Payment Gateways for eCommerce and Electronic Payment Transaction Processing

The payment gateway is a critical component of the electronic payment process. The payment gateway serves to transmit card data and payment transaction data to the merchant's payment acquirer for processing and settlement. The payment gateway must be compliant with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards) - and the payment gateway provider is responsible for this. The payment gateway works hand-in-hand with the card data and payment transaction data capture utility - i.e., the countertop credit card terminal, PC based point of sale system, eCommerce shopping cart, mobile phone, or virtual terminal.

The payment gateway is an integral feature of countertop credit card terminals and PC based point of sale systems and essentially is software or firmware performing data encryption and communication handshaking. For eCommerce, mobile phones, or virtual terminals, the payment gateway is provided by an online service provider who establishes an account for the merchant that is configured for communicating with the merchant's payment acquirer over the internet.

An important consideration for the merchant is to ensure that the payment gateway is compatible with their payment acquirer. This restriction may limit compatibility of certain countertop terminals or point of sale systems with specific payment acquirers. Similarly, eCommerce shopping carts may have restrictions as to which payment gateways they will be compatible with, which could possibly render them incompatible with the merchant's payment acquirer.

In addition, the payment gateway provider may offer supplemental payment transaction services and resources to improve the convenience and efficiency of the payment processes and transaction records reporting for the merchant.

We offer a variety of payment gateways and supplemental tools to accommodate all merchant needs. Let us help unravel the complexity surrounding payment gateways by formulating an economical end-to-end solution for payment processing that ensures equipment, system, and provider compatibility.