What is a payment gateway with an example? Online and offline businesses use payment gateways to authorize credit card and debit card payments. Credit card numbers, for example, need to be protected from fraudsters. In essence, the online gateway is a secure online link between the merchant and the customer's bank. Payment gateways are networks through which your customers transfer funds to the merchant account. In most brick-and-mortar stores, point-of-sale terminals are used to process payments. To make a payment through a payment gateway, customers and businesses must work together. https://www.offshoregateways.com/payment-gateway