Payment facilitation your way
Whether you’re looking for full payment facilitation, just integrated payments or something in between, you can do it all with a single integration and single partner. Find your perfect fit with our range of solutions designed to provide the flexibility and control you need to grow your revenue and support your international needs.

Explore the benefits of Payfac-as-a-Service
With our progressive payfac model, you get the best of both worlds: access to the benefits of payment facilitation with none of the obligations of being a registered payfac yourself. Designed for ISVs and businesses looking to offer a branded payment experience, our API-driven solution merges our payments with your software, providing simplified, semi-integrated front-end processing and advanced back-end settlement features.
Increase revenue
Lower costs
Skip the risk
Gain flexibility
Customize payments
Scale with ease
Increase revenue
Lower costs
Skip the risk
Gain flexibility
Customize payments
Scale with ease

Get up and running fast without the hassle
Not sure payment facilitation is right for you? No problem. We also offer a Direct Integrated Payments solution that lets you seamlessly add payment processing services to your offering and simplify the user experience for your clients. Remember, you can always scale to one of our more robust payment facilitation solutions as you grow.
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Payment facilitation FAQs
A payment facilitator or “payfac” is a merchant services provider that delivers various services to small businesses that make enrolling for a merchant account easier and simplify the payments process from start to finish.
While payment facilitation models may vary, here is a rundown of how a typical traditional payfac model works:
- Sponsorship: The payfac goes to a merchant acquirer or acquiring bank and registers for a merchant identification number (MID) in order to allow merchants to accept credit card payments.
- Underwriting: A merchant applies for a submerchant account under the payfac’s master account. The payfac then carries out a risk assessment and either approves or declines the merchant.
- Onboarding: The payfac onboards the merchant by letting them use their MID. Rather than getting their own unique merchant ID through a merchant acquirer, the merchant gets to do business under the umbrella of the payfac. After underwriting them, the payfac claims responsibility for the submerchant.
- Payments: Once boarded to their master account, the payfac provides the submerchant with payment processing technology to accept electronic payments, authorize payments and manage funding.
For businesses (most commonly software companies) that plan to go the traditional payfac route, they typically need to have a client base that can withstand high margins, one price and point of sale device that meets the needs of most of their clients, a sizable portfolio and plans to get acquired — or already be managed by private equity (PE).
With a managed payfac solution like our Payfac-as-a-Service option, you don’t need to fit the above criteria. Global Payments offers a range of payment facilitation solutions tailored to meet the needs of Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) and other business models looking to streamline their transaction processing capabilities without the hassle.
For businesses that choose to take the DIY route to becoming a registered payfac, earning your stripes requires quite a few steps. Here are the broad strokes:
- Pass the acquiring bank’s vetting process in order to get sponsored. Expect an annual review.
- Complete the registration process with the card brands. Registration fees for card networks like Visa® and Mastercard® can be around $5,000 a year each. Annual renewal is required.
- Vet submerchants by creating underwriting policies, performing Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks, running Know Your Customer (KYC) tests, making sure they meet US Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) requirements and ensuring they are not on Mastercard’s Member Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants (MATCH) list.
- Create a risk management policy and monitor submerchants with ongoing risk assessments for money laundering and terrorist financing. File a Suspicious Activity Report with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network or the acquirer in the case of suspicious behavior.
- Maintain level 1 PCI DSS compliance every year.
- Meet regulatory tax reporting requirements, including managing 1099s and additional tax forms as needed.
- Apply for a Money Transmitter License (MTL) if you plan to control the flow of funds. You’ll need a license for every state you do business in. Expect to renew your license every two years.
- Develop the infrastructure (i.e., building a payment gateway) to equip submerchants with everything they need to start accepting payments, including credit cards, debit cards, ACH payments, digital wallets and more payment options. Manage submerchant funding, payout systems, billing, reporting, exceptions management, and chargeback disputes and resolutions.
- Provide customer support for existing submerchants.
- Market to prospects to grow your submerchant portfolio.
The traditional route to payment facilitation often includes upwards of $100,000 in startup costs — plus sufficient capital for ongoing expenses. It also requires significant time and effort to build up payments technology and infrastructure, hire full-time staff to support sales, marketing, compliance and operations, and take on the liability for a submerchant portfolio.
There’s an easier way. With a partner like Global Payments, you can skip the legwork and get started as a payfac as quickly as possible with our progressive Payfac-as-a-Service solution. No upfront capital. No liability. No in-house staff. Payfac-as-a-Service allows you to enjoy the monetization of a payment facilitator’s role in the payments ecosystem without the typical risk or expense. However, if you are ready to become a registered payfac, our Full Payment Facilitation solution provides tools and support to make your journey easier.







