To be able to run an eCommerce or mail order business you need a payment gateway. Payment gateways provide the tools to authorize and settle payment transactions between customers, businesses, and banks.

Along with ecommerce businesses many traditional businesses use payment gateways as part of their in-store environment as well, bringing benefits of being able to consolidate payment activity and information across both physical and online channels.

 Some of the main features of a payment gateway include:

• Processes payment transactions quickly and securely
• Verifies customer and card details such as card holder identification and card limits
• Provides tools to combat fraud and secure payment data
• Gives merchants access to a number of banking partners and payment methods

Important criteria for a payment gateway:

High service availability and reliability
To ensure you have the service levels you require, choose a payment gateway with high availability levels. You should use a respected and proven gateway provider to ensure optimum service levels.

PCI DSS compliance
Use a PCI DSS certified partner who can help reduce card data in your environment and therefore help reduce your PCI DSS scope and cost.

Support, monitoring and reporting
Choose a partner who can offer you the best support for your payment gateway, this can help increase uptime by resolving problems very quickly. A package with monitoring and reporting tools will be of benefit for visibility of your transactions.  

Security
Ensure the maximum security for you and your customers by using a gateway service with comprehensive card scheme anti fraud tools, built in security capabilities (such as tokenization), and access to third party fraud applications and services.

Global reach
Benefit from your payment gateway’s ability to quickly enable you to enter new markets and geographies via its certified banking connections in local markets.