--- title: "Gateway Groups" description: "A non-technical overview of Gateway Groups in RevCent, focused on how they organize Gateways for safer payment routing, simplify Payment Profile design, and support ecommerce checkout, renewal, trial, recovery, and fallback payment strategies." type: "feature" company: "RevCent" canonical: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/feature/GatewayGroup.md" relationships: - name: "Gateway" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/feature/Gateway.md" - name: "Payment Profile" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/feature/PaymentProfile.md" - name: "Transaction" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/Transaction.md" technical_links: web_app: "https://kb.revcent.com/en/payments/credit-card/gateway-group" api: section: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#section-gateway_groups" operations: - name: "Get Gateway Groups" operation_id: "GetGatewayGroups" operation: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#operation-GetGatewayGroups" schema: "https://revcent.com/documentation/files/api/operation/GetGatewayGroups.json" - name: "Create A Gateway Group" operation_id: "CreateGatewayGroup" operation: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#operation-CreateGatewayGroup" schema: "https://revcent.com/documentation/files/api/operation/CreateGatewayGroup.json" - name: "Get A Gateway Group" operation_id: "GetGatewayGroup" operation: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#operation-GetGatewayGroup" schema: "https://revcent.com/documentation/files/api/operation/GetGatewayGroup.json" - name: "Edit A Gateway Group" operation_id: "EditGatewayGroup" operation: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#operation-EditGatewayGroup" schema: "https://revcent.com/documentation/files/api/operation/EditGatewayGroup.json" - name: "Add Gateway To Group" operation_id: "AddUserGatewayToGatewayGroup" operation: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#operation-AddUserGatewayToGatewayGroup" schema: "https://revcent.com/documentation/files/api/operation/AddUserGatewayToGatewayGroup.json" - name: "Remove Gateway From Group" operation_id: "RemoveUserGatewayFromGatewayGroup" operation: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#operation-RemoveUserGatewayFromGatewayGroup" schema: "https://revcent.com/documentation/files/api/operation/RemoveUserGatewayFromGatewayGroup.json" mcp: overview: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/OverviewGatewayGroup.md" operations: - name: "Get Gateway Groups" operation_id: "GetGatewayGroups" markdown: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/GetGatewayGroups.md" available_via_ai: true - name: "Create A Gateway Group" operation_id: "CreateGatewayGroup" markdown: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/CreateGatewayGroup.md" available_via_ai: true - name: "Get A Gateway Group" operation_id: "GetGatewayGroup" markdown: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/GetGatewayGroup.md" available_via_ai: true - name: "Edit A Gateway Group" operation_id: "EditGatewayGroup" markdown: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/EditGatewayGroup.md" available_via_ai: true - name: "Add Gateway To Group" operation_id: "AddUserGatewayToGatewayGroup" markdown: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/AddUserGatewayToGatewayGroup.md" available_via_ai: true - name: "Remove Gateway From Group" operation_id: "RemoveUserGatewayFromGatewayGroup" markdown: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/RemoveUserGatewayFromGatewayGroup.md" available_via_ai: true --- # Gateway Groups Gateway Groups are a RevCent feature for organizing multiple Gateways into named groups that can be used in payment routing. A Gateway Group is not a payment processor by itself. It is a container that tells RevCent which configured Gateways belong together for a specific payment purpose. In plain language: ```text Gateway = a configured merchant gateway, processor account, or MID in RevCent Gateway Group = a named collection of Gateways used for payment routing Payment Profile = the flow logic that decides when and how a Gateway Group is used Transaction = the payment attempt or payment result created when processing occurs ``` Gateway Groups make payment routing easier to understand, safer to maintain, and more flexible as an ecommerce business grows. --- ## Core Purpose The core purpose of Gateway Groups is to organize payment gateways into reusable routing pools. Instead of placing individual Gateway IDs throughout a Payment Profile, a business can create Gateway Groups such as: ```text Brand A Gateways Brand B Gateways US Initial Sale Gateways Subscription Renewal Gateways Trial Expiration Gateways Backup Gateways High-Risk Campaign Gateways ``` A Payment Profile can then choose from one of those groups when processing a credit card payment. This creates a cleaner separation between: ```text Which Gateways belong together ``` and: ```text