Frequently asked questions
Find quick answers to the most common questions about Paysecure products and payment solutions.
Payment orchestration platform
What is Paysecure payment orchestration?
Payment orchestration is the process of centralising and optimising payment operations through a single platform. A payment orchestration platform is more than a connection hub for multiple payment providers. It acts as an intelligent control layer, using data-driven insights to optimise every stage of the payment journey. By combining a rich provider marketplace with advanced transaction intelligence, the platform helps businesses build resilient, high-performing payment flows that maximise approval rates, reduce costs, and enhance the customer experience.
When a customer initiates a payment, the platform can determine the most effective route based on factors such as provider performance, transaction cost, local preferences, and fraud or risk signals. It can also present the most relevant alternative payment methods (APMs) to the user and apply dynamic fraud checks, ensuring that every transaction has the best chance of success.
Integrated modules such as intelligent routing, tokenisation, real-time reporting, and fraud management allow merchants to centralise and control complex payment operations while maintaining full visibility and flexibility. This approach transforms fragmented payment setups into a single, optimised ecosystem, capable of scaling globally and performing reliably under high-volume or complex scenarios.
To see Paysecure’s approach in action, explore our Payment Orchestration page >>
How does a payment orchestration work?
A payment orchestration platform acts as an intelligent layer between a merchant and multiple payment providers, designed not just to connect systems, but to continuously optimise every stage of the payment journey.
When a customer initiates a payment, the platform uses real-time data and performance insights to determine the most effective approach. This may involve selecting the provider most likely to approve the transaction, presenting the most relevant alternative payment methods (APMs) to the user, or applying the most appropriate fraud and risk checks based on the context of the transaction.
If a payment fails, it can be instantly retried or redirected, helping to recover revenue that would otherwise be lost. By combining intelligent routing, dynamic payment workflows, tokenisation, and unified reporting, payment orchestration transforms fragmented payment setups into a single, optimised ecosystem.
The result is higher authorisation rates, reduced friction, and better decision-making across the entire payment flow. To see how this works in practice, explore our Payment Orchestration page >>
The difference between a payment orchestration platform and a gateway?
A payment gateway securely transmits payment information from a merchant to a single PSP or bank. A payment orchestration platform, in contrast, connects a merchant to multiple PSPs, acquirers, and APMs, providing intelligent routing, dynamic retries, centralised reporting, and multi-currency support. In essence, orchestration platforms give merchants full visibility and control across their payment ecosystem, whereas gateways handle transactions with a single provider. Learn more about the difference on our Payment Orchestration vs Gateway blog.
The difference between a payment orchestration platform and payment processing?
Payment processing is the actual movement of funds between a customer and a merchant via a single provider. Payment orchestration sits above this layer outside the flow of funds, connecting multiple processors and adding intelligence, automation, and centralised management. With orchestration, businesses can increase approval rates, reduce cross-border costs, manage fraud risk, and gain actionable insights across all transactions from all payment providers.
Why do merchants utilise Paysecure payment orchestration?
A payment orchestration platform such as Paysecure helps businesses make every transaction count. By combining intelligent routing, automated retries, and real-time performance insights, merchants can increase authorisation rates, recover lost revenue, and reduce operational complexity through a single API integration.
The platform also supports global expansion, offering multi-currency payments and local payment methods to meet the expectations of customers worldwide. Costs are optimised automatically, with each transaction routed through the most cost-effective provider, while built-in tokenisation and compliance with PCI DSS Level 1 and ISO 27001 ensure security and regulatory adherence.
Centralised reporting provides actionable insights, enabling businesses to optimise performance, make informed decisions, and continuously refine the payment journey. For a detailed overview of features and benefits, see our Payment Orchestration page >>
What features should a payment orchestration platform have?
A robust payment orchestration platform should provide the tools businesses need to optimise every transaction.
Traditionally, payment orchestration focused on automating payment flows and routing transactions efficiently between providers. Paysecure is pioneering the future of Payments 3.0, moving beyond simple routing to a fully comprehensive payment management platform that leverages real-time intelligence to optimise performance, maximise authorisation rates, reduce costs, and enhance the customer experience.
At Paysecure, our capabilities are organised around core modules:
Connections & Multi-Acquirer Support – Seamlessly connect to multiple PSPs, acquirers, and alternative payment methods, giving you the flexibility to manage global payments and improve approval rates.
Dynamic Cashier – Customise the checkout experience with a fully flexible, brandable cashier that supports multiple payment methods and local preferences, helping to reduce friction and boost conversions.
Intelligent Routing – Automatically select the most effective provider for each transaction, optimise costs, and enable retries or reroutes in case of failures, ensuring high performance and reliability.
Reporting & Insights – Access real-time, centralised reporting across all transactions, providing actionable insights to optimise performance, monitor trends, and make informed decisions.
Tokenisation & Security – Protect sensitive customer data with secure tokenisation and maintain compliance with PCI DSS Level 1 and ISO 27001, while also leveraging advanced fraud management tools.
Paysecure’s platform includes all of these features and more, delivering a complete orchestration solution that scales globally. For more information, see our Payment Orchestration page >>
The different ways you can integrate with Paysecure
Paysecure provides a comprehensive suite of integration tools designed to get your team up and running quickly while supporting scalable, compliant payment operations. Our APIs offer direct access to advanced payment workflows, smart routing, and the full capabilities of the Paysecure platform, with clear references and examples to guide implementation from day one.
For client-side integration, our Software Development Kits (SDKs) enable fast, tailored experiences across web, iOS, and Android. Prebuilt components simplify connection to our orchestration suite, reducing development time and technical complexity while allowing you to deliver customised user experiences.
