What is the Difference Between a Merchant Account, a Payment Processor, and a Gateway?

A Merchant Account is the bank-issued account that allows a business to accept card payments and receive settlement funds. A payment processor is the entity that moves transaction data between the card networks, banks, and the Merchant Account. A gateway is the technology layer that securely transmits transaction information from your website, app, or point-of-sale system to the processor.

Each plays a different role in a card transaction. Easy Pay Direct provides The Easy Pay Direct Gateway and helps coordinate access to Merchant Accounts, but does not act as a bank or make processor decisions.

All three components must operate together for card payments to be completed successfully. View the payment processing flow here.