Payment gateways
The ability to connect the reservation system to payment gateways is one of the key features for effective use of online reservation and tickets selling. Thanks to on-line payments, it is possible to offer the customer the entire buying process, from the selection of the event to the payment of the particular reservation, in a very simple way and thus support the overall effect of the business using the on-line reservation system. The reenio system allows the integration of different payment gateways, each with certain advantages, disadvantages or specificities.
It must always be kept in mind that the reservation system only technically integrates a specific payment instrument and all formal or commercial matters, as well as access to funds themselves, must always be resolved beyond the reservation system with the provider of the payment gateway.
The principle of operation and integration of payment gateways is always similar, the main differences are in the range of payment methods and fees for transactions. It is therefore up to each individual which payment gateway better suits the needs and offers the required functions. All payments made through a payment gateway are usually collected in a merchant account provided by the payment gateway provider. Depending on the agreed parameters, these payments are invoiced/billed in bulk. In practice, this means that the money from online payments is received by the merchant in a single batch (including fees) and is not sent directly individually to the merchant's own account. The payment gateway can be operated in different currencies, but for integration it is important that the currency of the payment gateway matches the currency of the reservation system!
GoPay
GoPay is a major online payment provider and one of the largest online payment providers in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. GoPay is supervised by the Czech National Bank and holds a licence from the Czech National Bank to issue electronic money. The GoPay payment gateway offers a fast, convenient and secure way to pay online. The customer makes the payment directly at the payment gateway after completing the order/reservation, or the gateway redirects the customer to online banking or to the page that corresponds to the payment method selected in the order. Once the payment has been submitted, GoPay will send an email with information about the status of the payment and other information such as EET data. All payment information, including credit card number, is secured by encrypted communication and processed by GoPay in accordance with the highest card security standard PCI DSS or PSD2.
GoPay offers all the most commonly used payment methods, including card payments online or via button payments. Most payments are online, so it's a matter of minutes. For a full list of all payment methods offered by GoPay, please see Overview of payment methods. The reenio system primarily supports payment methods that can be processed truly on-line in a few tens of minutes. In the specific cases where the time limit for mandatory payment is 3 days or more, or payment for a reservation is not required, it is also possible to use the payment method of a classic transfer with respect to the methods allowed in the GoPay merchant account.
Start to use GoPay payment gateway
To make online payments for services ordered from your customers using GoPay, you must first register to GoPay payment gateway provider. GoPay will then prepare a offer according to the specific parameters of your business and discuss with you the formal requirements for entering into a contract and obtaining the necessary parameters for integration.
Comgate
This payment gateway again offers a whole range of payment methods, including payment by card, bank transfer, QR, deferred payment, in thirds or in installments, and of course there are also Apple Pay and Google Pay payment channels. The payment gateway can process payments in up to 9 currencies and communicates in 14 languages, which is sufficient potential for possible expansion to other markets in connection with the reservation system.
The Comgate payment gateway is based on a relatively favorable fee policy, especially from the point of view of small businesses with low turnover. The transparent fee system can thus offer interesting fees up to a turnover of 100,000. CZK per month. It is this limit that is also important for the further efficiency of fees, which is often a much higher limit for other payment gateways.
Start to use Comgate payment gateway
In order for customers to be able to pay using the Comgate payment gateway on your booking page, just follow a few steps that are described in the documentation. First of all, you need to obtain a business account and ensure all formal requirements. Next, you will get technical parameters (test or sharp payment gateways), which must be set in the reservation system.
What is specific about this gateway is that you must set the so-called permitted IP addresses on the payment gateway side (in the business account administration), which define which servers your payment gateway can be launched from. You can find these IP addresses in the reservation system in Settings - Payments, credits and VAT - Payment gateways - Comgate - IP addresses for API communication.
Stripe
This payment gateway offers payments, and a range of other services, on a global level. It is a large, stable and growing company that operates in a number of countries. Although this payment gateway also offers a variety of payment methods, from a local business perspective, only credit cards are the primary payment method. Of course, it supports various currencies and languages for payment form.
