In the Nordics, gift cards issued by retail chains and shopping centers have become an established part of gifting culture, and Nets is the leading Nordic payment infrastructure company that processes payments for these cards. However, at their core, gift cards are a closed-loop method where the issuer and eligible merchants are limited by contract. Even in Sweden, which is one of the most advanced cashless markets in the world, whether a Korea-based online merchant can remotely accept a local consumer's gift card depends on the specific issuing program and cannot be assumed the way it can with general payment methods.

This page is therefore closer to a feasibility-review guide than an adoption recommendation. If you need real coverage for sales to Swedish consumers, prioritize general-purpose methods such as Swish, Klarna, and card wallets, and treat Nets gift card acceptance as a supplementary method only after confirming, through Hecto Financial, whether the relevant program permits online and cross-border use.

In general, this is a prepaid flow where the consumer enters the gift card number (and PIN), the Nets infrastructure checks the balance and approves the transaction, and the balance is deducted from the card. However, whether online entry-based payment is supported at all depends on the issuing program, so before integrating you must confirm the target card program's e-commerce support scope and whether acceptance by a Korean merchant is even viable. Hecto Financial receives approved transaction proceeds in SEK.

Integrating through Hecto Financial lets a Korea-based corporation consider adopting Nordic gift card via NETS payments without a separate local contract in Sweden. Actual support availability and terms (settlement cycle, fees, currency options) vary by merchant industry and transaction volume, so confirmation with Hecto Financial's sales team is required before contracting.

• Business registration country

  Confirm contract eligibility for merchants based in Korea

• Sales channels

  Integration method and priority vary depending on your mix of online sales channels — owned storefront, marketplaces, mobile apps, etc.

• Product categories

  Check in advance whether your category falls under Nordic gift card via NETS's restricted merchant categories

• EU regulatory compliance

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

Even when acceptance is viable, the settlement structure is the same as for other methods. Hecto Financial receives proceeds in SEK, converts them, and settles them to Korea in whichever currency — USD, KRW, or JPY — was selected under contract. Refunds are the point to watch: gift card payments are typically refunded by restoring the card balance rather than a cash refund, and refund methods may be restricted even for returns made under the EU's 14-day withdrawal right, so the issuing program's refund rules should be finalized at the contracting stage.

• Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank), Finansinspektionen (Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority)Official information on Sweden's payment systems and related regulations. If actual regulations differ from the content on this page, the official source takes precedence.