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.
Payfac-as-a-Service
Get the benefits of payment facilitation without the burden. With our managed solution, you’ll appear as the payment service provider to your merchants, but you won’t have to go through the time and expense of becoming a registered payment facilitator (payfac) yourself — we’ll do the work and hold the risk for you.
Full Payment Facilitation
Ready to become a fully registered payfac? We’ve got something for that too. Take complete control of the payment processing experience and unlock major revenue potential with our full payment facilitation solution. We have the tools and support to help you manage risk and stay compliant every step of the way.
Direct Integrated Payments
If you're not quite ready for the payfac path but still want to add payments to your tech stack, this is the choice for you. Our Direct Integrated Payments solution allows you to seamlessly connect to a secure payment processor for payment authorizations without the complexities of managing settlements. You get paid, we handle the details.
Explore the benefits of Payfac-as-a-Service
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Increase revenue
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Lower costs
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Skip the risk
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Gain flexibility
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Customize payments
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Scale with ease
Launch multiple revenue streams
Grow a stickier portfolio and unlock recurring revenue streams — fast — with our high revenue share program every time customers process payments with you. Plus, deliver more value by bundling feature-rich financial services to your offering like electronic invoicing and flexible point of sale solutions. As a result, you’ll provide a simplified merchant experience while increasing your total revenue potential with a solution that lets you implement new services faster and go to market in a snap.
Gain payfac functionality without the typical costs
Whether you’re an ISV, ISP or SaaS provider, we help you offer merchants all the convenient services that come with payment facilitation without the heavy costs. Skip paying for full-time staff, investing in infrastructure and footing the bill for costs that can tally up to hundreds of thousands, all while capitalizing on bringing more value to your clients. And since we’re a direct acquirer solution, there are no hidden third-party fees.
Quickly add merchant accounts — without the liability
Aside from high costs, the biggest roadblocks to becoming a payfac are often the time and risk that come with it. With Payfac-as-a-Service, you can skip the headaches and get right to the good stuff since we’ll hold the risk as the registered payfac. Offer powerful payment capabilities to your merchants and pass off merchant onboarding, underwriting, risk management, compliance and technical functions to us. Add new merchant accounts in minutes without the liability.
Get the features and flexibility you deserve
Our managed model is designed to work exactly how you need it to. With a technology partner that understands your business and development needs, you’ll access unprecedented flexibility in onboarding merchants, managing the payment experience and handling funding and disbursements. Thanks to our turnkey functionality, you can easily add and remove features whenever you want.
Mold your payments platform to your clients
Say goodbye to one-size-fits-all. Payfac-as-a-Service allows you to customize your platform to fit your merchants’ needs. Whether they want to process credit card payments, ecommerce or online payments, mobile payments or a different payment method, they can do it all with our configurable platform — accepting all the ways their customers want to pay using a single account.
Scale at your own pace
Starting off as a managed partner with our embedded solution might sound good for now — but what if you want to become a full-fledged payfac down the road? It couldn’t be simpler. We’ll get you started on your payfac journey the easy way, and you’ll still have the option to transition to a wholesale payment facilitation model whenever you’re ready.
Payfac-as-a-Service: Unlock dedicated support and
services
With our Payfac-as-a-Service model, you’re never on your own. We provide a custom partner portal and personalized expertise every
step of the way — including a dedicated developer, launch manager, partner manager and more.
Specialized account manager
We’ll manage your account and help you maximize program benefits with personalized guidance
Consultative integration support
Receive an integration plan with recommended features, functionality and devices, plus certification and customer onboarding assistance
Marketing toolkits
Unlock robust resources designed to help drive demand and enhance your marketing efforts to attract new merchants
Complex deal support
Count on assistance with high-value or tricky sales, offer flexible merchant pricing based on the individual needs of your merchants and more
24/7/365 customer support
Rely on live agent support via text, chat, email or phone — plus keep a library of informational resources at your fingertips
Strong reporting tools
Never miss an insight — get all your data through a simple API for detailed reporting on billing, transactional summaries, chargebacks and more
Flexible funding and settlement
Automatically schedule disbursements from each day’s card activity or use APIs for more ways to customize the funding process
Adaptable device configurations
Set up payment devices virtually any way your clients need with APIs for every type of commerce environment
Access a suite of powerful payments tech with Payfac-as-a-Service
Deliver all the payment functionality your customers could want with our progressive payment facilitation model:
- Meet in the cloud API (REST/JSON)
- Text-to-pay | QR code payments
- eInvoicing/eStatements | Payment reminders (SMS)
- Digital wallets | ApplePay®, SamsungPay®, GooglePay®
- Card-on-file | Recurring payments | Account updater
- Buy now pay later | Consumer financing
- Countertop, wi-fi and Bluetooth terminals (OS Agnostic/No install)
Full Payment Facilitation
Ready to become a fully registered payfac? We’re here to help make it happen. With our wholesale solution, you gain more authorization possibilities and revenue potential. And we provide payments tech to integrate with your software platform, as well as a team of experts to support you every step of the way.
