Payment platform onboarding: Make it quick and stress-free with MONEI

For most businesses, the first step toward accepting payments is also the hardest. 

Between paperwork, compliance checks, and technical setup, payment platform onboarding can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. According to Mastercard, traditional acquirers take an average of three to seven days to onboard a merchant. That’s valuable time lost when you could already be processing sales.

At MONEI, we believe onboarding shouldn’t slow you down. Whether you’re a small business preparing to accept your first payment or a global brand integrating advanced payment flows, our process is designed to be fast, transparent, and secure from day one.

“We see onboarding as the beginning of a long-term partnership,” says Alex Saiz Verdaguer, CEO of MONEI. “The faster and smoother we make that first step, the sooner you can focus on growing your businesses.”

In this article, you’ll learn what affects onboarding time, how MONEI’s automated system compares to traditional providers, and a few insider tips to help you get up and running even faster.

Table of Content

• Factors that determine onboarding time
• How MONEI Compares
• Tips from the MONEI onboarding team
• Payment platform onboarding shouldn’t slow you down

Factors that determine onboarding time 

Merchant onboarding times vary widely across payment providers. Some businesses can start processing transactions within minutes, while others wait days or even weeks for approval. The difference depends on a few key factors:

1. Provider efficiency

Traditional payment providers often rely on manual verification and fragmented systems. Each document or compliance check passes through multiple teams, creating unnecessary delays. At MONEI, we automate these steps to speed things up without compromising accuracy.

2. Business type and risk level

The nature of your business plays a major role in how quickly you’re approved. High-risk industries such as gaming, CBD, and ticket sales, or businesses less than a year old, often require deeper checks to meet regulatory standards. Low-risk merchants, like retail stores, enterprise marketplaces, or established e-commerce brands, typically move through the process faster.

3. Regulatory requirements

Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations vary by country and jurisdiction. Each adds layers of verification designed to protect both the business and the payment ecosystem.

4. Technical integration

If your business requires complex integrations with APIs, point-of-sale systems, or third-party platforms, it may take longer to complete testing and go live, due to a more intricate setup. Fortunately, with MONEI, you can use our prebuilt payment page. It’s the fastest way to collect payments from your customers using various methods.

5. Data accuracy and documentation

Missing or incorrect information is one of the most common causes of onboarding delays. Having accurate business details, legal documents, and banking information ready can significantly shorten approval times.

📌Review the requirements to activate your MONEI account 

How MONEI Compares

Traditional payment providers can take days to process an application; that’s why we’re always working to make onboarding faster, simpler, and more transparent without cutting corners on compliance or security. Most of our merchants are approved and ready to accept payments within the same business day, and in some cases, in under 10 minutes. 

Here’s how we make it happen:

1. Automated verification

Waiting days for manual reviews and endless email exchanges is the last thing we want you to deal with; that’s why we automate the onboarding process as much as possible. At the time of writing, nearly 75% of all new MONEI accounts are approved automatically, reducing what once took days to just minutes for most low-risk merchants.

“We’ve automated the most time-consuming parts of merchant onboarding, says Dmitriy Nevzorov, CTO of MONEI. “Including identity verification, risk checks, and data validation, without sacrificing compliance and trust, so merchants can go live in minutes instead of days.” 

2. Simplified onboarding for additional sales channels 

Do you operate both an online store and a physical point of sale? With MONEI, you don’t have to go through the full onboarding process for each plan. You can simply register one account, and then from your main dashboard, add the second account through a simplified onboarding process. 

3. Dedicated support for complex cases

For larger merchants or those in regulated industries, our onboarding specialists provide hands-on guidance every step of the way. From reviewing documentation to testing integrations, our team is available via Slack, phone, or email to ensure a smooth and stress-free process.

“We have integrated MONEI as our secure payment gateway in a simple, fast, and completely secure way,” says MONEI customer, Beautify Box. “It also offers us payment methods such as Bizum, which increases conversions and gives options to all customers. The commissions are lower, and the customer service in Spain is very efficient.”

4. Full transparency

Our customer dashboard provides real-time updates, showing which stage of onboarding you’re in and what comes next, so you’ll always know your status and have a clear view of your progress.

5. Built-in compliance and trust

Speed doesn’t mean skipping checks. We’re fully compliant with PSD2 and PCI DSS, ensuring your business meets the highest security and data protection standards.

“Thanks to MONEI, we’ve been able to onboard bigger clients, exponentially increasing orders,” says Arnau Cunill, Growth Marketing Lead at Incapto Coffee.

Tips from the MONEI onboarding team 

A smooth payment platform onboarding experience starts with good preparation. While our automated system does most of the heavy lifting, there are a few simple things you can do to make the process even faster and frustration-free. 

1. Have your documents ready. Before starting your application, gather your company registration details, including your tax identification number, bank account information, and a valid ID for your business representative. Having all onboarding requirements in one place prevents delays during verification.
2. Double-check your information. Typos or missing details are among the most common causes of onboarding slowdowns. Take a moment to make sure your business name, tax ID, and bank account details are accurate and match your legal documents.
3. Be clear about your business activity. When describing what your company does, be specific. A clear explanation of your products or services helps our system classify your business correctly and speeds up compliance checks.
4. Follow the dashboard prompts. Once you sign up, you’ll be prompted within the dashboard to complete tasks before we can approve your account. Just follow along and you’ll see your progress in real time.
5. Keep your website compliant. Before submitting your application, make sure your website is compliant, including clear terms and conditions, a refund policy, and contact details. These small details go a long way in helping your business get verified faster.

With a bit of preparation and attention to detail, most merchants complete MONEI onboarding in less than a day. Once you’re approved, you can connect with your e-commerce store, customize your checkout page, and add more payment methods. If you ever get stuck, you can consult our help center.

Payment platform onboarding shouldn’t slow you down 

A smooth payment platform onboarding process means you can start accepting payments sooner. When it’s fast, transparent, and secure, you can focus on what really matters—growing your business and serving your customers. For faster and easier onboarding, sign up for MONEI today.

Alexis Damen

Alexis Damen is a former Shopify merchant turned content marketer. Here, she breaks down complex topics about payments, e-commerce, and retail to help you succeed (with MONEI as your payments partner, of course).