{"id":746,"date":"2026-06-28T19:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T17:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/?p=746"},"modified":"2026-06-28T19:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T17:53:11","slug":"adyen-as-a-payment-gateway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/adyen-as-a-payment-gateway\/","title":{"rendered":"Adyen as a payment gateway: how it works, advantages and alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Adyen, as<strong> global payment gateway, <\/strong>It goes beyond the typical, as it functions as an end-to-end unified platform to connect your business with customers, while integrating the gateway, processor, and local acquirer into a single system.<\/p>\n<p>Okay, so why do Uber, Spotify, Netflix, McDonald's, and Microsoft use it? What does it have that the others don't?<\/p>\n<p>Its popularity isn't accidental; it's well-earned. With it, you can quickly accept, process, and receive payments online, on mobile devices, and in physical stores. Want to learn more about this tool? Here's everything you need to know.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What exactly is Adyen?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-747 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago.jpg\" alt=\"Adyen as a payment gateway \" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago-18x9.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Let's start with the basics. Adyen is a Dutch fintech company founded in 2006 in Amsterdam.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, it operates as <strong>direct acquirer in multiple markets<\/strong>This means it doesn't need to outsource processing to third parties like most gateways do. And precisely, this vertical integration is its key differentiator in the market.<\/p>\n<h3>And Adyen as a payment gateway?<\/h3>\n<p>Now, getting into its more formal definition, it is also an all-in-one payment platform that acts as a direct acquirer in many markets.<\/p>\n<p>It does not depend on intermediaries, but controls the entire flow, which translates into higher approval rates, faster settlements, and a better customer experience.<\/p>\n<p>According to the<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/investors.adyen.com\/financials\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Adyen annual report<\/a><\/strong>In 2025, it processed over $1 trillion in transaction volume (around \u20ac1.08 trillion in some reports), with sustained growth and an infrastructure that handles billions of payments per year.<\/p>\n<h3>This is their secret<\/h3>\n<p>In practice, Adyen acts simultaneously as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Gateway<\/strong> (collects and encrypts payment data).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Processor<\/strong> (validates and authorizes the transaction).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Purchaser<\/strong> (manages the settlement of funds to the merchant).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All on a single platform, with a single contract and a single dashboard.<\/p>\n<p><strong>To give you an idea of \u200b\u200bthe size, <\/strong>The $1.35 trillion processed is more than the GDP of many countries, thus consolidating it as a global financial infrastructure.<\/p>\n<h2>How Adyen works step by step<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-748 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago-2.jpg\" alt=\"This is how Adyen works as a payment gateway \" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago-2.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago-2-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago-2-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adyen-pasarela-de-pago-2-18x9.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When a customer buys from your store through Adyen as a payment gateway, this is what happens in less than three seconds:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Secure payment capture<\/h3>\n<p>First, the customer enters their data (card, Apple Pay, Bizum, whatever); Adyen instantly encrypts it following the PCI DSS standard, so the data never touches your server directly, but is managed by the platform in its own certified environments.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Intelligent routing<\/h3>\n<p>Here's where the magic happens. Instead of sending the transaction down a fixed route, this gateway routes each transaction through the best-performing channels to maximize conversions and reduce payment costs, automatically balancing both factors.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a local acquirer in the buyer's country, use it, which boosts the approval rate.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Real-time anti-fraud<\/h3>\n<p>Your system <strong>RevenueProtect<\/strong>Powered by machine learning, it analyzes transactions against risk patterns in real time. The goal is not only to block fraud, but to do so without blocking legitimate sales, a balance that most anti-fraud systems fail to achieve.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Authorization from the issuing bank<\/h3>\n<p>After the fraud prevention process, the request reaches the buyer's bank, where the bank approves or rejects it. If the result is not definitive (a timeout, for example), the system may automatically retry using a different route before returning an error to the user.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Liquidation to the trade<\/h3>\n<p>Adyen deposits funds directly into your account. It supports over 100 payment methods worldwide: Visa, Mastercard, and Amex cards; digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay; local methods such as Pix, iDEAL, Bizum, BNPL payments, bank transfers, and much more.