When we start getting into the concepts of how financial transactions work in our modern economy things can get confusing pretty quickly. Don't worry though, we not only want you to understand how to use Rock, we also want to help you to understand the concepts of what's going on behind the scenes. Let’s help to demystify the concept of payment gateways.

We're all familiar with the concept of checking out at the store. The clerk rings up our purchases at the register and once a total amount has been determined, we swipe our card through the credit card terminal and we're done. Using this analogy Rock would play the role of the register and the payment gateway is the digital equivalent of the credit card terminal. Like the register, Rock helps determine what is being purchased/donated and comes up with a total amount. Rock then takes the guest’s account information (either their credit card or checking account information) and sends it through the terminal (aka payment gateway).

At that point the transaction has started its journey through the financial system. In many ways you're done with it, but let's track its journey and note some places that you'll need to initially configure.

1. Rock Website / Payment Gateway - A guest completes their transaction on your Rock website. Rock then sends their account information to the payment gateway that you have configured.
2. Payment Processor - Next, the payment gateway passes the transaction on to the payment processor. The processor gets the 'opportunity' to facilitate the rest of the transaction.
3. Credit Card Company - The payment process then facilitates the transaction with the guest's credit card company.
4. Merchant Account - Once the transaction is approved the funds are transferred to your Internet merchant account. You'll need to work with your bank to establish this account. This is as easy as calling your bank and asking them for help creating an Internet Merchant Account that is compatible with the payment gateway you've selected with Rock.
5. Your BankT - he Internet merchant account then transfers the funds to your bank account via regularly scheduled transfers.

Available Payment Gateways

Rock supports several payment gateways. You can find the current vendors and additional details in the Rock Shop. Rock also comes with some gateways, which we'll talk about a little later.

So, you might be wondering which one you should select? Here are some factors to consider:

• Do you already have a gateway? If you already use a supported gateway, then it makes the most sense to keep using it.
• PCI: PCI is a credit card process standard to ensure the security of credit cards. Compliance with PCI is a very time-consuming process. Some gateways drastically reduce your PCI compliance requirements by ensuring that a visitor's credit card information never touches your server.
• Fees: Of course, fees are a huge consideration when looking at gateways. You'll want to consider the fees and rates of each before selecting a gateway.
• Location: Are you located outside the United States? For countries outside the continental US, please contact Carolyn Irwin directly at 

Because each giving vendor offers different packages, you'll want to discuss your needs with all of them to determine the best fit.

It's also important to make a strategic decision when selecting a gateway. As you start building a base of scheduled gifts it will be hard to transition them to a new gateway in the future. Their card data is stored in the gateway and most gateways will not give you your cardholder data back if you choose to move. See the Transferring Gateways section below if you find yourself in this situation.