Our developer-friendly documentation and guides walk teams step by step from sandbox testing to live production. With practical examples, recommended best practices, and real-world use cases, your developers can integrate confidently and ship faster with fewer questions.
Built with scale and compliance in mind, Paysecure’s orchestration suite supports evolving business requirements while helping to reduce regulatory and PCI compliance burdens. Integration options are designed to work seamlessly with your existing workflows, ensuring a consistent and efficient developer experience as your business grows.
Is it possible to test the Paysecure payment orchestration platform before signing a long-term agreement?
Yes. Paysecure provides both demo and sandbox environments for testing prior to any long-term commitment. Demo accounts showcase platform features with dummy data, while sandbox accounts allow API testing and transaction simulation. Technical walkthroughs and feature demonstrations are available to ensure integration works as expected. See our Connections page for more information.
Payment terminology (glossary)
What is a payment gateway?
A payment gateway is a service that securely transmits payment information from a merchant to a payment processor or bank. It acts as the bridge between a customer’s payment method and the merchant’s account, enabling online transactions. Unlike a payment orchestration platform, a gateway typically connects to a single provider and does not offer intelligent routing, cascading, or centralised reporting. For more comparisons, see our Payment Orchestration vs Gateway blog >>
What is a merchant account?
A merchant account is a type of bank account that allows a business to accept card payments online or in-person. It acts as a holding account for transactions before funds are settled to the business’s main account. Payment orchestration platforms like Paysecure connect merchants to multiple merchant accounts and PSPs to optimise payment performance and reduce complexity.
What is intelligent routing?
Intelligent routing is a core capability of modern payment orchestration, designed to optimise every transaction in real time. Rather than sending payments to a single provider, it uses live and historical data to determine the most effective path for each transaction, maximising approval rates while controlling cost and risk.
At Paysecure, intelligent routing goes beyond static rules and basic logic. It is powered by AI and emerging agentic AI capabilities that continuously analyse transaction performance, issuer behaviour, regional trends, and customer preferences to make dynamic, context-aware decisions. This means the platform can not only select the best PSP or acquirer, but also optimise the entire payment flow, from presenting the most relevant payment methods to applying the right fraud and risk checks at the right time.
If a transaction fails, the platform can automatically retry or reroute it through alternative providers or flows, recovering revenue that would otherwise be lost. Over time, AI-driven optimisation ensures routing strategies continuously evolve, adapting to changes in provider performance, market conditions, and user behaviour without manual intervention.
The result is a more resilient, self-optimising payment ecosystem where every transaction is intelligently orchestrated, improving authorisation rates, reducing unnecessary costs, and delivering a seamless customer experience at scale.
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation is a security mechanism that replaces sensitive payment data, such as card numbers, with unique digital tokens. These tokens can be safely stored and reused for future transactions without exposing the original data, significantly reducing the risk of fraud and supporting PCI DSS compliance.
At Paysecure, it enables secure, seamless payment experiences across multiple providers and payment methods, allowing merchants to store and reuse credentials, support recurring or one-click payments, and maintain continuity even when routing transactions across different acquirers or regions.
By decoupling sensitive data from the payment flow, tokenisation not only enhances security but also improves flexibility and performance. Combined with Paysecure’s orchestration layer, tokens can be intelligently leveraged to optimise approval rates, streamline customer journeys, and support scalable, cross-border payment strategies.
What is a multi-acquirer strategy?
A multi-acquirer strategy involves connecting a merchant to multiple banks or acquirers for processing transactions. This approach improves approval rates, reduces reliance on a single provider, and optimises cost efficiency. Paysecure’s intelligent routing engine enables merchants to implement a multi-acquirer strategy automatically, ensuring payments are processed through the most effective path every time.
Security
How secure is Paysecure?
Paysecure ensures security through a multi-layered approach combining advanced technology, real-time monitoring, and third-party integrations. Fraud detection uses machine learning to analyse user behaviour and payment patterns across the network, while the proprietary Trust Score system provides intelligent routing based on risk assessment. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, multi-factor authentication is enforced, and tokenisation supports Visa and Mastercard network tokens. For security certifications, see our Certifications page.
Is Paysecure PCI DSS Level 1 compliant?
Yes. Paysecure is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, ISO 27001 certified, and accredited by the ICO for GDPR compliance. These certifications ensure that the platform meets the highest standards for data security, information management, and privacy protection across all transactions. See our Accreditations page for more information.
How does Paysecure ensure regulatory adherence and security in the payment industry?
For businesses operating globally, payment security is more than a technical requirement — it underpins customer trust, protects revenue, and ensures operational continuity. Paysecure’s platform is designed to meet these demands with multi-region, multi-cloud architecture that delivers high resilience, low latency, and the ability to handle over 5,000 transactions per second without downtime.
Built to be platform-agnostic, Paysecure seamlessly connects to any payment method, processor, or solution provider, allowing merchants to centralise and optimise payment operations without restriction. Beyond infrastructure, the platform actively protects sensitive data through tokenisation, end-to-end encryption, and multi-factor authentication, while maintaining PCI DSS Level 1 and ISO 27001 certification and ICO accreditation for GDPR compliance.
Security is further enhanced by Paysecure’s AI-driven fraud prevention. Machine learning analyses transaction patterns, user behaviour, and risk signals across the network, while our proprietary Trust Score system enables intelligent, risk-based routing. This not only mitigates fraud exposure but also improves authorisation rates and overall payment performance, giving merchants confidence that every transaction is optimised, secure, and compliant.
