# Payment methods

<figure><img src="/files/0DJw1TIfuBwLyz5OjqQu" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

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Each market's checkout payment experience is driven by its payment methods — they determine which gateway processes each payment and what options customers see.
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## What is a payment method?

[Payment methods](/core-api-reference/payment_methods.md) are the types of payment sources you can offer in a market or a store. They let you provide different payment options to customers. Payment methods can carry a price charge and must be present before a customer places an order.

Each payment method is associated with a [payment gateway](/data-model/payments-and-tax/payment-gateways.md). The payment source type used with a payment method must match the parent gateway. You can differentiate the available payment method options by market. Supported payment source types include Adyen, Axerve, Braintree, Checkout.com, credit card, external payment, Klarna, PayPal, Satispay, Stripe, and wire transfer.

A payment method not already associated with a market or a store can be set as the default payment method for one or more markets.


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