Payment type dimension
Payment type is the dimension that records the payment method a shopper selected — Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay and similar — sent via the payment_type parameter on the add_payment_info checkout event. It is meant to be a generic method label, never card numbers or account details. It helps you see which payment options shoppers reach for and whether a method correlates with checkout drop-off.
What this means
GA4's add_payment_info event carries payment_type, a label for the payment method the shopper picked. The payment type dimension surfaces it so you can see method mix and relate method choice to conversion and abandonment at the payment step.
It is the payment-stage counterpart to shipping_tier in the recommended checkout flow.
Keep it generic
By design, payment_type should hold only a coarse method category. Sending card numbers, last-four digits, wallet tokens, or any account identifier would push sensitive data into analytics, which violates good practice and likely your processor's rules. Restrict values to a small, generic set.
This is educational guidance, not legal advice; consult your payment and privacy obligations for specifics.
- Sent on the add_payment_info event
- Generic method label only
- Never include card or account identifiers
How it appears in analytics and logs
A payment type value names a generic method. Missing values at add_payment_info often mean the event is not instrumented on a particular payment widget.
Diagnostic use case
Use payment type to understand which payment methods shoppers choose and whether any method is associated with elevated checkout abandonment.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID can record the selected payment method category as first-party checkout context, with no card or account data captured.
Common mistakes
- Putting card or account data into payment_type.
- Leaving add_payment_info uninstrumented on some widgets.
- Using overly specific labels that fragment the method mix.
Privacy and accuracy notes
Payment type must stay a generic method label — never card numbers, tokens, or account identifiers. WebmasterID records only the method category first-party.
Related pages
- Shipping tier dimension
Shipping tier is the dimension that records the delivery option a shopper selected — Ground, Express, Same-day and so on — sent via the shipping_tier parameter on the add_shipping_info checkout event. It reveals how delivery-speed choice relates to conversion and order value. Because the value is a free-text label you supply, fragmented or shifting labels quietly distort the breakdown.
- Transaction ID dimension
Transaction ID is the dimension that holds the unique identifier you assign to a completed purchase via the purchase event's transaction_id parameter. GA4 uses it to deduplicate purchases: two purchase events sharing one transaction_id within a window are treated as the same order, not two. Supplying a stable, genuinely unique value is what keeps revenue from being double-counted when a confirmation page reloads.
- The purchase event and e-commerce
The purchase event records a completed transaction and anchors all e-commerce reporting: revenue, items, and conversion value. It carries a transaction id, a value and currency, and an items array describing what was bought. The discipline is to record the order, not the customer — product and revenue data belong in the event, personal identity does not.
- Privacy-first analytics
Capture method category without sensitive data.
Sources and verification notes
- GA4 developer docs — Measure ecommerce (add_payment_info)Documents add_payment_info and the payment_type parameter.
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.