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Unified Dashboard<\/h3>\n<p>All data (online, app, physical POS, any channel) appears in a single dashboard. Best of all, the process is seamless, without manual reconciliation or juggling between different systems, as is the case, for example, with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/segpay-alternatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Segpay<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>The most important data point: approval rates<\/h2>\n<p>In the world of payments, the approval rate is the king KPI. According to a study by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/adyen-recibe-la-puntuacion-mas-alta-en-un-informe-realizado-por-una-empresa-de-investigacion-independiente-302089822.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Forrester<\/a><\/strong> Commissioned by Adyen itself, companies that implemented its intelligent payment routing experienced a 1.52% improvement in authorization rates.<\/p>\n<p><strong>This translated into a present value of $44.63 million in three years<\/strong> for the four companies analyzed.<\/p>\n<p>Does 1.52% seem insignificant to you? Let's do the math: if you process \u20ac10 million per month, that 1.52% represents \u20ac152,000 in monthly sales that were previously lost. That's \u20ac1.8 million per year.<\/p>\n<p>And there's more. An Adyen analysis of its top 100 clients revealed that real-time account number updates saved these companies $1.08 billion over twelve months. For this reason and more, it's one of today's most reputable payment gateways.<\/p>\n<h3>What types of businesses is Adyen ideal for?<\/h3>\n<p>I'll be direct: Adyen isn't for every business, but that (precisely) is part of its value.<\/p>\n<p>\u2705 Ideal if you are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Large company or rapidly growing company:<\/strong> with high monthly processing volume (from tens of thousands of euros to millions).<\/li>\n<li><strong>International business:<\/strong> that sells in several countries and needs local payment methods without setting up a different integration for each market.<\/li>\n<li><strong>High-ticket or high-volume e-commerce:<\/strong> where every percentage point improvement in conversion has a real financial impact.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Omnichannel businesses (physical store + online)<\/strong>: who want to connect both worlds with real data.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SaaS platforms and subscription models:<\/strong> that require recurring billing, smart dunning, and automatic updating of expired cards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\u274c It may not be the best option if:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Are you a very small business or in the very early stages? Adyen's onboarding process is more demanding than that of... <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/alternatives-to-stripe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stripe<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/alternatives-to-paypal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PayPal<\/a><\/strong>and the monthly minimums may not fit with low volumes.<\/li>\n<li>You need something \"plug and play\" without technical integration. Adyen is designed for teams with development resources.<\/li>\n<li>You're looking for completely fixed and predictable prices from day one. The Interchange++ model requires analysis to estimate exact costs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Pricing structure: how Adyen actually charges<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The gateway uses a transparent, per-transaction pricing model (Interchange++)<\/strong>, with no setup fees, no fixed monthly fees, and no hidden integration costs.<\/p>\n<h3>How the payment works:<\/h3>\n<p>For each successful transaction, the gateway charges:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fixed processing fee \u2192 \u20ac0.11 (or its equivalent in other currencies, such as $0.13).<\/li>\n<li>+ Payment method fee (which varies depending on the card, local method or region).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Interchange++ Model:<\/h3>\n<p>Adyen gives you the actual interchange cost (the fee charged by the issuing bank), plus scheme fees (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) and Adyen's markup (usually 0.60% for European cards and many international ones).<\/p>\n<p>This means that <strong>You pay exactly what it costs to process the payment<\/strong>without inflated margins. The higher the volume, the more competitive it becomes.<\/p>\n<p>The following table shows an example of some payments, to give you an idea of \u200b\u200bhow the platform works:<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Payment method<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Approximate price per transaction<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Visa\/Mastercard cards (Europe)<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac0.11 + Interchange + 0.60%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>American Express<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac0.11 + 3.3% approx.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>PayPal<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac0.11 + PayPal fee + handling markup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>iDEAL (Netherlands)<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac0.11 + low fixed rate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pix (Brazil)<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac0.11 + variable percentage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Apple Pay \/ Google Pay<\/td>\n<td>Same as the underlying card + 0.60%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Security: What's behind RevenueProtect<\/h2>\n<p>Payment security is the most difficult balance to strike: too lax and you have fraud; too strict and you block legitimate sales. Adyen solves this with its system. <strong>RevenueProtect<\/strong>, which combines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Machine learning propio:<\/strong> trained on billions of global transactions. The advantage of having that volume of data is that the model recognizes fraud patterns with an accuracy that smaller systems cannot achieve.