Yes. An Indian business can hold merchant accounts with two or more payment gateways and use them on the same website or app. You can let customers choose, split payments in your own code, or put a multi PG layer in front of both gateways so routing and failover happen without changing your checkout.
This question usually comes up right after a bad week. Your gateway had an outage, or UPI payments kept failing, and someone on the team asks: why don't we just add a second one? The short answer is yes, you can. The longer answer is about how you do it, because the method you choose decides how much work it is and how much it actually helps.
Can you use two payment gateways on one website?
Yes. Nothing stops an Indian business from having merchant accounts with two or more payment gateways, for example Razorpay and Cashfree, or PayU and PhonePe, and using both on the same website or app. Each gateway processes the payments sent to it, charges its own fees on those payments, and settles them to your bank account.
Three ways to run two payment gateways together
Option 1: Let the customer choose
You show two pay buttons, or two options on the payment page, each tied to a different gateway. It is the quickest to build, but it pushes the decision onto the customer, who has no idea which one is working better today. When one gateway is down, customers who pick it still fail.
Option 2: Hard-code a split in your own code
Your developers integrate both gateways and write logic such as "UPI goes to gateway A, cards go to gateway B". This uses each gateway for what it is good at. The downside is upkeep: two APIs, two webhook formats, two refund flows, and every change to the rules needs a code release. Failover during an outage often ends up manual.
Option 3: Put a multi PG layer in front of both
Your website integrates once with a multi PG payment gateway platform, and the platform connects to both gateways. Routing rules, failover and callbacks are handled in that layer, so your checkout code does not change when you adjust rules or add a gateway.
Which option is right for you?
| Customer chooses | Your own code | Multi PG layer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build effort | Low | High: two integrations | Low: one integration |
| Handles outages | No | Only if you build failover | Yes, with a backup gateway rule |
| Uses each gateway's strengths | No | Yes | Yes |
| Changing rules | Not applicable | Needs a code release | Configuration change |
| Callbacks and reconciliation | Two separate flows | Two separate flows | One place |
How to add a second payment gateway, step by step
- Find the gap. Look at your failed payments by method and bank. Choose a second gateway that is strong where your current one is weak.
- Complete KYC with the second gateway and enable the same payment methods you use today.
- Decide how you will run both: customer choice, your own code, or a multi PG layer.
- Start with failover. Use the new gateway only when the main one is down. It is the lowest-risk first step.
- Send a small share of live traffic to the new gateway and compare success rates for a few weeks.
- Set your routing rules based on that data. Our list of payment routing rules covers the options.
Things that catch people out
- Refunds have to go back through the gateway that took the payment. Store the gateway with every order.
- Saved cards and mandates are usually tied to the gateway that created them. Keep renewals on that gateway.
- Duplicate charges happen when a pending payment is retried on the other gateway. Check the final status first.
- Reconciliation doubles if nobody plans for it. Each gateway settles on its own cycle with its own report.
So, should you do it?
If gateway outages or weak success rates are already costing you orders, yes. If you are small and rarely see technical failures, one gateway is still fine. Read single vs multiple payment gateways for the full comparison, or talk to the JustPe team about running two gateways behind one integration.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Razorpay and Cashfree together on one website?
Yes. You can hold merchant accounts with both and use them on the same website. Each one processes and settles the payments sent to it. You decide which payments go where, either in your own code or through a multi PG platform.
Will I pay double fees with two payment gateways?
No. Each payment is processed by one gateway and only that gateway charges for it. The extra cost is in setup, integration and reconciliation, not in per-transaction fees.
What is the easiest way to run two payment gateways?
A multi PG layer is the easiest to maintain because your website integrates once and the layer handles both gateways, including failover and callbacks. Showing customers two pay buttons is quicker to build but does not protect you during an outage.
