border payments usually involve additional multi-currency payment processing fees, often in the range of 0.6%–1.5% per multi-currency transaction. These costs can eat into your margins, so you’ll need to decide whether to absorb them, pass them on to customers, or find a balanced way to communicate them clearly.
• Security: Handling multiple currencies adds layers of complexity to payment security. Different regions have varying compliance standards, fraud risks, and regulations. As a merchant, you’ll need to stay updated on cross-border security requirements, including fraud detection, chargeback handling, and regulatory compliance.
• Settlement Complexity: Managing payouts in different currencies can quickly become complicated. Should you convert everything back into your base currency, or hold funds in local currencies? Each option affects your cash flow, reconciliation process, and exposure to exchange rate fluctuations.
• Exchange Rate Risk and Pricing Strategy: Currency volatility is a constant challenge. For example, if you price a product at €100 today and the euro strengthens by 0.5% next week, you may lose money on each sale. Businesses often struggle between using dynamic pricing (adjusting rates frequently) or fixed pricing (absorbing the currency risk).

Now that we’ve covered the basics, benefits, challenges, and flow of multi-currency checkout, let’s dive into how you can build one with Flutterwave in just five steps.

How to Set Up Multi-Currency Checkout with Flutterwave in 5 Steps

Flutterwave supports hundreds of currencies out of the box. This gives you the flexibility to accept payments across multiple regions and reach international markets without heavy lifting. In this guide, we’ll build a simple e-commerce checkout that accepts payments in USD, EUR, GBP, and NGN.

Note: This implementation uses the Flutterwave v3 API.

Step 1: Set Up a Flutterwave Account and Get your API Key

First, create a Flutterwave account and navigate to the API keys section under the Settings menu.

Next, create a .env file in the root of your project and add the snippet below:

FLUTTERWAVE_SECRET_KEY=<REPLACE WITH YOUR SECRET KEY>
FLUTTERWAVE_PUBLIC_KEY=<REPLACE WITH YOUR PUBLIC KEY>
FLUTTERWAVE_BASE_URL=https://api.flutterwave.com/v3

Step 2: Implement Currency Detection and Selection

Now, create a frontend component that detects the user’s location and allows them to choose their preferred currency.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>Multi-Currency Checkout</title>
        <script src="https://checkout.flutterwave.com/v3.js"></script>
    </head>
    <body>
        <div class="checkout-container">
            <div class="currency-selector">
                <label>Select Currency:</label>
                <select id="currencySelect" onchange="updatePricing()">
                    <option value="USD">USD - US Dollar</option>
                    <option value="EUR">EUR - Euro</option>
                    <option value="GBP">GBP - British Pound</option>
                    <option value="NGN">NGN - Nigerian Naira</option>
                </select>
            </div>

            <div class="product-info">
                <h3>Premium Software License</h3>
                <p class="price" id="displayPrice">$99.00 USD</p>
                <button onclick="makePayment()" id="payButton">Pay Now</button>
            </div>
        </div>
    </body>
</html>

Step 3: Add Exchange Rate Logic

Before making payments, you’ll want to display product prices in the right currency, as it will involve currency conversion. The first step is creating a helper function that automatically detects the user’s location and selects the most relevant currency when the page loads.

async function autoSelectCurrency() {
    try {
        const res = await fetch('https://ipapi.co/json/'); // get the users current location using IP API
        const data = await res.json();
        const country = data.country;

        // Map country code to currency
        const countryCurrencyMap = {
            US: 'USD',
            GB: 'GBP',
            NG: 'NGN',
            DE: 'EUR',
            FR: 'EUR',
            IT: 'EUR',
            ES: 'EUR',
        };

        let currency = countryCurrencyMap[country] || 'USD'; // Default to USD

        const currencySelect = document.getElementById('currencySelect');
        currencySelect.value = currency;

        updatePricing();
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error auto-selecting currency:', error);
        updatePricing(); // fallback to USD
    }
}

// Call on page load
window.onload = autoSelectCurrency;

Next, create a helper function that handles dynamic currency conversion using Flutterwave’s Exchange Rate API. This will allow you to display the product price in the customer’s selected currency.

