# Choosing Payment Gateways and Comparing Fees > A payment gateway is the service that transmits payment data securely from the store to the payment processor. Choosing one involves more than comparing headline rates — integration quality, supported payment methods, regional availability and fee structure all affect the real cost and customer experience. - Type: Merchant guide - Level: Intermediate - Reading time: About 4 minutes - Audience: Written for store owners, builders, and designers refining high-performance ecommerce stores. - Last updated: 2026-11-04 - Canonical page: https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/choosing-payment-gateways-and-comparing-fees/ - Part of: [Merchant Questions](https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/) on ZenBasket Academy --- ## What you need to know ### How do I choose a payment gateway? Match the gateway to your customer locations, preferred payment methods and technical integration requirements. Check whether the gateway supports the card networks and local methods your customers expect, and whether it integrates with your ecommerce platform without custom development. ### What should I compare between gateways? Compare transaction fees, monthly fees, currency conversion charges, dispute fees and any minimum volume requirements. Also compare supported payment methods, settlement timing, available countries and the quality of the developer documentation and support. ### Should I use one or multiple payment gateways? One well-supported gateway may be sufficient for a small store. Multiple gateways may help with regional coverage or resilience, but they add operational work. Choose based on a specific need, such as a local method your current provider lacks. ### What are the advantages of multiple payment gateways? A second gateway can offer another supported method, serve a different region or provide a planned alternative during an outage. These benefits depend on integrations that have been configured, approved and tested before a customer needs them. ### What are the disadvantages of multiple gateways? Multiple gateways mean separate balances, fees, dispute processes and reports. Saved payment credentials may not transfer between them. A poorly designed switch can submit the same purchase twice, so routing must account for the first attempt's actual status. ### Should merchants have a backup payment gateway? A tested backup can be useful if an outage would materially disrupt sales. Keep its account and integration ready. Do not send a payment to the backup while the original attempt is still unresolved; first establish whether the first provider already accepted it. --- ## Frequently asked questions ### How do payment-gateway fees work? Fees may include a percentage of the transaction amount, currency conversion, cross-border processing, disputes or optional services. The exact mix depends on the contract. Compare the cost of a representative order, refund and dispute rather than publishing a made-up fee table. ### Why do payment fees differ by card or country? Card network costs, issuing country, card type, currency conversion and the provider's pricing model can affect the charge. Read the fee breakdown for your actual account and transaction. Do not assume all international cards have the same surcharge. ## Related articles - **Choosing Ecommerce Payment Methods** - **Payment Reconciliation for Merchants** - **Payment Metrics and Gateway Outages** - [ZenBasket Build Guide](https://help.getzenbasket.com/zenbasket-builder/)