Choosing an acquirer, or more to the point, having free choice of an acquirer, is an important factor for medium and large retailers and those operating overseas. The flexibility to choose has the potential to lower costs and deliver better authorisation rates, but before making any decisions, it’s important to understand the landscape.
The most straightforward way for a retailer to access multiple acquirers is through an acquirer-agnostic payment service provider (PSP), whose payment gateway will connect them to a range of national and international acquirers, providing guidance as to which one will be most appropriate in the circumstances.
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Strategic advantages
Smaller retailers are often offered all-in-one payment services, but as they scale across countries and sales channels, changing their payment infrastructure becomes increasingly strategic. The all-in-one approach offers convenience through bundled services, but a more flexible, acquirer-agnostic payment setup can provide significant competitive advantages.
Cost efficiency
Acquirers charge varying fees based on product type, market, and transaction channel. For retailers operating in multiple countries or online and offline simultaneously, the optimum choice is to work with a PSP that connects to multiple acquirers, allowing them to shop for the best rates and terms in each specific market – and perhaps most importantly, identify acquirers with the best payment conversion rates. This freedom to select or switch acquirers translates directly into reduced transaction costs. Additionally, the ability to quickly pivot between providers enhances the retailer’s leverage during contract negotiations, helping secure favourable rates and fair terms that reflect current market conditions.
Maximising availability
Beyond cost, operational resilience is another critical benefit of an acquirer-neutral PSP. One key metric here is the ‘availability rate’ — the percentage of time credit card payments are functional during a shop’s overall uptime.
With the flexibility to onboard multiple acquirers, merchants can establish a backup system. If one acquirer experiences technical downtime, another can step in immediately to ensure uninterrupted payment flow. This redundancy minimises lost sales and improves customer experience, especially during peak traffic periods or major online events.
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By GlobalDataAccelerated international market entry
For multinational businesses, speed-to-market is everything. Expanding into new countries can be slowed significantly if payment options aren’t aligned with local preferences or regulatory requirements. Different markets often favour different card brands or have unique payment behaviours. A PSP that connects to regional or local acquirers enables a business to offer payment methods that are familiar and trusted by local consumers.
Moreover, most international acquirers operate on region-specific processing platforms. This means a contract and technical integration that works in the EU may not be applicable in the US or Asia. At Computop, however, we develop API’s that allow merchants to access different acquirers across multiple countries from the United States to Japan and from Denmark to India. With a flexible PSP that already supports multiple platforms globally, merchants can avoid the burden of negotiating and integrating entirely new systems. This infrastructure-ready model shortens the timeline for going live in new markets.
Industry specific advantages
Not all business models are treated equally by acquirers. Industries with elevated risk profiles — such as travel, ticketing, or made-to-order goods — often face hurdles in securing acquiring partners. These businesses may be subject to higher transaction fees or even denied access altogether due to the potential for chargebacks or long delivery cycles.
In such cases, the ability to choose from a wide portfolio of acquirers is crucial. Companies in high-risk or ‘critical’ sectors benefit significantly from an acquirer-agnostic model, as they can identify partners with risk tolerance or even specialisation in their vertical. This reduces dependence on a single acquirer and ensures business continuity, even if a long-time partner exits the industry or raises rates.
Important use cases
While an acquirer-agnostic approach offers wide-reaching advantages, it’s not the right solution for every business. Its relevance becomes particularly pronounced in two core scenarios:
- International operations
Retailers operating or expanding into multiple regions often need tailored payment support in each location. Regional acquirers typically offer better acceptance rates and fees due to local expertise, making them more attractive than global bundled solutions. - High-risk or regulated industries
Merchants in industries seen as high-risk benefit from having a choice, as they might be turned away by conservative acquirers or charged high risk premiums. Flexibility allows them to find partners who understand and cater to their business needs.
Is acquirer agnosticism right for all?
Not necessarily. All-in-one providers still hold strong appeal, especially for small and mid-sized businesses with straightforward operations. These bundled solutions are easy to set up and manage, reducing the need for specialised knowledge or dedicated technical resources. For businesses processing relatively low volumes, the potential savings from switching acquirers might not justify the complexity of managing multiple partners.
However, larger retail chains, fast-scaling startup businesses or merchants entering new international markets can reap significant rewards. The ability to optimise fees, ensure uninterrupted processing, and maintain a competitive edge in diverse regulatory environments makes the acquirer-agnostic model a powerful tool in global payment strategy.
Philip Plambeck, Managing Director, Computop UK