Complete control over the payment experience
Gain total control over the payment experience as a registered payfac — from processing to reconciliation to disbursements. We provide the tech, and you call the shots. You’ll gain extensive authorization possibilities and settlement functionalities for payouts and disbursements, ultimately delivering a seamless end-to-end customer experience.
Fast, easy submerchant onboarding
Offer a friction-free onboarding process to merchants. Instead of waiting weeks to get approved for a traditional merchant account, your clients will be able to get up and running in a matter of minutes by boarding as a submerchant account of your single master merchant account. They get to skip the headaches, and you get to build up your customer base faster.
Flexible options for payouts and disbursements
You decide how to distribute funds to your submerchants’ bank accounts. Whether you want to pay out bi-weekly to a merchant who’s still proving their reliability, or give next-day disbursements to a client you trust, structure payout systems your way. And if there’s an issue with a payment, we can help you handle chargeback disputes and resolutions.
Robust risk management
In addition to the control you gain as a registered payfac, you also take on more risk. As the master merchant account, you’ll be liable for the submerchants you board. That means you’re on the line for developing underwriting guidelines, running merchant risk analyses and ongoing fraud monitoring. If that sounds like a lot, don’t worry — our team can help.
Reliable compliance support
As a payfac, there’s a lot you have to keep up with to stay in good standing. Establishing and maintaining Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) compliance is tricky, not to mention meeting additional regulatory requirements along the way. But you don’t have to do it alone. We have the tools and support to help you navigate the journey.
Greater revenue potential
The silver lining to holding more risk? Generating more revenue. For every merchant you board, you’ll receive a recurring revenue stream. Beyond retaining stickier clients, you’ll have a competitive advantage in attracting new ones as well. And the stronger your portfolio grows, the more your business valuation goes up.
Direct Integrated Payments
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.
Seamless integration
Your software, our payment system, one simple API: That’s all you need to get your revenue-generating payments engine running and start growing your portfolio with omnichannel capabilities.
Processor-managed settlements
This solution allows you to connect to a payment processor for payment authorizations and get all the settlement aspects handled for you so you can skip the complexities of managing disbursements.
Simplified operations
We make things easy on your end — and your customers’. Our all-in-one payments platform helps merchants streamline their workflows, make operations run smoother and simplify their day-to-day.
Quick and easy setup
Get your clients set up in a snap. They’ll be ready to take transactions in hours, not days. With rapid activation and frictionless integrations, we make it easy to get started and get going — without delay.
Why choose Global Payments as your service provider?
We recognize no two partners are the same, which is why we customize our solutions to drive the highest revenue opportunities possible. From integrated payments to managed payment facilitation to full payment facilitation and beyond — we’re committed to meeting partners where they are with tailored programs designed to unlock growth.
Innovative solutions
Stay ahead of the competition with payments technology that’s leading the global marketplace in power, flexibility and simplicity — designed to help you and your clients thrive.
Comprehensive support
No matter where your business is headed, our team of payment professionals can help you get there with dedicated assistance and comprehensive resources to support your success.
Flexible programs
With Global Payments, you never have to settle. Choose from a range of flexible payment facilitation models to find the one that best fits your business needs.
Revenue growth
Tap into new revenue streams with a variety of payment solutions that help deepen the overall value you deliver to your merchants while boosting your cash flow.
Trusted by…
4.6m merchant accounts
4k tech partners
1.5k financial institutions
100+ industries
Payment facilitation FAQs
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What is a payment facilitator?
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.
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How does payment facilitation work?
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.
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Which types of businesses are a good fit for payment facilitation?
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.
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What are the steps to becoming a registered payfac?
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.
If that list sounds daunting, remember: Global Payments can take all that off your plate so you can get right to the good part.
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What are the advantages of using a managed payfac solution rather than registering to become a payfac yourself?
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.