Think of it this way for your business:

• An Acquirer (or Acquiring Bank) is a financial institution that contracts with you (the merchant) to accept and process credit and debit card payments. They provide your merchant account, and the funds from your sales are deposited there before transferring to your business bank account.
• A Payment Gateway is the technology that securely captures and transmits customer payment data from your website or point-of-sale system to the payment processor (which could be related to the acquirer or a separate entity) and then sends back the approval or decline message. It's like a secure digital messenger.

For many small to mid-market businesses, these services might be bundled by one provider, but they perform distinct functions in the payment process.

Yes, a review of your gateway and acquirer setup can often help improve your credit card authorization rates. Higher authorization rates mean more approved sales for your business. This can be achieved by:

• Ensuring your gateway is configured correctly to pass all necessary security data (like AVS, CVV).
• Optimizing fraud tool settings to reduce false declines of legitimate transactions.
• Working with an acquirer that has strong connections and routing capabilities.
• Identifying and addressing any technical issues that might be leading to declined transactions.

The potential savings from consolidating your payment gateway and acquirer services vary depending on your current setup and volume. However, startups and mid-market businesses can often save money through:

• Reduced Fees: Consolidating can lead to lower per-transaction fees, monthly fees, or gateway fees as providers may offer bundled pricing.
• Simplified Management: Managing fewer vendor relationships can save administrative time and costs.
• Better Negotiation Power: You may have more leverage to negotiate better overall terms with a single provider handling more of your payment ecosystem. A review can help identify if consolidation offers cost benefits for your specific situation.

No, not necessarily. A gateway and acquirer review doesn't automatically mean you have to change providers. The first step is often to identify inefficiencies or areas for cost savings with your existing setup. This could involve:

• Reconfiguring your current gateway for better performance or lower costs.
• Negotiating better terms with your current acquirer.
• Optimizing how your existing tools are used. Changing providers is usually considered if significant improvements or savings cannot be achieved with your current partners.

A review itself should not negatively affect your PCI DSS compliance. In fact, it can often highlight areas to strengthen your compliance posture. If any changes are recommended to your gateway or acquirer setup:

• Maintaining PCI Compliance is Key: Any new provider or configuration should meet or exceed PCI DSS requirements.
• Scope Assessment: Changes might affect your PCI scope (the parts of your environment that need to be PCI compliant). This would be assessed to ensure continued compliance. The goal is always to ensure your payment processing is both efficient and secure, fully adhering to PCI DSS standards.