Payments · Info Products6 min readUpdated November 2, 2026

International Payments for Info Product Businesses

What changes when course and coaching sellers take foreign buyers: EU VAT on digital courses, withdrawal rights, foreign card fees and declines.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 13 sources

Article summary

TL;DR

Selling a course abroad is easy to switch on and harder to run well. In the EU, pre-recorded courses are taxed where the buyer lives, from the first sale for non-EU sellers. EU buyers keep a 14-day withdrawal right unless your checkout records their waiver. Foreign cards cost more and decline more: add 3D Secure, local currencies and local methods.

EU law treats services "essentially automated and involving minimal human intervention" as electronically supplied; teaching "delivered by a teacher over the Internet" is listed apart.
Non-EU sellers to EU consumers use the non-Union OSS scheme; the €10,000 threshold applies only to sellers established in one EU member state.
The EU withdrawal exception for digital content needs the buyer's "prior express consent" and acknowledgment that they lose the right.
One 2026 acquirer schedule adds 0.678% to a Visa cross-border sale in the merchant's currency, 1.13% in another.
Teachable charges 3.9% + 30¢ on international cards versus 2.9% + 30¢ on US cards (as of November 2026).

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This guide is part of our hub on info product payment processing. The general guide, for any business: international and multi-currency payment processing.

What changes when you sell abroad

Topic	What changes	Where you act
Tax	VAT or GST due where the buyer lives, for many digital courses1 2	Checkout, invoices, tax registration
Refund rights	EU 14-day withdrawal right unless waived for digital content5	Checkout consent
Card cost	Cross-border and currency fees7 10 11	Pricing, processor choice
Approvals	Foreign cards decline more8; European cards need SCA9	3D Secure, local acquiring
Processor rules	Some offers are restricted by country12	Processor and entity

Fig. 1Each market, what changes, and the answer at checkout

European UnionVAT where the buyer lives; 14-day withdrawal right; SCA on cardsNon-Union OSS, waiver box for digital content, 3D Secure
JapanStripe prohibits advice on profiting from trading, resale or dropshippingCheck the country section of your processor's list before you advertise
Latin AmericaBuyers expect local optionsLocal currency and local methods
Any foreign cardCross-border and currency fees; more declinesPrice in the fees; local acquiring where it's allowed

Tax and refund rights come first; the payment setup follows.

Regulation (EU) No 282/2011; Directive 2011/83/EU; Kajabi Help Center; Stripe, section Japan.

VAT on digital courses

The EU taxes where the consumer is. Whether your course is an "electronically supplied service" depends on how it's delivered.

Format	EU treatment
Pre-recorded course, automated quizzes	Electronically supplied: "essentially automated and involving minimal human intervention"1
Live teaching over the internet	Listed apart: "teaching services, where the course content is delivered by a teacher"1; since January 1, 2025, live-streamed events are taxed where the customer is, per Quaderno4
Ebook, templates	Digital content, delivered electronically

If you're not established in the EU, you can declare these sales through the non-Union OSS scheme, open to "any taxable person, not established in the EU, who supplies services to non-taxable persons"2. The €10,000 threshold you read about online is for sellers established in a single member state; it doesn't apply to US sellers3.

Course platforms differ on who collects the tax. Check whether yours acts as merchant of record or leaves it to you, and confirm with an accountant. US sales tax on digital courses is a separate, state-by-state question.

Tagada follows Visa and Mastercard rules and the laws that apply to payments.

The EU withdrawal right and digital courses

EU consumers have 14 days to withdraw from a distance purchase. For digital content, the original directive lifts that right only if "the performance has begun with the consumer's prior express consent and his acknowledgment that he thereby loses his right of withdrawal"5.

Coaching works differently. A service contract loses the right only "after the service has been fully performed"5: a 12-week coaching program isn't fully performed until week 12.

Fig. 2When an EU buyer loses the right to withdraw

Digital course

CheckoutUnchecked box ticked
grantsImmediate accessWithdrawal right acknowledged as lostApproved

Right lifted once access begins with consent

12-week coaching program

CheckoutSame consent
runs untilWeek 12Fully performed

Right lost only after the service is fully performed

Instant access needs the buyer's consent; coaching runs to the end.

Directive 2011/83/EU, article 16, original text.

