Payment Gateway
The technology that securely authorises and processes online card payments between your website, the customer and the bank.
What It Is
A payment gateway is the technology that securely authorises and processes online card payments between your website, the customer and the bank.
It's the online equivalent of the card terminal you'd use in person — the secure bridge that moves a payment from checkout to your merchant account.
How It Works
At checkout, the gateway encrypts the customer's card details and passes them to the acquiring bank for authorisation, returning an approval or decline in seconds.
It also handles security checks like 3-D Secure, helping reduce fraud and shifting liability away from your business on eligible transactions.
When It's Necessary
Required for any business selling online or taking payments through a website or booking system.
If customers can pay you on the web, there's a payment gateway doing the work behind the scenes.
Business Impact
A reliable gateway means fewer failed payments, more completed sales, and secure handling of customer data.
A poorly matched gateway, on the other hand, can lose you sales through declines and clunky checkouts.
Quick Summary
- What It Is
- How It Works
- When It's Necessary
- Business Impact