Romania is a fast-growing e-commerce market whose once cash-on-delivery-dominated payment habits are quickly shifting to cards and wallets, but Discover cards are not part of that growth. Discover (including the Diners Club network) has almost no local issuance base in Romania or elsewhere in Europe, so it should be understood in practice as an acceptance channel for visitors and expatriates carrying cards issued abroad, such as in the U.S.

For a merchant serving only domestic Romanian customers, this is a low priority, but for a business that actually receives payments from foreign-issued cards — such as lodging and tours catering to American travelers and business visitors to Bucharest, or SaaS and digital services with a mix of English-speaking customers — it's worth considering as a complementary card network that reduces declined authorizations.

This follows the same general card-payment flow of entering card details at checkout. That said, while EEA-issued cards, including those issued in Romania, must apply PSD2's Strong Customer Authentication (SCA, 3DS2), Discover cards issued outside the EEA — such as in the U.S. — may have authentication procedures that vary by issuer policy. Once approved, the payment flows toward Hecto Financial receiving it in the merchant's base currency, converting it, and settling it in the contracted currency.

Through Hecto Financial's integration, a Korea-based business can also consider accepting Discover / Diners Club network cards. That said, network-by-network availability along with fees and settlement terms vary by industry and transaction volume, so confirmation with the sales team before contracting is required.

• Business registration country

  Confirm contract eligibility for Korea-based businesses

• Sales channels

  The integration method and priority vary depending on your online sales channel mix — owned storefront, open marketplace, mobile app, etc.

• Product categories

  Check in advance whether your products fall under a restricted category per Discover's operator merchant policy

• EU regulatory compliance

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

Regardless of the card's issuing country, transaction amounts on a Romania-based merchant are received by Hecto Financial in the local currency (RON), and after conversion, the received amount is settled to the Korea-based merchant in whichever currency — USD, KRW, or JPY — was selected in the contract. Refunds and chargebacks follow Discover's network rules, but if the buyer is a consumer residing in the EU, processing deadlines should be designed with the possibility of a refund request under the 14-day withdrawal right in mind as well.

• National Bank of Romania (Banca Națională a României, BNR)Official information on Romania's payment system and related regulations. If this page's content differs from the actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.