Add an unchecked box at checkout for EU buyers: they ask for immediate access and acknowledge losing the withdrawal right.
Confirm it in the receipt email.
Log it with the order, so you can show it in a dispute.

Visa has a matching dispute for Europe: 13.7 applies when a buyer cancels a distance contract within 14 days, but not when "Goods are not received in physical form (software download)"6.

Foreign cards: cost and declines

Card fees
Teachable charges 3.9% + 30¢ on international cards against 2.9% + 30¢ on US cards10; Whop adds 1.5% for international cards and 1% for currency conversion11.
Acquirer fees
In TD Merchant Solutions' July 2026 schedule, a Visa cross-border sale adds 0.678% in the merchant's currency and 1.13% in another7.
Approvals
Issuers are more cautious with foreign merchants, and cross-border payments decline more, as Adyen explains8.
Authentication
Strong Customer Authentication is "a European regulatory requirement"; non-compliant payments "may be declined"9.

More on reading declines: reducing payment declines for info product businesses.

Currencies and local methods

Show prices in the buyer's currency where you sell most, and charge in that currency if your processor settles it. Then add the methods buyers in that market expect: wallets everywhere, bank-based methods in parts of Europe, local options in Latin America.

Keep two limits in mind. A local price isn't a local acquirer: Visa's rules say an acquirer "must accept Transactions only from a Merchant Outlet within the Acquirer's Country of Domicile", unless Visa approves otherwise6. And BNPL is often domestic only. Which methods fit info products: payment methods for info product businesses.

Processor rules by country

Stripe doesn't name courses or coaching in its general lists. Japan is the exception: Stripe prohibits there "Consultation or advisory services providing guidance, information or tools on how to profit through trading or investments in financial products or cryptocurrency or running a resale or dropshipping business"12.

If you sell a trading, investing or ecommerce program, check each country section of your processor's list before you advertise there. The general position: does Stripe allow info products and online courses?

Before you open a market

Tax: check VAT or GST rules for your course format, and who collects it1 2.
Refunds: add the withdrawal waiver for EU buyers; write refund terms for each market5.
Processor: confirm your offer is allowed in that country12.
Checkout: local currency, local methods, 3D Secure for Europe9.
Pricing: factor in cross-border and conversion fees7 10 11.
Ads: check platform rules for that country before spending: can you advertise info products on Facebook, Google and TikTok.

Tax and refund rules first, then processor, checkout and pricing.

How Tagada helps

One course checkout for buyers in 180+ countries

TagadaPay is built for selling across borders. "If you sell something real, we will get you paid." TagadaPay lists info products, coaching and online courses among its industries, with "enhanced review for regulated verticals"13. "Live in 24h. You own your vault."13

"Daily payouts, 135+ currencies" and "180+ Countries supported"13.
"40+ Local payment methods"13.
"Native 3DS2, device intelligence, and rules engine" for European cards and risky foreign orders13.
"Route to the processor most likely to approve it, retry on decline. No engineering required."13

Apply today · Go live in under 24 hours

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One course checkout for buyers in 180+ countries

Updated on November 2, 2026

Nick Bonnassies

CMO at Tagada

CMO at Tagada. Before Tagada, Nick built direct-to-consumer brands that generated over $115M in sales, raised over $25M in crowdfunding and sold two of them. He also works as a fractional CMO on marketing operations and AI systems.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to charge VAT on online courses sold to EU buyers?

Usually, for pre-recorded courses: EU law treats automated services with minimal human intervention as electronically supplied, taxed where the consumer is. Non-EU sellers can declare through the non-Union OSS. The €10,000 threshold applies only to sellers established in one EU state. Confirm with an accountant.

Do EU buyers have a 14-day right to cancel a digital course?

Yes, unless they asked for immediate access and acknowledged losing that right before it started. Add an unchecked waiver box for EU buyers and log it. For coaching, the right lasts until the service is fully performed, under the directive's original text.

Why are international buyers' cards declined more often?

Issuers are more cautious with foreign merchants, so cross-border payments decline more. European cards also need Strong Customer Authentication, and payments without it may be declined. Turn on 3D Secure, show local methods and, where volume justifies it, process locally.

Should I price my course in local currency?

Where you sell enough, yes: buyers see a familiar price and avoid their bank's conversion. You may still pay conversion fees, such as 1% at Whop. Check what your processor settles in before you set local prices.