A payment gateway is a private website, accessible only with your private username and password, through which the merchant enters all relevant customer credit card information:

name, address, billing address, and of course credit card information. Everything is entered into the online forms of the Gateway, clear templates and very easy to use. It then verifies the buyer's information and completes the transaction.

Of course, you need proof of each transaction. Therefore, email confirmations are automatically generated as receipts that detail each sale just like a traditional paper receipt.

These are sent to the buyer and payment gateways for my business merchant for record keeping. In addition, the payment gateway sends a daily batch summary (total transactions) to the merchant, giving you a clear and useful record of account activity.

Plumbers, tradesmen, locksmiths, appraisers and a whole range of professions don't sit at a desk all day and wait for payments. If your sales are mobile, your transactions must be too. A payment gateway has the distinct advantage of allowing you to process transactions anywhere you have internet access.

This can be through a broadband service, cable, WiFi or mobile broadband. Not only that, but it doesn't require any special hardware: your laptop or even your mobile phone's web browser can handle it.