Payment Gateway

Payment Gateway With a Documented API

A payment gateway is the software that securely passes a customer’s payment details from your website or register to the network that approves the charge. LiberationTek offers a modern payment gateway through our U.S. partner PayHarmony, with a documented API, hosted checkout, tokenized card storage, recurring billing and ACH. It sits on top of one merchant account, so you do not need separate arrangements for each way you sell.

This guide covers what a payment gateway does, the features PayHarmony documents, how security and PCI scope work in general terms, and what to ask before you pick a provider. It is meant for business owners and for the developers who will connect the gateway to a site.

Documented API

Hosted checkout

Tokenized card storage

Recurring billing and ACH

3D enhanced security

One merchant account for every channel

Ask for a payment gateway and rate review

payment gateway dashboard shown in Liberation Technology Services software — Liberation Technology Services: payment gateway

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What a payment gateway does

When a customer clicks pay, the gateway encrypts the card data, sends it for authorization, and returns an approve or decline result to your site in seconds. The gateway and the merchant account work as a pair: the gateway handles the transaction, and the merchant account receives the funds.

What happens when a customer pays online

An online payment gateway, sometimes called a web payment gateway, sits between your checkout page and the card networks. In general terms the sequence looks like this:

Step 1

The customer enters payment details. This happens either on a form on your site or on a hosted page run by the gateway.

Step 2

The gateway encrypts and forwards the data. It sends the request to the processor, which asks the card issuer for approval.

Step 3

The result returns. Your site receives an approval or a decline and shows the customer the right message.

Step 4

Funds settle. Approved sales are batched and deposited through the merchant account, less fees.

Any online payment gateway is built around the same sequence, and every step is designed to keep raw card numbers away from the places that do not need them. That is where tokenization comes in.

Payment gateway features

Documented API.

A robust API for integrations, so your developers or ours can connect orders, invoicing and records.

Hosted checkout.

Send customers to a secure payment page instead of building your own form.

Tokenized card storage.

Cards are stored as tokens for subscriptions and memberships. Card data is not stored on your site or ours.

Recurring billing.

Scheduled recurring charges for subscriptions, memberships and donations.

ACH processing.

Bank payments for larger invoices where card fees do not make sense.

3D enhanced security.

An added layer of cardholder verification.

Hosted payment gateway or custom checkout

There are two common ways to collect payment details, and a hosted payment gateway is one of them, and the right one depends on how much control you want. A hosted payment gateway page sends the customer to a secure page run by the gateway. It is quicker to launch and keeps card entry off your server. A custom checkout built with the API keeps the customer on your pages and lets you control the look and the flow, at the cost of more development and more care on your side.

Choose hosted when you want to launch quickly, have a small team, or want the smallest possible footprint for card data.
Choose custom when you need a branded checkout, special rules, or tight links to your own order and customer records.

Not sure which fits? Tell us how orders reach you today and we will describe the options before you commit.

Secure payment gateway basics and PCI scope

Because card data is tokenized by the gateway, it never touches your website. That keeps your PCI scope small and keeps cardholder data out of systems that have no need for it. A secure payment gateway works best alongside HTTPS on your site. Pair it with HTTPS and, for sites you run on WordPress, malware protection from SiteLock.

PCI DSS is the set of security standards the card brands require of businesses that handle card data. How much of it applies to you depends on how you accept cards, and a secure payment gateway that keeps card entry off your own systems generally reduces the work involved. To read the standards themselves, see the PCI Security Standards Council. Ask your provider which validation steps apply to your setup.

Connecting the gateway to your site

The gateway connects to the store or custom application our team builds, and to most major carts and accounting packages. If you build with Liberation Site Builder, the E-Commerce+ plan includes a shopping cart, payment gateways and a product gallery. See our ecommerce website builder page. For custom checkout, subscriptions or internal tools, our web development and e-commerce teams build what the gateway talks to.

If you are planning an ecommerce payment gateway integration, or adding an ecommerce payment gateway to an existing cart, bring these details to the first conversation: the platform or code your site runs on, how many products and orders you handle, whether you need subscriptions, and where order data should end up afterward.

Whatever route you take, plan for reconciliation. Each sale should be traceable from the order in your store, to the approved transaction, to the deposit in your bank account. When those three records line up, month-end bookkeeping is simple and disputes are easier to answer. When they do not, small mismatches become hours of detective work. Decide early which system is the record of truth for orders, how refunds will be entered, and who checks the daily totals. Your accountant will appreciate the same questions, and so will anyone who later takes over the site.

Payment gateway fees and pricing

Searches for payment gateway fees and pricing, usually turn up a mix of per-transaction charges, monthly fees and markup on top of interchange. There is no single number, because cost depends on card types, volume and the equipment you use. We state gateway and equipment costs up front and quote your processing rate in writing before you switch. There are no locked contracts. If you are comparing, check each provider's current pricing page and ask for the same breakdown from every one.

How to get set up

Step 1

Tell us how you sell. Online store, subscriptions, invoices, in-person, or a mix. Send a recent statement if you already process cards.

Step 2

Get your quote in writing. You see the rate, gateway and equipment costs before you commit. Underwriting usually takes one to two business days.

Step 3

Integrate and test. We set up the gateway, move recurring customers and run live test transactions with you before anything cuts over.

Payment gateway: talk to an engineer.