The advantages of this payment gateway include, first of all, the way it is set up and operated (all online) and also the speed of setting it up itself, then the advantage is that you are using a global large solution, which not only allows further growth, but also guarantees smooth use. On the other hand, its global background also brings a few disadvantages. You have to take into account that the administration or documentation is in English. Compared to other local gateways, the price is a clear disadvantage. Not only is there a fixed fee per transaction, but also a percentage fee according to the transaction volume.
The Stripe payment gateway is definitely a good choice for enabling online payments for your customers. Its design and functionality will definitely suit and fully fulfill the vision of a modern comprehensive payment system. It is important to understand and account for the costs associated with online payments. On the other hand, running a modern business without online payments is not possible today.
Revolut
Payment solutions under the Revolut brand are among the major and rapidly growing options in the field of online finance. From the perspective of payment acceptance integration, the key platform is Revolut Business, which offers comprehensive corporate online banking services. One of the services provided is the Revolut Payment Gateway, which allows for easy integration into a booking system. This payment gateway focuses exclusively on processing card payments, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, and can also process payments from customers using Revolut-branded accounts. In general, the Revolut solution is intended for entrepreneurs and customers within the European Economic Area (EEA).
As is typical for these modern online platforms, a major advantage is the straightforward, fast, and easy setup and integration of the payment gateway itself. In this case, the first step is to register an entity within Revolut Business, under any plan. Then it is necessary to apply for a Merchant Account, which will then allow the integration of the payment gateway into the booking system. After successful setup, submission of all necessary information within the Revolut Business platform, and approval and activation of the Merchant Account, it is then sufficient to connect this account with the reservation system.
When setting up the Revolut payment method in the reservation system, you need to obtain the Merchant API Secret Key. You can find it in the Revolut Business administration under Settings (gear icon) - APIs - Merchant API, where you need to copy the value labeled as Secret API Key. It is also possible to regenerate the API key there - if this happens and the value in the booking system and Revolut Business administration differ, the payment gateway will not function!
During test integration and operation, you can use the so-called sandbox mode, allowing you to safely try out everything regarding the Revolut Business administration and payment gateway integration in advance. Everything is identical to the live operation; just use the address https://sandbox-business.revolut.com/ for registration and work, where the Merchant Account is already available.
When setting up the booking system, don’t forget to correctly select the test mode according to the integration environment used!
Comprehensive information about the integration options, including for example test cards for verifying functionality in sandbox mode or the exact procedure for obtaining a Merchant Account, can be found in the Revolut documentation.
PayPal
This globally recognized brand in the field of online finance needs little introduction. It is a solution that offers services for both end users - in the form of a wallet and fast, secure transfers - and for businesses of various sizes by enabling payment acceptance. Similar to other online payment solutions, the first step is registering a business account. Once a business account is set up, activating the tools for accepting payments and integrating the PayPal payment gateway - PayPal Checkout, into a booking system is very straightforward. Since PayPal is a global payment gateway, it primarily focuses on processing credit card payments, including Google Pay and Apple Pay, as well as transfers between PayPal accounts. However, it also offers other specific payment methods.
From an integration perspective, the first step is to create a PayPal business account. Then, within the administration of the PayPal account, you need to obtain API credentials for setting up the integration. These credentials can be found under PayPal Checkout (Pay & Get Paid - Accept Payments - PayPal Checkout - Get started - Have a custom-built site (coding)). From the provided details, it is essential to copy the values labeled API Key/Client ID and Secret and enter them into the gateway settings in the booking system. It is important to always consider whether you are working in a test (Sandbox) or live (Live) environment and adjust the settings accordingly. You can also access a comprehensive overview of integration data via the Developer Dashboard.
During testing and integration, you can use the so-called sandbox mode, which allows you to safely test everything related to payment administration and payment gateway integration in advance. Everything functions identically to live operation; you only use Sandbox-labeled credentials, including access to the test PayPal administration.
When configuring the booking system, don't forget to correctly select the test mode according to the integration environment used!
Comprehensive information about integration options, including e.g., test cards for verifying functionality in sandbox mode, can be found in the PayPal Developer documentation.