Bre-B Explained for Merchants (Not Payment Nerds)

If you sell anything in Colombia, you need to understand Bre-B.

Not the technical details. The business impact.

What is Bre-B?

Bre-B = instant bank-to-bank transfers in Colombia.

Think of it like Venmo or Cash App, but:

• Works with all Colombian banks
• Available 24/7 (including weekends and holidays)
• Confirms payment in under 60 seconds
• No fees for customers

Why Merchants Care

Cards fail. A lot.

In Colombia, card approval rates are 60-70%. That means 30-40% of customers who try to pay with cards get declined.

Not because they don’t have money. Because:

• Their bank blocks international processors
• Their card has a low online purchase limit
• The anti-fraud system is too aggressive
• They only have a debit card with limited online use

Bre-B approval rates: 85-95%.

The Customer Experience

With cards:

1. Enter 16-digit number
2. Enter expiration date
3. Enter CVV
4. Enter billing address
5. Wait for SMS code
6. Enter SMS code
7. 30% chance it fails anyway

Time: 2-3 minutes (if it works)

With Bre-B:

1. See list of banks
2. Tap your bank
3. Authorize in banking app (Face ID or fingerprint)
4. Done

Time: 45 seconds

Real Numbers: Electronics Store in Bogotá

Before adding Bre-B:

• Card-only checkout
• 68% approval rate
• Average cart abandonment: 42%
• Revenue: ~$180,000/month

After adding Bre-B:

• Bre-B + cards at checkout
• 87% approval rate (overall)
• Average cart abandonment: 28%
• Revenue: ~$245,000/month

36% revenue increase from the same traffic.

Common Questions

”Do customers actually use it?”

Yes. In Colombia, Bre-B is now the #2 payment method for online purchases (after cards). Among customers under 35, it’s #1.

”Is it expensive?”

Bre-B fees are typically 1.5-2.5% vs 2.5-3.5% for cards. Plus you get higher approval rates, so the effective cost per successful transaction is 40-50% lower.

”How long does integration take?”

With Orangepill: 10 minutes if you have WooCommerce/Shopify, 1-2 hours if custom integration.

”What if customers don’t have the banking app?”

They can also use QR codes or complete the transfer on the bank’s website. But 85% of Colombian bank customers have the mobile app.

Why Now?

Bre-B launched in 2022. Adoption was slow at first.

But in 2025, usage exploded:

• Bancolombia pushed hard on Bre-B
• Younger customers prefer it to cards
• Banks waived fees to compete with Nequi and Daviplata

Now it’s mainstream. If your checkout doesn’t offer Bre-B, you look behind.

How to Add Bre-B

Three options:

Option 1: WooCommerce/Shopify Plugin

Install Orangepill plugin, enable Bre-B, done. 10 minutes.

Option 2: API Integration

Add Bre-B to your custom checkout with 50 lines of code. 1-2 hours.

Option 3: Hosted Checkout

Use Orangepill’s pre-built checkout page. 5 minutes setup.

The Bottom Line

Bre-B isn’t a “nice to have” in Colombia anymore. It’s the default payment method for a growing segment of customers.

If you’re not accepting it, you’re losing 20-30% of potential sales to competitors who do.

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Ready to add Bre-B? Read our implementation guide or book a demo