What is Payment Processing And How Does It Work? When you make a purchase online, your payment is processed by a payment processing company. This company securely handles all of your credit card and debit card information so that you can complete your purchase with ease. Payment processing companies also work with e-commerce stores to ensure that customers are able to checkout quickly and easily. There are several different payment processing companies available, but the most popular one is PayPal. PayPal has been around since 1998 and is used by millions of people all over the world. When you create a PayPal account, you will be able to securely store your payment information so that you can quickly and easily make purchases online. When you make a purchase at a physical store, your payment is processed by a payment processing terminal. This terminal is connected to a computer that processes all of the transactions. The computer will then send a message to the store's point-of-sale system, which will print out a receipt for the customer. Payment processing terminals are becoming increasingly popular, as they allow customers to pay with a variety of different payment methods. This includes debit cards, credit cards, and even contactless payments like Apple Pay. In order to process a payment, the payment processing company will need some information from you. This information will include your name, address, phone number, and email address. The company will also need to know your card type (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.), card number, and expiration date. The payment processing company will also need to know the amount of the purchase. This information is usually sent in a message called a "payment request." The payment processing company will then forward this request to the bank that issued your credit or debit card. The bank will then authorize or decline the payment. If the payment is authorized, the bank will send a message to the payment processing company indicating that the payment was successful. The payment processing company will then forward this information to the e-commerce store, and the customer will be able to receive their purchase. If you have any questions about payment processing, be sure to ask your payment processing company. They will be able to help you understand how the process works and how you can use it to make purchases online.