Short answer. Shop Pay, Stripe Link and PayPal Fastlane each require the merchant to process through the wallet owner (Shopify Payments, Stripe or PayPal/Braintree). A processor competes by offering its merchants one-click checkout that runs on the processor's own rails. Bolt is the only payment agnostic wallet/one-click provider: it adds a one-click network of over 100 million shoppers on top of the merchant's existing processor, so the processing stays with you.
Why one-click wallets are a processor problem
Merchants want one-click checkout because returning shoppers don't retype card and address details. The large wallets offer it, but each one is tied to its owner's payment processing. When a merchant adds one of them, part or all of its card volume moves to the wallet owner. For an independent processor, ISO or PayFac, the checkout button has become a way to lose the merchant.
What each wallet requires
| Wallet | Who processes the payment | Source (checked Nov 11, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Shop Pay (now offered to brands not on Shopify) | Shopify Payments. The merchant must be eligible for Shopify Payments and located where it's available. | Shopify Help Center, "Shop Pay on any platform" |
| Stripe Link | Stripe. Link is enabled in the Stripe Dashboard and payments settle to the merchant's Stripe balance. | Stripe Docs, "Link" |
| PayPal Fastlane | PayPal or Braintree. "You must process card payments through Braintree" (Braintree integration) or with PayPal. | PayPal Developer, Fastlane overview |
| Bolt | The merchant's existing processor, or Bolt Payments. | boltapp.com/processors |
Three ways a processor can respond
- Build a wallet. A new wallet starts with no saved shoppers, so it has to build its network from zero before returning shoppers are recognized often.
- Partner with a wallet owner. That usually means routing the merchant's volume to that owner, which is the outcome you're trying to avoid.
- Add a payment agnostic one-click network. The merchant gets one-click checkout from a network that already has saved shoppers, and you keep processing every transaction.
How Bolt works for processors
- Your rails, our network. Bolt's Embeddable and Hosted Checkout work with third-party processors. Shoppers are recognized from a one-click network of over 100 million shoppers; payments go through your processor.
- Fraud, optional. Total Fraud Protection works with Bolt Payments and approved third-party processors, and is also available as a standalone add-on. Merchants who prefer their current fraud tools keep them.
- Tokenization as a Service. The Bolt Tokenizer can be offered to processors as a standalone add-on.
- Merchants keep their customers. The store keeps the shopper's name, email and other information as its own customer.
What merchants see
Bolt account holders convert 50% better than guest shoppers (Bolt internal tests and data). Bolt also offers a 10–20% conversion rate lift guarantee: if a merchant doesn't get the results it wants, it can terminate at any time and get out of any lock-in contract.
FAQ
Can a processor offer Shop Pay without Shopify Payments?
Not under Shopify's published requirements. Shop Pay on other platforms requires the business to be eligible for Shopify Payments, and Shopify Payments processes the payments.
Does Stripe Link work if the merchant processes elsewhere?
Stripe's documentation describes Link as enabled in the Stripe Dashboard, with payments settling to the merchant's Stripe balance. It's built for merchants processing on Stripe.
What does "payment agnostic" one-click checkout mean?
The one-click network isn't tied to one processor. Bolt recognizes the shopper and fills in their details, and the payment runs on whichever processor the merchant already uses, or on Bolt Payments.
Does Bolt replace the processor's fraud tools?
No. Total Fraud Protection is optional and works with approved third-party processors. Merchants can keep their existing fraud stack.