Mobile device screen showing the ecommerce checkout process, with shipping and payment options on screen.

What Is a Payment Gateway and How Do They Work?

Cover of the State of Commerce Report

Get insight to move your business forward

Learn how 2,700 commerce leaders are finding success in a changing market.

Cover of the State of Commerce Report

You have data. But do you have data intelligence?

Learn how to unify data from across your business and turn insights into action.

Payment gateway FAQs

A payment gateway is a service that authorizes and processes online credit card or e-wallet payments for ecommerce transactions. It acts as a secure intermediary between customer and merchant.

When a customer makes an online purchase, the payment gateway securely encrypts their payment details, sends them to the acquiring bank for authorization, and then relays the approval or decline back to the merchant.

A secure gateway protects sensitive customer financial data from fraud, builds customer trust, and ensures PCI DSS compliance, which is essential for processing card payments.

Look for strong security (encryption, fraud detection), support for multiple payment methods, global reach, ease of integration, competitive fees, and reliable customer support.

Types include hosted gateways (redirects user), integrated/direct post gateways (on-site form), and non-hosted gateways (API integration for full control).

A seamless payment gateway integration ensures a smooth and fast checkout process, reducing friction and minimizing cart abandonment.

Many payment gateways include built-in fraud prevention tools like AVS (Address Verification Service), CVV checks, and real-time fraud scoring to protect merchants.