Ask for a payment gateway and rate review

Gateway or merchant account: do I need both?

For online and phone sales, yes. The gateway is the technology layer that captures and transmits the transaction. The merchant account is where the approved funds are received before they reach your bank. With PayHarmony the two work together under one account, so you do not juggle separate vendors, and card-present, online, mobile and phone payments settle in one place.

Terminals and card readers are a separate piece of equipment for in-person sales, and their cost is stated up front in your written quote.

ACH payment gateway use and recurring billing

Cards are convenient but carry fees that add up on large invoices. An ACH payment gateway moves money bank to bank, which can make more sense for a contractor billing thousands of dollars or a firm collecting monthly retainers. Recurring billing handles the repeat part: store a tokenized payment method once, then charge on a schedule for a subscription, membership or donation.

An ACH payment gateway also helps with recurring invoices, since the same stored authorization can be reused. A few habits keep recurring payments healthy: tell customers the amount and date in advance, send receipts, make cancellation easy to find, and keep an eye on declined payments so you can reach out before a customer lapses. ACH payments also follow bank rules and timelines that differ from cards, so ask us how returns and settlement timing work for your account.

Testing your gateway before you go live

A gateway that works in a demo can still fail on real orders if nobody tests the awkward paths. We run live test transactions with you before anything cuts over, and it is worth repeating a version of that checklist whenever you change your site:

Place an approved order and confirm the customer sees the right message and your records show the sale.
Try a declined card and confirm the customer gets a clear, calm error with a way to try again.
Refund a test order and confirm the money and the record both reverse.
Check a recurring charge on a short schedule, if you use recurring billing.
Try the checkout on a phone, since many customers will use one.
Confirm that confirmation emails reach an inbox and not a spam folder. Sending from your own domain with business email helps.

Common payment gateway mistakes

Treating the gateway as the whole answer.

It needs a merchant account behind it, and both need clear terms.

Storing card numbers yourself.

Use tokens or a hosted page so raw card data stays off your own systems.

Ignoring failed payments.

Declines on recurring charges are normal. Have a process to follow up.

Skipping the refund path.

Know how to refund before the first customer asks.

Comparing only the monthly fee.

When you shop among payment gateway providers, look at per-transaction charges, markup and equipment costs together.

What to prepare before you add an online payment gateway

You will get a faster, more accurate quote if you can describe your situation in a few lines. Gather these before you contact us:

How you take money today: terminal, website, phone, invoices or a mix.
A recent processing statement, if you already take cards.
Your site platform or the software you want connected, and who maintains it.
Roughly how many transactions you run per month and the size of a typical one.
Whether you need recurring billing, ACH or donations.

With that, we can say whether a hosted page is enough, whether you need the API, and what a realistic timeline looks like. If you would rather start with the store itself, a gateway is one piece of the full payment processing setup, and the quote covers all of it.

Who this gateway suits

The same gateway works across very different businesses. A retailer can pair it with terminals and an online store. A nonprofit can use the donations integration and recurring gifts. A subscription business can store tokenized cards and bill on schedule. A professional services firm can send invoices and collect by card or ACH. In each case the question is the same: does the gateway fit how you already take money, and does your team have a way to connect it?

If you are unsure, tell us how orders reach you today and where payment details are entered. We will describe what the integration would look like before you commit to anything, and our custom IT solutions team can build the connection if your software needs one.

Questions to ask payment gateway providers

Whichever of the many payment gateway providers you compare, including large brand names and small independents, put the same questions to each and get the answers in writing:

What are the monthly, per-transaction and setup charges, and which of them apply to me?
Is there a hosted option, an API, or both, and is the API documented publicly?
How are stored cards tokenized, and where is card data kept?
Can the gateway handle ACH and recurring billing on the same account?
What is the contract term, and what does it cost to leave?
Who answers the phone when a transaction fails?

If you sell through a shopping cart, the ecommerce payment gateway is the part that decides whether an order succeeds, so it deserves the same care as the product pages. For help with the surrounding pieces, our website builder covers simple stores, and the contact page is the fastest way to reach a person.

Get started with PayHarmony →

Payment Gateway FAQs

Does the gateway have a documented API?

Yes. PayHarmony’s gateway has a documented API for integrations. Developers can connect orders, invoicing and customer records to it. Our web development and custom IT teams also build stores and internal tools that use the gateway, if you would rather not handle the integration yourself.

Can I take recurring payments and ACH?

Yes. The gateway stores tokenized cards for subscriptions and memberships, runs scheduled recurring charges, and includes ACH processing for larger invoices where card fees do not make sense. Donations integration is also listed among the features for nonprofits and similar organizations.

Does LiberationTek see my customers' card numbers?

No. Card data is tokenized by the gateway and is never stored on your site or ours. That keeps your PCI scope small and keeps cardholder data out of systems that have no need for it. Ask us how the integration handles sensitive data.

Is there a hosted checkout option?

Yes. The gateway includes hosted checkout, so customers can pay on a secure page instead of a form you built and maintain. For fully custom checkout, the documented API lets developers build one that fits your site. Ask us which approach suits your site.

How much does a payment gateway cost?

It depends on your volume, card mix and equipment. We state gateway and equipment costs up front and quote your processing rate in writing before you switch. There are no locked contracts. Send a recent statement and we will show the numbers line by line.