Budapest is one of Central Europe's leading visitor destinations, drawing thermal-bath, river-cruise, and conference tourism, while the Hungarian payment market itself revolves around local cards and bank infrastructure. The trouble is that locally oriented payment methods are simply not an option for foreign visitors. Discover, a US-based card network that includes the Diners Club network, serves as a channel for capturing payments from American tourists, business travelers, and expatriates who carry cards issued abroad. It is more accurate to view it not as a primary method but as a supplement that prevents leakage of visitor revenue.

Considering this is worthwhile for travel-related businesses with high per-booking value, such as hotels, tours, and airlines, and for online booking services with a meaningful share of English-speaking visitors or customers living abroad. For commerce that serves only domestic Hungarian customers, however, Discover's contribution on its own is limited, so we recommend first putting in place the wallet and global methods covered in the comparison table below, then adding this afterward.

When the consumer enters their Discover or Diners Club card details, the approval request is routed through the Discover Global Network. For merchant transactions in Hungary and the rest of the EEA, SCA (3DS2 authentication) under PSD2 is the default principle, but when the card is issued outside the region (such as in the United States), the authentication flow can differ depending on the issuer's policy, so the 3DS handling scenarios should be checked during integration. Hecto Financial receives the approved funds in HUF and, after currency conversion, settles with the Korean merchant in whichever of USD, KRW, or JPY was chosen in the contract.

Through Hecto Financial, acceptance of the Discover Global Network can be considered within a single integration, so expanding card coverage for visitors to Hungary does not require a separate local contract. That said, actual support availability, settlement cycle, fees, and currency options vary by industry and transaction volume, so we recommend confirming before signing a contract.

• Business registration country

  Confirm whether a contract is available under a Korean business registration

• Sales channels

  The integration method and priorities differ depending on your online sales channel mix, such as an owned storefront, open marketplaces, or a mobile app

• Product categories

  Check in advance whether your products fall under a restricted category under Discover's merchant policies

• EU regulatory compliance

  Confirm compliance with EU payment regulations such as PSD2 and SEPA (see official sources below)

Discover transactions follow the same structure as other methods: funds generated in Hungary in HUF are received by Hecto Financial and, after currency conversion, settled with the Korean merchant in whichever of USD, KRW, or JPY was chosen in the contract. Because the card is issued abroad, refunds and chargebacks may take longer to process under the Discover network's rules. In addition, if the transaction involves selling to a consumer within the EU, the 14-day right of withdrawal may apply, so this should also be reflected in your refund policy.

• Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB)Official information on Hungary's payment systems (including AFR instant payments) and payment service oversight. If this page's content differs from actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.