01Start with your customer workflow
Map who sells, who pays, who gets paid, merchant onboarding, refunds, disputes, and the platform’s role. Compare an integrated provider model with simpler referral or commercial-partnership structures where appropriate.
02Validate the technical and operating model
Review gateway and API needs, billing, eligible payout flows, reconciliation, support responsibilities, and data boundaries. A provider offering APIs does not automatically establish support for every platform model.
03Make the economics explicit
Examine eligible payment volume, proposed fees, provider costs, support burden, and any negotiated revenue participation. Economics, platform onboarding, funds flow, and integration must all be validated before launch.