What is Payment Gateway - Definition, meaning and examples (2024)

What is Payment Gateway - Definition, meaning and examples (1)

Definition:

A payment gateway is a service that automates the payment transaction between the buyer and the seller. It is usually a third-party service that is actually a computer processing system that verifies and accepts or rejects credit card transactions on behalf of the merchant over secure internet connections.

  • 1 What is a payment gateway for?
  • 2 Payment gateway services

What is a payment gateway for?

The payment gateway is the infrastructure that allows a merchant to accept credit cards and other forms of electronic payment. When referring to payment gateways used for internet transactions, they can also be called IP payment gateways.

Payment gateways authorize credit card payments in order to support point-of-sale systems. The purchase data goes to the payment gateway and the credit card information is encrypted for delivery. Payment gateways can also help verify payment at the bank.

Payment gateway services

Payment gateway services may be subscription-based or may charge a fee for each transaction. In general, they help traders to serve customers more effectively by providing an intermediary service of financial information, something very sensitive and important to protect during these operations. For example, a payment gateway is important for any e-commerce store but it could also be used at an event such as a concert, where tickets are purchased outdoors away from point-of-sale infrastructure.

Payment gateways play a critical role in the process of e-commerce transactions, as they authorize payment between merchants and customers. The most popular payment gateways on websites include PayPal/Braintree, Stripe, and Square.

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What is Payment Gateway - Definition, meaning and examples (2024)

FAQs

What is Payment Gateway - Definition, meaning and examples? ›

A payment gateway is a technology platform that acts as an intermediary in electronic financial transactions. It enables in-person and online businesses to accept, process, and manage various payment methods—such as credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets—in a secure and efficient manner.

What is a payment gateway with an example? ›

In physical stores, payment gateways consist of the point-of-sale (POS) terminals used to accept credit card information by card or by smartphone. In online stores, payment gateways are the “checkout” portals used to enter credit card information or credentials for services.

Is PayPal a payment gateway? ›

No, PayPal is not a traditional payment gateway, but it does offer a payment gateway solution (Payflow) as part of its overall payment processing solutions.

How does a payment gateway make money? ›

How payment gateways make money. In simple terms, a payment gateway earns income from each transaction by taking a percentage and/or fixed fee that is called Merchant Discount Rate (MDR). However, it is much more complex than that.

What does a payment gateway offer? ›

A payment gateway is a tool that securely validates your customer's credit card details, ensuring funds are available for you to get paid. Payment gateways are the services that authorise credit card payments for online and offline businesses.

What is an example of a gateway? ›

Gateways can take several forms and perform a variety of tasks. Examples of this include: Web application firewalls- This type filters traffic to and from a web server and looks at application-layer data. Cloud storage gateways- This type translates storage requests with various cloud storage service API calls.

How do I provide a payment gateway? ›

How to create a payment gateway
  1. Create your payment gateway infrastructure. You'll need a server to host your gateway, whether it's your own or via a third party. ...
  2. Choose a payment processor. ...
  3. Create a customer relationship management (CRM) system. ...
  4. Implement security features. ...
  5. Obtain required certifications.

Is E wallet a payment gateway? ›

Regardless of its type, a digital wallet is a payment method. A payment gateway or payment processor, such as PagBrasil, on the other hand, works as a channel for the payment transaction between the buyer and the seller.

What is the best online payment gateway? ›

The best payment gateways at a glance
Best forStandout feature
PayPalFirst-time usersExtremely simple setup
StripeAccessible analyticsFlexible, with a wide range of tools and plugins
Shopify PaymentseCommerce storesAll-in-one eCommerce solution
SquareSelling online and offlineIncludes a basic website builder
2 more rows
Jan 2, 2024

Is Amazon a payment gateway? ›

Merchants can quickly and easily integrate Amazon Pay as an additional express payment solution trusted by millions of Amazon customers. Amazon Pay is available on Adobe Commerce 2 (formerly Magento). Merchants on Adobe Commerce 2.4 can easily enable Pay right from their Adobe Commerce admin.

Can you create your own payment gateway? ›

Building a payment gateway requires considerable technical knowledge. You'll need a team of experienced developers who understand not only how to build software but also how to navigate the complexities of payment processing, such as dealing with multiple banking APIs and integration with various ecommerce platforms.

What is the difference between payment and payment gateway? ›

A payment gateway is a network that collects, verifies and performs fraud checks on customer's credit card information before sending it to the payment processor. A payment processor is a service that routes a customer's credit card information between the customer's bank and the merchant bank.

Who is responsible for payment gateway? ›

Acquirer processor — technologic partner of the acquiring bank, usually responsible for the payment gateway and POS processing.

What is payment gateway example? ›

After your customer clicks on the payment link, they are taken to your payment processor's page to enter their card details and make the payment, after which they are redirected to your website. An example of this type of payment gateway is PayPal.

Why do people use payment gateways? ›

Payment gateways not only enable online transactions but also improve overall business operations. By providing a more secure and efficient transaction process, enhancing customer experience, and facilitating global reach, payment gateways are an important component of digital commerce.

What is my payment gateway? ›

A payment gateway is an online service that allows businesses and individuals to accept payments from customers through their websites or mobile applications. It acts as an intermediary between a merchant and the financial institution processing the payment.

What is the popular payment gateway? ›

PayU is one of the top payment gateways in India, which supports 150+ modes of payment including UPI, net banking, debit and credit cards, and static and dynamic QR. The payment gateway allows businesses to accept payments in multiple currencies.

Is Google a payment gateway? ›

Google Pay enables effortless checkouts for your app and website. With the Google Pay API, your customers can use the cards saved to their Google Accounts for seamless checkout within your apps and sites.

Which payment gateway is best in the USA? ›

8 Best Payment Gateways of May 2024
ProductBest for▼
PayPal Payflow Read ReviewBest for Payment processor integrations
Adyen Read Review4.0/5 Best for Omnichannel option
Authorize.net Read ReviewBest for More complex payment needs
PayPal Braintree Read Review4.0/5 Best for Accepting a variety of payment types
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