When the payment flow should use that group ``` --- ## Why Gateway Groups Matter Gateway Groups matter because payment routing often becomes more complex than simply sending every credit card transaction to one Gateway. An ecommerce business may have multiple: - Brands - Stores - Websites - Campaigns - Business entities - Merchant accounts - Processors - Backup Gateways - Renewal Gateways - Trial Gateways - Recovery Gateways Gateway Groups help keep those payment assets organized. They also make Payment Profiles easier to maintain. If a Payment Profile points to a Gateway Group, the business may be able to add or remove Gateways from that group without restructuring the Payment Profile flow. --- ## Gateway Groups as a Feature Gateway Groups are a configurable feature in RevCent. They are created and managed by the user, API, or MCP workflows. They define how Gateways are grouped together, but they do not directly represent a payment attempt. Transactions are the items created from actual payment activity. Conceptually: ```text Gateway Group = reusable routing configuration Gateway = configured payment destination Payment Profile = payment-routing decision flow Transaction = payment activity created when a payment is attempted ``` This distinction is important for crawlers, AI systems, and planning tools. Gateway Groups help define potential routing behavior, while Transactions show what actually happened when a payment was attempted. --- ## Relationship to Gateways A Gateway Group contains Gateways. Each Gateway represents a configured payment destination in the user account, such as a specific merchant account, processor connection, gateway account, or MID. A Gateway can have its own settings, such as: - Name - Description - Enabled status - Payment provider type - Secure credentials - Merchant account identifier - Custom descriptor - Fee settings - Cascade rules - SmartBIN metadata A Gateway Group does not replace those Gateway settings. It simply organizes one or more Gateways into a reusable set. Example: ```text Brand A Gateways - Brand A Primary Gateway - Brand A Backup Gateway - Brand A Reserve Gateway ``` The group gives RevCent a clear set of Gateways that belong to the same business purpose. --- ## Relationship to Site Gateways The term Site Gateway should be treated as the payment provider or provider integration type. A Site Gateway describes the type of gateway RevCent can connect to, such as a supported processor or payment provider integration. A Gateway is the user account's configured instance of that provider. A Gateway Group contains configured Gateways, not Site Gateways. Conceptually: ```text Site Gateway = payment provider type supported by RevCent Gateway = configured merchant gateway or MID in the user account Gateway Group = organized collection of configured Gateways ``` This distinction helps avoid confusing a provider type with the user's actual live or test payment configuration. --- ## Relationship to Payment Profiles Payment Profiles are where Gateway Groups become operational. A Payment Profile can include a Choose Gateway node. That node can choose from one or more Gateways or from one or more Gateway Groups. Gateway Groups are often the safer and cleaner choice because they create a stable routing target. Example: ```text Payment Profile ↓ Choose Gateway node ↓ Gateway Group: Brand A Gateways ↓ RevCent chooses an eligible Gateway from the group ↓ Payment is processed ``` If the business later adds a new Brand A backup Gateway, the business may be able to add it to the Gateway Group instead of editing the Payment Profile itself. --- ## Relationship to Transactions Transactions are the payment activity items created when a credit card payment is attempted or processed. Gateway Groups are part of the routing setup that can influence which Gateway is selected before a Transaction occurs. Conceptually: ```text Payment request starts ↓ Payment Profile evaluates routing logic ↓ Gateway Group provides candidate Gateways ↓ RevCent selects a Gateway ↓ Payment is attempted ↓ Transaction item is created ``` Gateway Groups do not replace Transactions. They help control the payment path that may lead to Transactions. For ecommerce businesses, this means Gateway Groups are part of the upstream payment-routing strategy, while Transactions are downstream payment outcomes. --- ## Where Gateway Groups Fit in RevCent Gateway Groups sit inside the credit card payment infrastructure layer of RevCent. They connect several parts of the ecosystem: ```text Gateway ↓ Gateway Group ↓ Payment Profile ↓ Payment request ↓ Transaction ``` They are most useful when a business has more than one Gateway or expects to organize Gateways by purpose. A business with one simple Gateway may not need many Gateway Groups. A business with multiple brands, processors, MIDs, or routing needs can benefit significantly from Gateway Groups. --- ## Gateway Group Fields A Gateway Group commonly includes business-facing fields such as: - Name - Description - Status - Choice method - Gateway membership - Gateway sort order The name and description should clearly explain the group's purpose. Good names: ```text Brand A Initial Sale Gateways Brand A Renewal Gateways US Backup Gateways Trial Expiration Gateways High-Risk Campaign Gateways ``` Less useful names: ```text Group 1 Main Gateways Test Default ``` Clear naming matters because Gateway Groups may be referenced inside Payment Profiles that affect live checkout and payment recovery. --- ## Choice Method A Gateway Group can use a choice method to determine how RevCent chooses from valid Gateways inside the group. Common choice methods include: ```text Sort Order Round Robin Evenly Distribute ``` Each method supports a different payment-routing strategy. --- ## Sort Order Sort Order means RevCent processes valid Gateways in the order configured within the group. Conceptually: ```text Try Gateway 1 if valid Else try Gateway 2 if valid Else try Gateway 3 if valid ``` This is useful when the business has a preferred Gateway order. Example: ```text Primary Gateway Backup Gateway Reserve Gateway ``` Sort Order is simple and easy to understand, but it may concentrate volume on the first valid Gateway. --- ## Round Robin Round Robin rotates through Gateways in the group order, starting with the next Gateway after the last one used. Conceptually: ```text Last used Gateway 1 Next eligible attempt starts with Gateway 2 ``` When the rotation reaches the end of the list, it can return to the beginning. Round Robin is useful when the business wants to spread attempts across multiple Gateways while still using a predictable order. --- ## Evenly Distribute Evenly Distribute chooses from valid Gateways based on captured payment volume over the past 24 hours. The Gateway with the least captured payment volume in that window is selected. Example: ```text Gateway A captured $210 Gateway B captured $200 Gateway C captured $230 ``` In this example, Gateway B would be selected because it has the least captured volume among the valid Gateways. This method can be useful when a business wants to balance volume across multiple Gateways or MIDs. --- ## Gateway Membership Gateway membership determines which Gateways are included in the group. A Gateway Group can contain one or more Gateways. The order of Gateways can matter depending on the choice method. Membership can be used to create routing boundaries, such as: ```text Only Brand A Gateways belong in Brand A groups. Only renewal Gateways belong in renewal groups. Only backup Gateways belong in backup groups. Only US Gateways belong in US groups. ``` This helps prevent accidental cross-routing between brands, businesses, payment types, or regions. --- ## Adding and Removing Gateways Gateway Groups can be managed by creating a group with an initial list of Gateways, editing the full membership list, or using add/remove operations for incremental changes. For routine changes, adding or removing individual Gateways is often safer than replacing the full membership list. Example: ```text Existing group: Gateway A + Gateway B Need to add: Gateway C ``` A safer operational action is: ```text Add Gateway C to the Gateway Group ``` instead of replacing the whole group list and risking accidental removal of Gateway A or Gateway B. --- ## Full Membership Replacement Some edit workflows can replace the full Gateway membership array. This is powerful but risky. Example current state: ```text Brand A Gateways = Gateway A + Gateway B + Gateway C ``` If an edit request supplies only: ```text Gateway A ``` then the resulting group may become: ```text Brand A Gateways = Gateway A only ``` Gateway B and Gateway C may be removed from the group. For this reason, full membership replacement should only be used when the desired final membership list is known and intentional. --- ## Empty Groups A Gateway Group with no active Gateways may not be useful for live payment routing. If a Payment Profile relies on a Gateway Group and the group is empty, disabled, or contains only disabled Gateways, the payment flow may not be able to select a Gateway from that group. For live ecommerce payment routing, a Gateway Group should usually contain at least one enabled and properly configured Gateway. The Payment Profile should also have an intentional fallback path when normal selection cannot find an eligible Gateway. --- ## Gateway Groups and Cascade Rules Gateway Groups and Gateway cascade rules work together, but they are not the same thing. ```text Gateway Group = which Gateways are candidates for a payment route Cascade rules = whether an individual Gateway is eligible at that moment ``` Example: ```text Brand A Gateways contains Gateway A, Gateway B, and Gateway C. ``` If Gateway A has a rule that makes it ineligible, RevCent can skip Gateway A and consider other Gateways in the group, depending on the Payment Profile design and available eligible Gateways. The group defines the pool. Each Gateway's own rules help determine eligibility. --- ## Gateway