Payments are one of those decisions that look simple on a pricing page and get complicated the moment real money moves. We've integrated most of the major providers across ecommerce and fintech builds, and the "right" answer changes with the business. Here's the framework we actually use.
The headline rate is not the cost
Every provider leads with a per-transaction percentage, and it's almost never the number that matters most. Look instead at:
- Card mix. International cards, premium cards and Amex often carry meaningfully different rates than the headline domestic figure.
- Settlement timing. T+1 versus T+3 settlement changes your working capital position — for high-volume retail that difference is real money.
- Failed payment and chargeback fees. Subscription businesses feel these far more than one-off checkout flows.
- The cost of switching later. Stored cards and subscription tokens don't always move with you. Ask about portability before you sign.
Fit beats features
A provider that's brilliant for a SaaS subscription model can be mediocre for marketplace splits or in-store terminals. The questions that sort providers quickly:
- Does it natively support your model — one-off, subscription, marketplace, invoicing, or a blend?
- How good is the integration path for your stack? A first-class SDK for your platform outweighs a marginally better rate.
- What does the local acquiring story look like? Processing NZ cards through an offshore acquirer costs more and declines more.
- When something goes wrong at 5pm on a Friday, who answers — a human or a ticket queue?
Don't forget the boring parts
PCI scope, fraud tooling, 3-D Secure flows and reconciliation exports rarely make the comparison spreadsheet, but they dominate the integration effort. A provider that drops your PCI burden to a questionnaire, and gives finance a clean settlement file, pays for itself in avoided engineering.
Our approach
We stay provider-neutral — we've shipped Stripe, Windcave, Braintree and direct bank integrations, and recommend per project rather than per partnership. If you're choosing a provider for a new platform or thinking about switching, our fintech team can map the options against your actual transaction profile.