Gateway
The software layer that connects your checkout (website, POS, or terminal) to the payment processing network for authorization and settlement.
A payment gateway is the technology that transmits transaction data from your point of sale (physical terminal, e-commerce checkout, or mobile app) to your acquiring processor for authorization. It is the interface between where the transaction happens and the network that processes it.
For e-commerce merchants, the gateway is typically a hosted checkout page or API integration. For in-person merchants, the gateway is either built into the terminal or managed by the POS system.
Gateway selection matters for several reasons: compatibility with your shopping cart or POS, tokenization capabilities (storing cards for repeat customers without storing sensitive data), reporting features, recurring billing support, and fee structure.
Most gateways charge a per-transaction fee ($0.05–$0.15) and sometimes a monthly fee. These are separate from processor interchange and markup. Some processors bundle their own gateway; others are agnostic and support multiple gateway options.
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