Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the core PaymentGateway terms.
The core terms you'll meet across the dashboard and the API.
Charge
A single attempt to collect a payment from a customer. A charge moves through states (awaiting payment → processing → succeeded, or canceled/failed) and may be captured immediately or later.
Capture
Finalizing an authorized payment so the money is actually collected. Automatic capture collects right away; manual capture authorizes first and collects in a separate step.
Customer
A saved record of someone who pays you — holds their profile, saved payment methods, and balances.
Payment method
A way a customer pays: a card, PromptPay/QR, or an e-wallet such as Alipay or ShopeePay.
Provider
The underlying service that actually processes a payment (for example Stripe, Omise, or a local bank rail). PaymentGateway picks the right provider for each payment method and country automatically.
Balance
Money held for an account or customer in a given currency. Charges settle into a balance; payouts and transfers draw from it.
Settlement
The process of funds becoming available in your balance after a payment succeeds. Funds often become available on a delay (for example, a few days after the payment).
Invoice
An itemized bill sent to a customer, which can be paid by a charge. Invoices can be one-off or generated by a subscription.
Subscription
A recurring billing arrangement that issues invoices on a schedule (for example monthly).
Refund
Returning some or all of a payment to the customer after a charge has succeeded.
Payout
Sending money out of a balance to a bank account (for example, settling earnings to your own account).
Transfer
Moving money between balances inside PaymentGateway.
Dispute
When a cardholder's bank challenges a charge (a chargeback). Disputes are handled per provider.
Webhook
An automatic notification PaymentGateway sends to your server when something happens (for example, a payment succeeded), so your system can react in real time.
Test mode vs live mode
Test mode uses sandbox data and moves no real money; live mode processes real payments. Data for the two is kept completely separate.