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Customizable rules<\/strong> <strong>by trade<\/strong>or: you can configure specific risk thresholds for your industry, your market, and your customer type.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Full regulatory compliance<\/strong>PCI DSS Level 1 (the highest), PSD2, SCA (Strong Customer Authentication), GDPR.<\/li>\n<li><strong>3D Secure 2.0<\/strong>: the modern version of the authentication protocol, which in low-risk transactions approves payment without additional friction for the user, reserving extra verification only for truly suspicious cases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>In addition, it has a network tokenization system<\/strong>Therefore, card data is replaced by tokens that work across all channels, reducing the attack surface and simultaneously improving approval rates.<\/p>\n<h2>Adyen vs. other catwalks: what's the difference?<\/h2>\n<p>Comparisons are inevitable, so we cannot overlook a brief comparison table of Adyen with other world-renowned platforms.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Criterion<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Adyen<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Stripe<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>PayPal<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Checkout.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Model<\/td>\n<td>Own purchaser<\/td>\n<td>Processor + gateway<\/td>\n<td>Processor + wallet<\/td>\n<td>Gateway + processor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ideal profile<\/td>\n<td>Enterprise \/ High Volume<\/td>\n<td>Startups + medium-sized<\/td>\n<td>Everyone (especially SMEs)<\/td>\n<td>Medium + enterprise<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Local payment methods<\/td>\n<td>200+ (very strong)<\/td>\n<td>100+<\/td>\n<td>Limited<\/td>\n<td>150+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Unified Commerce<\/td>\n<td>\u2705 Native<\/td>\n<td>Partial<\/td>\n<td>\u274c<\/td>\n<td>Partial<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Prices<\/td>\n<td>Interchange++ (more complex)<\/td>\n<td>Flat rate (simpler)<\/td>\n<td>Flat rate<\/td>\n<td>Interchange++<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Onboarding<\/td>\n<td>More demanding<\/td>\n<td>Fast<\/td>\n<td>Very fast<\/td>\n<td>Half<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Data intelligence<\/td>\n<td>Very advanced<\/td>\n<td>Advanced<\/td>\n<td>Basic<\/td>\n<td>Advanced<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Alternative for high-risk businesses: RiskPayGo<\/h2>\n<p>So far, we've seen that Adyen is an extraordinary payment gateway when your business fits its profile. But there's a segment of businesses where it either doesn't fit in or faces very high barriers, and we're referring to... <strong>high-risk sectors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>For this profile, <a href=\"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>our high-risk payment gateway <\/b><\/a>It is the alternative designed specifically from scratch. The difference in approach is fundamental, since <strong>It gives you fast approval for high-risk industries.<\/strong> and without the months of bureaucracy involved in accessing other gateways in complex sectors.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, it features intelligent multi-acquirer routing, which translates into industry-specific risk patterns.<\/p>\n<p>In other words: Adyen shines in the enterprise and standard industries, but RiskPayGo shines where other platforms cannot or will not operate, and where you need speed, flexibility, and a gateway that understands your industry rather than penalizing it.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions about Adyen<\/h2>\n<h3>Is Adyen available in Latin America?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, although its presence is smaller compared to EMEA and North America. It also supports local payment methods like Pix in Brazil and is expanding its presence in the region.<\/p>\n<h3>How long does onboarding take with Adyen?<\/h3>\n<p>More so than with Stripe or PayPal. The process includes a thorough KYB (Know Your Business) verification, a review of the commerce industry, and account setup. For mid-sized businesses, it can take weeks.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I use Adyen if I process less than \u20ac10,000 per month?<\/h3>\n<p>Technically, yes, but economically it might not make sense. The minimum monthly fees in some contracts and the complexity of the onboarding process mean that for low volumes there are more efficient options like Stripe.<\/p>\n<h3>Does Adyen have support in Spanish?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Adyen has offices and support teams in several Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain and Mexico. Technical documentation and the control panel are available in Spanish.<\/p>\n<h3>Does Adyen support recurring payments and subscriptions?<\/h3>\n<p>Absolutely. Adyen has native features for subscription management: card tokenization for future payments without requiring customer data again, automatic updating of expired cards (Account Updater), smart retries differentiated by rejection type, and automatable dunning via API.<\/p>\n<h3>What are the differences between a payment gateway and a payment processor like Adyen?<\/h3>\n<p>A payment gateway connects the customer to the payment system during the purchase, while the processor handles authorizing and managing the transaction between banks. Adyen combines both functions into a single platform, simplifying payment management.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Adyen, como pasarela de pago global, va m\u00e1s all\u00e1 de lo t\u00edpico, ya que funciona como una plataforma unificada de [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procesadores-de-pago"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskpaygo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}