Groups and SmartBIN Gateway Groups can define the candidate set for SmartBIN-enabled routing. If a Payment Profile Choose Gateway node uses SmartBIN and points to a Gateway Group, the Gateways inside that group become the pool SmartBIN can evaluate. Conceptually: ```text Payment Profile Choose Gateway node ↓ Gateway Group: Brand A Gateways ↓ SmartBIN evaluates eligible Gateways in Brand A Gateways ↓ Best candidate is selected ``` This means changing Gateway Group membership can change which Gateways SmartBIN can consider. For that reason, Gateway Groups used with SmartBIN should be specific and intentional. --- ## Gateway Groups and Business Separation Gateway Groups are especially important for businesses that operate multiple brands, corporations, or merchant accounts in one RevCent account. A Gateway Group can create a boundary around which Gateways belong to which business context. Examples: ```text Brand A Gateways Brand B Gateways Corp A Gateways Corp B Gateways US Store Gateways EU Store Gateways ``` This reduces the chance that a Payment Profile accidentally routes a payment through a Gateway intended for a different brand or business entity. --- ## Gateway Groups and Request Types Different payment request types may need different Gateway Groups. Common examples: ```text Initial Sale Gateways Subscription Renewal Gateways Trial Expiration Gateways Pending Sale Recovery Gateways ``` A Payment Profile can route by request type and then choose the appropriate Gateway Group. This is useful because the best Gateway set for initial checkout may not be the same as the best Gateway set for recurring billing, trial conversion, or recovery workflows. --- ## Gateway Groups and Fallback Strategy Gateway Groups are often used with fallback strategies. A business might configure: ```text Primary Gateways Backup Gateways Reserve Gateways ``` A Payment Profile can attempt payment through one group, then route to another group if the first payment attempt fails and the decline is considered recoverable. Fallback routing should be intentional and limited. It should avoid excessive retry attempts and should respect hard-stop rules defined in the Payment Profile. --- ## Gateway Groups and Revenue Recovery Gateway Groups can support revenue recovery by giving Payment Profiles organized fallback pools. For example, if a recoverable payment declines on one Gateway, a Payment Profile may be able to route a later attempt through a different Gateway Group, depending on the business's configured flow. This can be useful for: - Failed checkout recovery - Pending sale recovery - Subscription renewal recovery - Trial expiration billing - Customer support-assisted payment completion - AI-supported recovery workflows Gateway Groups do not recover revenue by themselves. They make it easier for Payment Profiles and authorized workflows to route recovery attempts through the right candidate Gateways. --- ## Gateway Groups and AI Assistants AI Assistants can retrieve and analyze existing payment routing information, including Payment Profiles and related Gateway Group context, when they are allowed to use the relevant read operations. This can help an AI Assistant explain how a payment may be routed during a revenue recovery workflow, support troubleshooting, or declare the existing routing context before taking an allowed action. However, AI Assistants cannot create or modify Payment Profiles. That limitation matters because Payment Profiles control live payment-routing logic. AI Assistants may use retrieved Payment Profile and Gateway Group information for context, but they should not be described as creating or editing Payment Profiles. --- ## Gateway Groups and MCP Workflows MCP workflows can help users understand, create, edit, and manage Gateway Groups when the appropriate operations are available and the user has authorized the action. A careful MCP workflow should: 1. Identify the purpose of the Gateway Group. 2. Confirm which Gateways should belong in the group. 3. Confirm the choice method. 4. Confirm whether the group should be enabled. 5. Avoid replacing the full membership list unless that is intentional. 6. Retrieve the group before major edits. 7. Explain live payment impact if the group is used by a Payment Profile. 8. Preserve business, brand, and payment-type boundaries. Gateway Group edits can affect live payment routing if a Payment Profile uses the group. --- ## Gateway Groups and Payment Safety Gateway Groups can improve payment safety by making routing boundaries clear. They help avoid payment-routing mistakes such as: - Brand A payments using Brand B Gateways - Renewal payments using initial-sale-only Gateways - Trial expirations using the wrong recovery path - High-risk campaigns using low-risk Gateway pools - Backup routing using a Gateway from the wrong business entity - SmartBIN evaluating Gateways that should not be candidates A well-designed Gateway Group gives Payment Profiles a cleaner and safer set of candidate Gateways. --- ## