Apple Pay and Google Pay Are Redefining Online Payments in the Baltics

The way online purchases are paid for in the Baltics, is changing. For years, the picture was remarkably stable: between 85 and 95 percent of all online purchases were paid with bank payments. Card payments held a smaller, but steady, share — usually in the range of 5 to 10 percent depending on the merchant category.

That balance started to shift as soon as Apple Pay and Google Pay were introduced to checkouts.

Once a shop enables Apple Pay and Google Pay alongside regular card payments, the share of card transactions doubles within just a couple of months.

Growth then continues at a steady pace. Today, card payments — including Apple Pay and Google Pay — make up around 20 percent of online transactions, and in some categories the share is already higher. Apple Pay has even overtaken traditional card payments and is about ten times bigger than Google Pay.

Perhaps the most striking part of the data is where these new Apple Pay users come from. It turns out that the majority — roughly two thirds to three quarters — previously paid using bank payments. This is a fundamental shift in behavior. For a long time, Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians have placed their trust in the bank payment option, a pattern quite unique to the Baltics and Finland, where bank transfers have been the dominant way to pay online. The fact that such a large share of shoppers is now moving from bank payments to card-based solutions marks a turning point. The shift towards card payments is especially noteworthy, as it signals a change in habits that were once considered deeply entrenched.

Majority — roughly two thirds to three quarters — previously paid using bank payments

This also explains why the average value of a card transaction has decreased. Apple Pay and Google Pay are increasingly being used for everyday, smaller purchases, where convenience and speed matter most.

From a customer perspective, the change makes perfect sense. Mobile wallets offer a level of ease that traditional payment methods can’t match. No card details need to be typed in, and payments can be completed with a single tap or Face ID. Especially on mobile devices, where long checkout forms are a major reason for cart abandonment, Apple Pay and Google Pay remove friction and significantly boost conversion rates.

Merchants who have already added Apple Pay and Google Pay are seeing the benefits. The growth in card share comes not just from customers switching their preferred method, but also from higher overall conversions. When the payment process is smooth, fewer baskets are abandoned and more purchases are completed. For many shops, adding Apple Pay has been a visible driver of checkout performance, even without detailed reporting — the difference shows up quickly in customer behavior.

At the same time, this trend is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Apple Pay and Google Pay are powerful tools for improving the checkout experience and meeting customer expectations. On the other hand, card payments are more expensive than payment initiation services. As the share of card payments grows, so too will overall payment costs. Merchants need to be aware of this shift and plan accordingly.

And this is just the beginning. In the coming months, MakeCommerce will also announce support for Click to Pay. It is a new way to make online card payments that replaces the need to manually enter card numbers, expiry dates, and security codes at checkout. Instead, customers can pay with their saved cards using a single click, much like Apple Pay or Google Pay. It’s based on an international standard developed by card schemes (Visa, Mastercard, etc.), designed to make “old-fashioned” card payments faster, safer, and easier — especially on mobile.

What Does the Future Hold?

Looking ahead, the role of cards in the region will only grow. Based on current trends, we expect the share of card payments to reach around 25 percent in the average online shop by the end of this year, with certain categories climbing even higher. The effect of Click to Pay remains to be seen, but early indications from other Nordic markets suggest that it will further accelerate the adoption of online card payments. Together with Apple Pay and Google Pay, this development points to a future where cards play a central role in everyday purchases.

The conclusion is clear: card payments are no longer just a side option. For merchants, enabling Apple Pay and Google Pay is not only about following customer expectations — it’s a proven way to double card share in less than two months and to future-proof the checkout experience. The task now is to embrace this shift, understand its cost implications, and turn it into a competitive advantage.