What are merchant services?

Merchant services is an umbrella term for the financial solutions and infrastructure that let a business accept, process, and settle payments. This includes everything from the physical terminal in a store to the payment gateway on a website.

When a customer pays, the merchant services provider captures the transaction data and sends it through the card networks to the issuing bank for approval. Once authorized, the provider facilitates the settlement process, moving the funds into your merchant account, typically within 24 to 48 hours.

Retail merchant services focus on the specific needs of physical storefronts. This usually involves point of sale systems and hardware that can handle in-store and online payments. 

At Adyen, we use AI to help merchants optimize their full payments funnel. Within our platform, Adyen Uplift uses machine learning to spot and stop fraud while ensuring high authorization rates. This focus on specific outcomes helps you protect your revenue without adding friction for your customers.

There are multiple fee structures for merchant services. Adyen uses Interchange++.