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AvendoSmall Business Payments

How it works

How Avendo routes online card payments

Published by AvendoLast updated November 2026

Avendo routes each online card payment to the connected processor offering the best available rate, at the moment of the sale. Your customers use the same checkout; behind it, Avendo compares multiple PCI DSS-compliant processors for every transaction instead of sending everything to one provider.

How does Avendo choose a processor for each payment?

Avendo compares its connected payment processors for every transaction and sends the payment to the one offering the best available rate in real time. The choice is made per sale, not once at signup, so a store is not locked into one processor’s pricing on every order.

What is payment routing?

Definition: transaction routing

Transaction routing is the practice of deciding, for each card payment, which payment processor will handle it. In Avendo’s model, a merchant’s checkout is connected to multiple processors, and every transaction is automatically routed to the processor offering the best available rate at that moment.

Routing does not change what the customer sees. The checkout page stays the same, and the routing decision happens behind it. It also does not change the security standard a payment must meet: Avendo works exclusively with processors and gateways that are PCI DSS compliant, the card data security standard maintained by the PCI Security Standards Council.

The layers inside every card fee

A card payment touches several parties, and each takes a share. The issuer, the bank behind the customer’s card, receives interchange. Card networks such as Visa, Mastercard and Discover charge assessments; ECS Payments lists them at 0.11%, 0.095% and 0.0925% respectively. The processor or acquirer adds its own markup.

Interchange and assessments are set by the networks, so the part that differs most from one processor to the next is the processor’s own pricing. That is the part routing puts in competition on every sale.

What happens when a customer pays

The path of a single online card payment through an Avendo setup.

  1. The customer checks out

    The shopper enters card details on your existing checkout page. Nothing about the page needs to change for Avendo.

  2. Avendo compares connected processors

    For this specific transaction, Avendo checks the processors connected to your account.

  3. The payment is routed

    The transaction goes to the processor offering the best available rate in real time, through a PCI DSS-compliant gateway.

  4. The card network and issuer respond

    The processor sends the request through the card network to the customer’s bank, which approves or declines it.

  5. Funds settle to the merchant

    Approved funds move to the merchant account, minus that processor’s fees, on that processor’s schedule.

  6. You see it in your reports

    Avendo provides clearer pricing and processing reports, so the cost of accepting cards is easier to read.

Single processor or multi-processor routing?

Avendo’s side by side of a single processor setup and Avendo multi-processor routing
QuestionSingle processorAvendo routing
Who prices each sale?The one processor, on every saleThe connected processor with the best available rate for that sale
When is the processor chosen?Once, when you sign upIn real time, for every transaction
Checkout changesDepends on the providerWorks with existing checkout pages
Security standardDepends on the providerPCI DSS-compliant processors and gateways only
Who bills the merchantThe processorThe processor; Avendo does not bill merchants directly

Who fits which: routing suits online stores that want to lower cost per sale without changing checkout, from small shops to enterprise organizations. A business that sells mostly in person, or wants one provider for point of sale hardware and online checkout together, may prefer a single all-in-one provider. Learn more about the best credit card processing for small business online.

Common questions

Short answers to what small online businesses ask most. Every answer, plus dozens more, lives on the full FAQ page.

What does real-time transaction routing mean?

Real-time routing means the choice of which processor handles a payment is made for each transaction, at the moment of the sale. Instead of every card payment going through one fixed provider, Avendo checks the connected processors and routes that payment to the one offering the best available rate. The next sale gets the same check.

See this answer in the FAQ

How does Avendo pick which processor handles a payment?

Avendo compares the connected processors for each transaction and routes the payment to the one offering the best available rate in real time. Because the comparison happens per payment, your store is not locked into one processor’s pricing for every sale. Every processor in the pool is PCI DSS compliant.

See this answer in the FAQ

Why use more than one payment processor?

Rates differ between processors and can depend on the type of card and transaction. With only one processor, every sale is priced by that single provider. Connecting to several lets each payment go to whichever offers the best available rate, which is the approach Avendo is built around for e-commerce merchants.

See this answer in the FAQ

Do I need to replace my checkout page to use Avendo?

No. Avendo works with existing checkout pages. It connects your current checkout to multiple payment processors, so customers keep the same checkout experience while each payment is routed behind the scenes to the processor offering the best available rate. Ask Avendo to confirm the setup details for your specific store platform.

See this answer in the FAQ

Does Avendo work for card-not-present payments?

Yes. Avendo is built for e-commerce businesses, where customers type card details into a website instead of handing over a physical card. These card-not-present payments are what Avendo routes between connected processors. For contrast, ECS Payments lists card-present Visa rates between 1.29% and 2.5% plus $0.10, which apply when the card is in the customer’s hand.

See this answer in the FAQ

Is customer card data safe when payments are routed?

In an Avendo setup, payments go only to processors and gateways that are PCI DSS compliant. Routing changes which compliant processor handles the payment, not the security standard the payment must meet. For details on how data flows in your specific integration, ask the Avendo team before you go live.

See this answer in the FAQ

How long does it take to get paid from card sales?

Payout timing is set by the processor that handles each payment and by your merchant account terms, so it varies by provider. Many processors deposit funds within one to a few business days. Ask Avendo which processors your account would route to and what their deposit schedules are before you start.

See this answer in the FAQ
Read all questions in the FAQ

See routing with your own checkout

Tell Avendo which store platform you use and how much you process each month.

Contact Avendo