Payment gateway vs. payment processor

‍Payment gateways and payment processors both play unique roles in the payments process.

Between them, they ensure the safe transfer of information and funds between merchants and their customers.

While you may have heard these terms being used interchangeably, there are many distinctions between the role and function of a payment gateway vs payment processor.

eCommerce and brick and mortar stores should understand these differences. After all, it impacts customers' payment experience in many important ways.

What is a payment gateway?

A payment gateway is a technology system that receives and then transfers electronic transaction information between cardholders and merchants.

It enables online payments, debit and credit card payments made at the point of sale (POS), mobile phone payments, and more.

In each case, it encrypts payment details and also sends approval or denial notifications to customers and merchants for transactions.

As its name suggests, a payment gateway is the 'gate' customers' cards need to step through in order to initiate a payment.

What is a payment processor?

A payment processor is a type of technology that manages the electronic transaction processes. It acts as a facilitator for the payment processing system by managing verification and instructions on when and where to send funds.

In other words, it is the payment service provider responsible for communicating between the merchant's bank account and cardholder's banks.

Some payment processing services also provide equipment for card acceptance, security solutions, implementation of PCI compliance, customer support, chargeback management, and other value-added services.

Similarities between payment processors and payment gateways

Payment gateways and payment processors are both types of payment processing services that play roles in transaction authorization and verification.

They are important links between the main four parties involved in electronic payments:

• The customer (often referred to as the cardholder)
• The merchant
• The customer’s bank (known as the issuing bank)
• The merchant’s bank (known as the acquiring bank)

So, both are often compliant with industry security standards such as high PCI compliance levels and AVS and CVV checks for fraud prevention.

Differences between payment processors and payment gateways

1. Role in the payment process

Payment gateways and payment processors' roles bring them into direct contact with one another. However, their roles are still different.

Payment gateway: intermediary between customer and merchant

A payment gateway transmits transaction details from the point of payment to the payment processor and communicates transactions' approval or decline to both the cardholder and merchant. It does not directly connect with the other parties involved in the processing chain.

Payment gateway: intermediary between cardholder's bank, merchant, and merchant's bank

A payment processor, on the other hand, works further along the payment process. It receives information from payment gateways and transmits it via card networks to merchant banks and issuer banks via card networks.

In short, it comes into contact with most parties in the payments process.

2. Encryption

Encryption is an important part of part of the payments process. It is when data is converted into a code that cannot be read by those without the relevant decryption key. This significantly reduces the chances of unauthorized access to the data.

Payment gateways: Encryptor

Payment gateways encrypt cardholder and transaction information through SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption tools. This protects the cardholder details and other payment information (name, card number, expiry date, CVV) from being intercepted by unauthorized parties.

Payment processor: Handler of encrypted information

Payment processors transmit encrypted transaction data, but don't actually encrypt it themselves. This payment data is decrypted by the issuer and merchant banks once the payment processor has sent it.

3.预防欺诈的程度

防欺诈措施旨在防止或减少不良分子提交虚假支付请求。与支付处理商相比，支付网关在支付处理中的作用较小。

支付网关：基本卡检查

其中，支付网关要验证支付页面上输入的 CVV（卡验证码）是否与交易中使用的卡相符。它们还会进行 AV（地址验证）检查，将账单地址与客户在发卡银行存档的地址进行比较。

支付处理器：复杂的银行卡检查

支付处理商在 授权和指示支付之前，会核实每笔交易的有效性和安全性。

为此，他们可能会使用一套复杂的工具和数据集，如算法、实时分析、机器学习和历史数据。这些工具和数据集可帮助他们确定模式，以及何时需要搁置和/或人工审核。

4.整合要求

企业可以选择多种不同类型的支付服务提供商。小型企业通常使用商家账户附带的全套支付解决方案。其中包括使用支付处理器和支付网关。

不过，有些企业更喜欢定制解决方案。这可以帮助他们定制支付流程并减少费用。

支付网关：简单快捷

支付网关为企业提供更简单的集成选项，如应用程序接口、插件和预建模块，使企业能够快速开始接受在线支付。

付款处理器：因支付处理商类型而异

支付处理商通常要求商家开设一个商家账户。他们通常会为商家整合支付技术。

如何做到这一点取决于使用哪种类型的支付处理器。

支付处理商的应用编程接口（API）需要集成到商家现有的电子商务平台（应用程序或网站）和销售点系统中。企业还可以选择使用托管支付页面，以减轻安全合规负担。

支付网关和支付处理器都有必要吗？

商户既需要支付网关，也需要支付处理器，以确保资金交易和信息传输的安全。

对于实体店来说，支付处理器和销售点（POS）系统读卡器可能会起到一定的作用，但持卡人的信息仍不完全安全。

顾客在电子商务平台的在线结账中提交支付信息（通常是银行卡信息和姓名），然后按 "支付 "键。顾客也可以将卡插入零售点（POS）的读卡器，或使用 Apple Pay 等数字钱包。

结论

了解支付网关与支付处理器的作用对于在线商店和实体商店都至关重要。两者都会对客户的支付体验产生重大影响。

虽然这两种服务有相似之处，包括遵守安全标准和采取防欺诈措施，但它们也有不同的作用。

支付网关作为第一道防线，对交易细节进行加密和传输，为安全增加了重要的一环。

而支付处理商则是资金实际流动的渠道。它们直接与金融机构互动，并实施额外的欺诈检测措施。

要实现无缝、安全的交易，这两种服务都不可或缺。在实体店中，支付处理器加上 POS 系统可能就足够了，但如果没有支付网关的附加安全功能，持卡人的信息仍然很容易泄露。

因此，整合两种服务往往是在安全和效率之间取得平衡的最佳方法。从长远来看，这将提高客户的信任度和满意度。

另一种看法是：没有支付处理器，就无法进行电子卡支付。没有支付网关，电子卡支付是可能的，但不安全。

通过花时间了解并有效实施这些要素，商家不仅能保障其运营，还能提高客户服务的整体质量。