Payment gateway

One payment gateway for card and ACH payments in your software

BrainMerchant is a payment gateway for software platforms. It sits between your platform and the payment networks: the card networks for credit card payments, and the ACH Network for ACH bank payments from US bank accounts.

Talk to sales

See how it works

What a payment gateway doesBetween your software and the networks

CaptureThe payment details your customer enters
Pass onFor processing over card networks or the ACH Network
RespondThe result goes back to your software

Card and ACH from one provider

The gateway’s job

What the gateway does for your platform

A payment gateway is the link between the payment screen in your software and the networks that process the payment. BrainMerchant plays that role for both card and ACH payments.

Card payments

When your customer pays by card, the gateway passes the payment on for processing over the card networks. The card issuer approves or declines it, and that answer comes back to your software.

ACH payments

When your customer pays from a US bank account, the payment is passed on for processing over the ACH Network. ACH payments travel as entries sent in batches. They settle between banks on a schedule, and the payer’s bank does not send back an instant approval the way a card issuer does.

One provider for both payment types

BrainMerchant processes credit card payments and ACH payments for software platforms, so your platform can offer both to its customers.

Your customers stay inside your software

Your customers pay inside your software, from an invoice, a booking or a bill, as part of the work they already do there. The payment becomes one more step in your product.

The payment path

Where the gateway sits

A payment passes through several parties between your customer and the banks. The gateway is the step right after your software.

Your customer
Your platform
BrainMerchant
Processor or bank
Card or ACH network
Banks

These are general roles, not a list of BrainMerchant’s partners. For cards, the step after the gateway is the processor and acquiring bank; for ACH, it is the originating bank (ODFI).

Gateway vs processor vs merchant account

Card and ACH

One relationship instead of two

If your platform takes cards through one provider and bank payments through another, you keep up two provider relationships, each with its own people to call.

With BrainMerchant as your card and ACH payment gateway, one provider covers both. Your customers pick the method that fits the bill in front of them.

Cards, for payments that need an answer now, such as a booking, a deposit or a one-time purchase. See credit card processing for platforms.
ACH, for larger and repeat bills, such as invoices, rent, tuition or memberships. See ACH payment processing for platforms.

Your software platform

Acme StudioInvoice #1188

Amount due$320.00

Pay by bankACH from a checking or savings account
Pay by cardCredit card ending 4242

Pay $320.00

Card and ACH payments processed by BrainMerchant

Buyer checklist

Questions to ask any payment gateway provider

Whether you are choosing a payment gateway for SaaS or for any other kind of software, take these questions to a first call with any provider. The answers decide how payments fit into your product and what your platform takes on.

Which payment types does it handle? Card, ACH or both, and whether your customers can choose between them on the same screen.
How do card disputes and ACH returns reach your software? They follow different rules, so ask how each one reaches your platform.
What will your PCI DSS scope be? No provider makes your platform compliant for you; tokenization can shrink your scope but not remove your obligations. Read how PCI DSS applies to SaaS platforms.
Which network registrations and PCI DSS validation does the provider hold? Ask for the specifics, and ask how the provider’s validation relates to your own.
Who signs your customers as merchants, and who receives settlement funds? It depends on the model; compare the models in payment facilitator vs ISO.
For ACH, will your platform be a Third-Party Sender? It depends on whose name is on the bank agreement; see Third-Party Sender in the payments glossary.
How is pricing structured? Usually interchange-plus, flat-rate, tiered or subscription; which costs less depends on ticket size, card mix and volume.
When do your customers receive funds? Settlement between banks and funding to your customers are separate steps; ask for the funding schedule.

Rules as of October 2026. Confirm details with your provider or the rule source.

Bring these questions to a call with us

FAQ

Questions about a payment gateway for software platforms

Short answers for platform teams weighing a payment gateway provider.

Where does BrainMerchant sit between our software and the payment networks?

BrainMerchant is the payment gateway between your platform and the payment networks: the card networks for card payments and the ACH Network for bank payments. Processors and banks take part in each payment too, and our guide to payment gateway vs payment processor shows how those roles fit together.

Can one gateway carry both card and ACH payments?

Yes. Credit card payments and ACH payments from US bank accounts both run through BrainMerchant, so your platform can offer either method, or both, to its customers. To see where bank payments fit in your product, read about ACH processing for software platforms.

What should we ask a gateway provider about PCI DSS?

Ask which PCI DSS validation the provider holds and how responsibility for cardholder data is split between the provider and your platform. A validated provider does not make your platform compliant on its own, and our guide to PCI compliance for SaaS platforms explains how your role shapes your scope.

What does a first call about the gateway cover?

We start with how your platform works and where payments fit in it: who your customers are, what they bill for, and whether they need cards, ACH or both. How BrainMerchant fits into your platform walks through what comes after that first conversation.

Keep reading

Put one gateway between your software and the payment networks

Tell us how payments work in your software today, and we’ll walk you through where the gateway fits.