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jedateach edited this page Jun 24, 2012 · 4 revisions

Some terms used when talking about payment solutions may need explaining:

Merchant

The owner of a physical and/or online store.

Gateway

A payment processing solution provided by a 3rd party.

Merchant Hosted / API - Processed

Credit card details are entered in a form on the merchant's website. The payment transaction is handled through a server-to-server communication. An external website is never visited. This option will require extra security, such as SSL, and delicate handling of credit card details.

External Gateway

Credit card details are entered on 3rd-party provider's website. Merchant site never handles credit card details.

Internal, Offline, or Manual Payment

Payment is handled apart from any website, through a manual process. The status of payment must be updated by the merchant.

Payment Type or Method

When talking about the various types of payment, eg PayPal, WireTransfer..