Understanding domestic, international, and European credit cards

This page provides a comprehensive overview of different types of credit cards: domestic, international, and European. It explains that domestic cards are issued and used within the same country as the business, while international cards originate from a different country. Additionally, the page details European cards, which although issued in various European countries, are treated similarly to domestic cards and includes lists of supported countries and regions for each category.

Domestic cards

Domestic cards are credit cards that are issued and used in the same country or region of your business. This means that the financial institution that issued the credit card is in the same country or region that your business is in.

For example, your business is located in Japan, and a customer makes a purchase using a credit card from Japan. This is a domestic credit card purchase.

International cards

International cards are credit cards that are issued and used in a different country or region than your business. This means that the financial institution that issued the credit card is in a different country than your business.

For example, your business is located in Germany, and a customer makes a purchase using a credit card in the United States. This is an international credit card purchase, because the customer's credit card is from a country or region that is different from where your business is located.

Note

If your online store is based in the United States and you process payments by using Shopify Payments, then you're charged a 1% cross-border fee on all sales made with a credit card issued in another country.

European cards

European cards are credit cards that are issued and used in specific countries and regions in Europe. This means that the financial institution that issued the credit card might be in a different country or region than your business. European cards are treated the same way that domestic cards are treated.

For example, your business is located in The Netherlands, and a customer makes a purchase using a credit card in Ireland. This is a European credit card purchase. Your customer's credit card is a European credit card, because it was issued in a supported European country or region.

The following tables include a list of countries and regions that are supported as European cards.

Northern Europe country codes

List of Northern European countries and regions where European cards are supported.

Country or region	Country code
Denmark	DK
Estonia	EE
Faroe Islands	FO
Finland	FI
Greenland	GL
Guernsey	GG
Iceland	IS
Latvia	LV
Isle of Man	IM
Jersey	JE
Lithuania	LT
Norway	NO
Svalbard and Jan Mayen	SJ
Sweden	SE

Southern Europe country codes

List of Southern European countries and regions where European cards are supported.

Country or region	Country code
Andorra	AD
Croatia	HR
Cyprus	CY
Gibraltar	GI
Greece	GR
Holy See (Vatican City State)	VA
Israel	IL
Italy	IT
Malta	MT
Macedonia	MK
Montenegro	ME
Portugal	PT
San Marino	SM
Serbia	RS
Slovenia	SI
Spain	ES
Türkiye	TR

Eastern Europe country codes

List of Eastern European countries and regions where European cards are supported.

Country or region	Country code
Bulgaria	BG
Czech Republic	CZ
Hungary	HU
Poland	PL
Romania	RO
Slovakia	SK

Western Europe country codes

List of Western European countries and regions where European cards are supported.

Country or region	Country code
Austria	AT
Belgium	BE
France	FR
Germany	DE
Ireland	IE
Liechtenstein	LI
Luxembourg	LU
Monaco	MC
Netherlands	NL
Switzerland	CH

Saint Pierre and Miquelon (PM)

This region is a French territory in North America. The country code for Saint Pierre and Miquelon is PM.