# Payments

Concept · [Business and metrics](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/business)

Also called: payment processor, payment processing, payments platform, checkout, accept payments, credit card processing, billing, PCI, PCI DSS

The service that lets a company charge customers' cards and bank accounts and receive the money. Most startups use a payments company for this and do not handle card numbers themselves.

**For example:** A [founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/founder) adds a checkout page from a payments company to a site. A customer pays 30 dollars by card, and the payments company sends the money to the founder's bank account.

## Connects to (11)

- [Stripe](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/stripe): A payments platform.
- [Revenue](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/revenue): All the money customers pay your business, before any costs are taken out.
- [Business model](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/business-model): How your company makes money: who pays, what they pay for and how often.
- [Compliance](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/compliance): Meeting the laws, regulations and standards that apply to a company.
- [Microtransaction](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/microtransaction): A small purchase inside an app or game, such as extra lives or a cosmetic item.
- [Ecommerce](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/ecommerce): Selling products or services online, with a store website, a cart and online payments.
- [PayPal](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/paypal): An online payments company.
- [Apple Pay](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/apple-pay): Apple's way to pay with an iPhone, Apple Watch or Mac, in stores, in apps and on websites, using cards stored in Apple Wallet.
- [Shopify](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/shopify): An ecommerce platform for building and running an online store, with product pages, checkout, payments and shipping tools.
- [Givebutter](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/givebutter): A fundraising platform for nonprofits, with donation pages, event ticketing and a donor database.
- [Oklahoma Bitcoin Association](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/oklahoma-bitcoin-association): An Oklahoma group for people interested in Bitcoin.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/payments