How to Become a Payment Processor
Standing up a gateway, underwriting and compliance alone takes years. Partner with SwissPay instead: resell or refer a PayPal-managed payfac and bring US and Canadian merchants who process on PayPal rails without needing their own PayPal account.
To become a payment processor you normally need a payment gateway, underwriting and compliance, which takes years to build. SwissPay is a PayPal-managed payment facilitator operated by MintAds Inc. Through its partner program, agents and resellers can resell or refer SwissPay and bring US and Canadian merchants onto PayPal rails.
What does it take to become a payment processor?
A payment processor needs a payment gateway, card and wallet vaulting, fraud and chargeback tooling, and the underwriting and compliance to board merchants safely. Building that independently is slow and expensive. The faster route for most entrepreneurs is to partner with an existing payfac and bring merchants to it.
To operate as a processor you have to assemble several moving parts: a payment gateway to move card transactions across the Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover networks, PCI DSS compliance, AML controls, underwriting to assess merchants, tokenized card and wallet vaulting for subscriptions and rebills, and chargeback and dispute tooling to keep the portfolio healthy. Doing all of that from zero can take years and heavy capital. Partnering with SwissPay means you focus on finding and introducing merchants, while SwissPay boards and underwrites them in-house on PayPal rails.
Should you build a payment processor or partner with one?
Building means owning the gateway, the card-network and compliance work, and the underwriting, which suits companies with years and serious capital to spend. Partnering means bringing merchants to a payment facilitator that already runs that stack. For most agents and resellers, partnering is the faster and lower-risk way into payment processing.
Partnerships come in a few shapes. In a white-label arrangement, one company builds and runs a gateway and another sells it under its own name. In a reseller or referral arrangement, the partner introduces merchants and the payfac boards them. SwissPay's partner program is for agents, resellers and referral partners. Merchants you bring are reviewed and underwritten in-house by SwissPay and, once approved, process cards on PayPal rails, the PayPal wallet and PayPal Pay Later, and settle in USD to their own bank account, without needing their own PayPal account.
What is a payment facilitator, and how does SwissPay's model work?
A payment facilitator, or payfac, boards and underwrites merchants in-house rather than sending each one to open its own processing account. SwissPay is a PayPal-managed payfac operated by MintAds Inc. It boards US and Canadian merchants on PayPal rails, so merchants do not need their own PayPal account to accept cards and wallets.
PayPal-managed payfac
SwissPay boards and underwrites merchants in-house, so your merchants do not each have to qualify for and manage their own PayPal account.
Processed on PayPal
Transactions run on PayPal, one of the most established payment networks on the internet, alongside a card path for Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.
You bring the merchants
You introduce merchants in supported verticals; SwissPay runs the gateway, underwriting and settlement.
What does the SwissPay partner program provide?
The program gives agents, resellers and referral partners a PayPal-managed payfac to bring merchants to. SwissPay reviews and underwrites US and Canadian merchants in-house, processes on PayPal rails, and runs its own PCI DSS Level 1 environment, vaulting, fraud scoring and dispute handling. Partners refer or resell without building a gateway of their own.
A ready-made payfac
SwissPay's platform is already running, so partners only need to bring the merchants.
Boarding on PayPal rails
SwissPay reviews and underwrites US and Canadian merchants in-house, so merchants do not need their own PayPal account.
Built for subscriptions and rebills
Tokenized card and wallet vaulting for subscriptions, trials and recurring billing.
Security and dispute tools
A PCI DSS Level 1 environment, 3-D Secure 2 where required, real-time fraud scoring, and chargeback and PayPal dispute handling with automated evidence submission.
How do you start referring merchants to SwissPay?
You apply to the partner program with your target merchants and categories, agree your partner terms with SwissPay, then start bringing US and Canadian merchants, each reviewed and underwritten in-house by SwissPay, without building a payment gateway of your own first.
- 1Apply to partner
Tell SwissPay about your target merchants and the categories you want to refer. Start on the partner inquiry page.
- 2Agree your partner terms
SwissPay agrees partner terms with you and sets you up in the program.
- 3Bring merchants
Refer US and Canadian merchants in supported verticals; SwissPay reviews and underwrites each one in-house.
Which verticals can partners bring?
Partners can bring merchants across the verticals SwissPay supports, including subscription and high-risk categories. Supported verticals include nutraceuticals and supplements, health and wellness subscriptions, telehealth, GLP-1 and other prescriptions via a licensed pharmacy, crypto, iGaming, and skincare and beauty, alongside standard retail, digital goods and SaaS.
Subscriptions and trials
Nutraceuticals and dietary supplements, health and wellness subscriptions, skincare and beauty, and health-testing by subscription.
Telehealth and prescription
Telemedicine, plus GLP-1 and other prescription through a licensed compounding or retail pharmacy.
Digital and emerging
Cryptocurrency and digital assets, iGaming and games of skill, digital goods, software and SaaS, and standard retail e-commerce.
Bring merchants to a ready-made payfac, not a stack you build for years.
Resell or refer SwissPay's PayPal-managed payment facilitator and bring US and Canadian merchants on PayPal rails.
Become a partnerRelated
Frequently asked questions
How do I become a payment processor?
What is a white-label payment gateway?
What is a payment facilitator?
Which merchants can I bring as a partner?
How are partner terms set?
How do I apply to the partner program?
Become a partner
Tell the team about your target merchants and the categories you want to refer, and SwissPay will follow up to set you up as a partner.
- Boarded and underwritten in-house, no separate PayPal account needed
- Card and PayPal-wallet vaulting for subscriptions, trials and rebills
- PCI DSS Level 1, 3-D Secure 2 where required, and chargeback and dispute handling built in