A payment gateway software (Payment Software) application is an application that acts as an interface between a seller’s website and the bank that will process the credit or debit card transaction. In this day and age of cybercrime, internet businesses must handle payments in a safe and dependable manner. This is what payment gateway software accomplishes, despite the fact that the specifics are more complicated.
Payment Gateway Software Specifications
When you buy something online, the procedure appears to be rather straightforward. This is mostly due to payment gateway software running in the background, which does a lot of the hard lifting. Here’s a streamlined version of the relatively complicated process from beginning to end:
Assume you buy a laptop online using a Wells Fargo Mastercard. You provide your payment information, which normally includes the card number, expiration date, name and address, and maybe the CCV code.
When you provide such information, it is immediately delivered to the payment gateway. The transfer is commonly done through a secure network, such as TLS (Transport Layer Security) or SSL (Secure Socket Layer) (Secure Sockets Layer). When the payment gateway software gets the payment information, it encrypts it and forwards it to the next link in the chain, the merchant’s processor.
The transaction is eventually accepted or refused by the issuing bank (in seconds or less). If the transaction is accepted, it is returned to the payment gateway, which then sends it back to the website.
Payment gateway software may process ACH transactions in addition to credit and debit card transactions.
Payment Gateway Software Examples
Payment gateways are classified into numerous sorts. Here are a couple such examples:
- Payment gateways that are platform-based. A business can sell directly from its server using this sort of software.
- Payment gateways that are hosted. A gateway on someone else’s server can be used as an alternative to platform-based software. Customers who click on a payment button will be sent to another website where they may enter their payment information. When customers finish this action, they are led back to the merchant’s website.
- The local banking system. Buyers are sent to the payment gateway’s website, as with the hosted payment gateway. They are sent back to the seller’s site after completing payment. The redirection is accompanied with notification data.
The Advantages of Payment Gateway Software
Aside from the obvious benefits of data transmission and reception, online payment gateway software can also give a number of additional advantages. These are some examples:
- Terminal virtual. A virtual terminal is merely a cyber replica of a real terminal at a brick-and-mortar store. Customers would be unable to submit their credit card information and make transactions without this interface. Virtual terminals for mobile devices, such as phones and tablets, can be set up in addition to computer websites. A virtual terminal might also be used in person by connecting a tiny credit card reader to a computer through a USB connection.
- Tokenization and encryption As the problem of cybercrime grows increasingly difficult to tackle, payment gateway software apps provide the ability to encrypt and tokenize data. These methods make data more secure, and sensitive information cannot be abused if it gets into the wrong hands.
- Payment information is saved. E-commerce companies may provide a nice service to their repeat consumers by storing payment information so that they don’t have to re-enter their information every time they make another transaction. Buyers can use payment gateway software to store numerous credit cards on a single site and use any one of them to make a transaction. Multiple addresses can also be kept. These private information is encrypted and stored separately from the e-commerce site.
- Payment Gateways adhere to PCI standards. Because a payment gateway is located on a different server from the one used by the e-commerce site, online merchants are not required to maintain secure networks in order to comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulations.
- Quickbooks. Many payment gateways are now compatible with Quickbooks. This enables internet firms to send data into accounting software more rapidly, a task that would take much longer with outdated technologies.
- Customization. Payment gateway software often includes a number of application programme interfaces (APIs). These add-on software packages might aid in the customization of a certain payment gateway.
- Global payments are made. With their payment gateways, certain service providers will offer multi-currency and even multi-language capability. However, there may be extra charges for this capability.
- Customer care. E-commerce payment options are often accompanied by good customer service. Do your research before selecting a payment gateway software programme, and ensure that the organisation has a history of backing up their goods and serving their clients.
- There are several ways to pay. A payment gateway programme will often accept a variety of payment methods. Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express are among them. They may also incorporate less prevalent payment methods such as PayPal or JCB.
Merchant Accounts and Payment Gateway Software
Prior to the Internet, a brick-and-mortar shop just needed a merchant account to accept payments. However, an online environment necessitates the use of a virtual payment method. Payment gateway software fills this void.
Payment gateway software may now be purchased in conjunction with a merchant account. For certain shops, this may be the best payment option. This website will teach you more about the advantages of payment software.