Also called payment gateway, PSP
A payment processor is the company that authorises a card payment, moves the money and pays it out to the seller.
The processor sits between the buyer's bank and yours, handling authorisation, fraud checks, refunds, chargebacks and payout scheduling. For a creator the practical variables are which countries and payment methods it supports, how quickly it pays out, and what it does when a customer disputes a charge.
Payout delay is the one most often overlooked. A rolling seven-day hold is invisible in steady trading and painful during a launch, when the money is already committed to advertising.
Handling card details yourself carries compliance obligations that no small business wants; letting the processor host that step removes almost all of them.
In practice
A first launch with a seven-day payout hold means the money from day one arrives after the ad spend on day three has already cleared.
Common mistake
Ignoring supported countries until launch day. Discovering your largest audience cannot pay is a costly way to find out.
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