What a gateway does
A payment gateway helps connect a merchant’s digital sales channel with payment services. In a typical arrangement it supports the exchange of payment requests and outcomes between systems. Its exact functions depend on the agreed architecture. The gateway is one part of the journey: having a connection to it does not, by itself, establish the merchant’s eligibility or determine when funds become available.
Processing and acquiring
A processing provider supplies the systems and services that handle transactions within the relevant payment arrangements. An acquiring institution or provider enables merchant acceptance under its requirements and contractual structure. Depending on the arrangement, these functions may involve different organizations or connected service providers. Ask which entity supplies each role rather than assume that every payment brand performs every function.
Authorization is not settlement
Authorization typically relates to whether a payment request is approved under the relevant payment process. Settlement concerns the movement and accounting of funds under the agreed arrangements. The stages, timings, and terminology can vary by method and provider. A merchant should understand which transaction status authorizes fulfilment and which record describes settlement, rather than treating both as the same event.
Follow one business reference through the journey
Conceptually, a customer starts at the merchant’s website or application. The merchant’s request travels through the agreed gateway connection to processing services, and a payment outcome returns through the relevant arrangement. The merchant connects that outcome to its order or service reference. The diagram is an educational simplification, not an operational specification or a claim about Sofa Work’s live capabilities.
Questions worth asking
Who assesses and accepts the merchant? Which party provides processing and acquiring? What confirms a payment outcome? Who handles refunds and disputes, and where are settlement records obtained? Clarifying these questions makes integration and support planning more practical.
- 01Your businessWebsite or application
- 02Sofa WorkUnified gateway
- 03Processing servicesSpecialist payment partners
The payment outcome needs to be linked back to the merchant’s order or service reference. Exact responsibilities and interfaces depend on the agreed arrangement.