PSE vs Nequi API for Colombia checkout — which is better for conversion?
Question
From our Colombian checkout data (3M+ transactions last year):
PSE vs Nequi conversion on mobile: PSE ~62% completion rate, Nequi ~81% completion rate. The Nequi difference is significant because the user doesn't leave your app — they just receive a push notification and approve in the Nequi app.
Nequi API maturity: Better than 2023. Bancolombia overhauled the developer experience in 2025. The push-payment flow is stable.
PSE uptime: Go through PayU Colombia or Wompi. Both have redundant PSE routing. Direct ACH integration has ~99.3% uptime; via PayU/Wompi it's closer to 99.7%.
Answers
Don't overlook Daviplata — especially if you're targeting Tier 2/3 cities or lower-income segments. Daviplata has ~8M active users vs Nequi's 18M, but Daviplata's user base skews more rural and is more likely to be unbanked.
Also worth mentioning: Transfiya is emerging as an interoperability layer that lets you accept transfers from multiple wallets (Nequi, Daviplata, and any Transfiya-connected bank) using the customer's phone number.
This is very helpful. A follow-up on Nequi:
What happens in the Nequi flow when a user doesn't have enough balance? Does the API return a specific error code so I can show a helpful message?
Also — for PSE, does the webhook arrive before or after the payment shows in the bank portal? We've had support tickets where users say "I paid but my order isn't confirmed."
@co_product_dev On Nequi insufficient balance: the API returns a structured error INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS (error code 1004 in their v2 API). There's no partial payment concept — it's all-or-nothing.
On PSE webhook timing: the bank portal shows the debit to the user almost immediately, but your webhook doesn't arrive until ACH Colombia notifies the gateway. The gap is usually 30–120 seconds, but can be 5+ minutes if there's congestion.
Fix: Poll your gateway's transaction status endpoint every 10 seconds for up to 5 minutes on your "payment pending" page. Show "We are confirming your payment" rather than a timeout error. This eliminates ~95% of "I paid but nothing happened" tickets.
Wompi user here — confirming the polling approach works well. We also added a "Check payment status" button on the pending page. Customers feel more in control and it reduces support contact significantly.
One more Colombia-specific tip: cuotas (installments) matter a lot for higher-ticket items. Bancolombia cards support 0% interest cuotas for certain merchant categories. PayU Colombia exposes this through their payment_method.installments field. If your ATV is > COP 200,000 (~$50 USD), definitely surface 3–6 cuota options.
We're launching an online marketplace in Colombia and debating our payment method strategy. Right now the plan is: PSE (via gateway) as the primary bank-transfer method, Card (Visa/MC) for international users, and possibly Nequi as a wallet option.
From looking at the Colombia fintech API landscape, I have a few questions: