What is a gateway?

If you are currently using a Point of Sale(POS) system or have an e-commerce site, you probably already use a gateway. You might not realize it though depending on who you're using.

A gateway is simply a connection. Think about it as two different sides of the fence. Once the gateway opens information goes back and forth between the two sides.

That's how payment processing solutions connect your bank, to the payment processing solution, to your POS of e-commerce shopping cart.

There are LOTS of gateways in the world. Authorize.net, eProcessingNetwork.com, NMI.com, and many many more.

When looking at a gateway it's important to know one thing. What will connect?

Some POS systems and some webhosting sites lock in a limited amount of gateways that they will communicate with. Then on the other side, the payment processing solutions prefer to use certain gateways over others.

Gateways are not all created equal. Some gateways can offer a ton of services; a virtual terminal, inventory control, recurring payments, invoicing, even text promotions and more.

Ask what will work best for you. We can help with that.

Cautionary Note: When building a website or looking into a new POS system, look to see how many gateways they will work with BEFORE you commit. The more gateways available the more options you have to save money down the road.