// Define supported currencies in your application
const SUPPORTED_CURRENCIES = [
    { code: 'USD', symbol: '$', name: 'US Dollar' },
    { code: 'EUR', symbol: '€', name: 'Euro' },
    { code: 'GBP', symbol: '£', name: 'British Pound' },
    { code: 'NGN', symbol: '₦', name: 'Nigerian Naira' },
];

// Base price in USD
const BASE_PRICE = 99.0;
const BASE_CURRENCY = 'USD';

let CURRENT_PRICE = BASE_PRICE; // will hold the converted amount
let CURRENT_CURRENCY = BASE_CURRENCY; // will hold the active currency

// select currency symbol helper function
function getCurrencySymbol(currencyCode) {
    const currency = SUPPORTED_CURRENCIES.find((c) => c.code === currencyCode);
    return currency ? currency.symbol : currencyCode + ' ';
}

async function getCurrentExchangeRate(fromCurrency, toCurrency, amount = 1) {
    const url = `{FLUTTERWAVE_BASE_URL}/transfers/rates?amount=${amount}&source_currency=${fromCurrency}&destination_currency=${toCurrency}`;

    try {
        const response = await fetch(url, {
            method: 'GET',
            headers: {
                Authorization: `Bearer ${FLUTTERWAVE_SECRET_KEY}`,
                'Content-Type': 'application/json',
                Accept: 'application/json',
            },
        });

        const json = await response.json();

        if (json.status === 'success') {
            return json.data.rate;
        } else {
            console.error('Failed to fetch exchange rate:', json.message);
            return null;
        }
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Exchange rate fetch failed:', error);
        return null;
    }
}

Finally, use this helper inside an updatePricing() function that listens for currency changes and updates the UI accordingly.

async function updatePricing() {
    const selectedCurrency = document.getElementById('currencySelect').value;
    const priceElement = document.getElementById('displayPrice');
    const payButton = document.getElementById('payButton');

    priceElement.textContent = 'Loading price...';
    payButton.disabled = true;

    try {
        if (selectedCurrency === BASE_CURRENCY) {
            // Base case: no conversion
            CURRENT_PRICE = BASE_PRICE;
            CURRENT_CURRENCY = BASE_CURRENCY;

            const currencySymbol = getCurrencySymbol(selectedCurrency);
            priceElement.textContent = `${currencySymbol}${BASE_PRICE.toFixed(
                2
            )} ${selectedCurrency}`;
        } else {
            // Conversion required
            const exchangeRate = await getCurrentExchangeRate(
                BASE_CURRENCY,
                selectedCurrency,
                BASE_PRICE
            );

            if (exchangeRate) {
                CURRENT_PRICE = (BASE_PRICE * exchangeRate).toFixed(2);
                CURRENT_CURRENCY = selectedCurrency;

                const currencySymbol = getCurrencySymbol(selectedCurrency);
                priceElement.textContent = `${currencySymbol}${CURRENT_PRICE} ${selectedCurrency}`;
            } else {
                priceElement.textContent = 'Price unavailable';
                CURRENT_PRICE = BASE_PRICE;
                CURRENT_CURRENCY = BASE_CURRENCY;
            }
        }
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error updating pricing:', error);
        priceElement.textContent = 'Error loading price';
        CURRENT_PRICE = BASE_PRICE;
        CURRENT_CURRENCY = BASE_CURRENCY;
    }

    payButton.disabled = false;
}

Step 4: Integrate Flutterwave Payment Processing

Now implement the actual payment processing with multi-currency support.

function makePayment() {
    FlutterwaveCheckout({
        public_key: FLUTTERWAVE_PUBLIC_KEY,
        tx_ref: 'MC-' + Date.now(),
        amount: CURRENT_PRICE,
        currency: CURRENT_CURRENCY,
        payment_options: 'card,mobilemoney,ussd',
        customer: {
            email: '[e-mail]',
            phone_number: '080****4528',
            name: 'John Doe',
        },
        customizations: {
            title: 'E-commerce item',
            description: 'Payment for E-commerce item',
            logo: 'https://your-logo-url.com/logo.png',
        },
    });
}

Once the customer initiates a payment, they are redirected to the specified redirect_url with transaction details appended as query parameters:

tx_ref=ref&transaction_id=30490&status=successful

Step 5: Verify the Transaction on your Backend

To confirm a successful payment, you’ll need to verify it from your backend. There are three main ways to do this:

• Webhook (Recommended): Set up a webhook to receive real-time updates.
• Retrieve Transfer Endpoint: Make a request to the verify transaction endpoint directly to get the transfer status.
• Callback URL: Use a callback URL, if available, to handle status updates automatically.

This extra step helps prevent fraud, reduces errors, and keeps your accounting records accurate.

Wrap Up

Building a multi-currency checkout removes a big barrier to global growth. Instead of worrying about conversion rates or juggling multiple payment systems, you can let customers pay in the currency they trust, while you still receive funds in the one that works best for you.

With Flutterwave’s robust APIs, real-time currency conversion, and easy integrations, the heavy lifting is already done. You just plug it in, customize it, and start growing.

Ready to take your business global? Sign up for Flutterwave today and start accepting payments in multiple currencies.