Gateways Overview
A gateway is the connection that authorises and processes your card and alternative payments. Payments AI supports two models:
- The Payments AI Gateway: The native gateway, ready after your account is approved. No external account or processor is required.
- External gateways: Third-party gateways you already use or want to use (such as NMI, Stripe, PayPal, Splitit, Coinbase, or Klarna). You bring your own credentials and connect them to Payments AI.
Payments AI Gateway vs external gateway
| Feature | Payments AI Gateway | External gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Who processes the payment | Payments AI | The external gateway and its processor |
| Own account required | No | Yes |
| Backend processor required | No | Depends on the gateway (see below) |
| Setup | Application + KYC review | Bring credentials, connect in the dashboard |
| Availability | After account approval | After connection and testing |
Who processes what:
Payments AI processes payments on its own gateway only. For any gateway other than the Payments AI Gateway, processing is handled by the external gateway and its backend processor, not by Payments AI.
When to use which
- Use the Payments AI Gateway when you want the fastest path to live, with no third-party account to set up. It is available in the supported regions after approval.
- Connect an external gateway when you already hold a merchant account with a provider, need a specific provider for your region, or want a particular payment type (for example, installments via Splitit or crypto via Coinbase).
You can connect more than one gateway and route between them. See Connecting an External Gateway.
Supported gateways
| Gateway | Type | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Payments AI Gateway | Native | Default Gateway |
| NMI | External (requires backend processor) | NMI |
| Stripe | External | Stripe |
| PayPal | External | PayPal |
| Splitit | External (installments) | Splitit |
| Coinbase | External (crypto, invoice-only) | Coinbase |
| Klarna | External (BNPL, invoice-only) | Klarna |
For a side-by-side comparison, see Supported Gateways and Gateway Comparison.