Payment Gateways
Online merchants often prefer to get paid online, and thats where a payment gateway comes in.
Payment gateways enable online merchants to accept credit-card payments online.
They're called gateways because they open up the gate to online transaction processing at the bank.
Of course, a payment gateway isn't the only way an online merchant can get paid online.
Some intermediary services, such as Paypal, can sometimes be used as an alternative to a fully-fledged payment gateway.
But most larger online merchants will maintain their own payment gateway, and many others use services provided by the banks.
For a more comprehensive explanation check out Wikipedia's entry.
There are a wide variety of payment gateways available in the Australasian marketplace. They include gateways developed by independent providers such as eWay and gateways provided by the banks themselves
To find local payment gateway vendors, including contact details, check out the relevant section of our Australian eCommerce Directory.
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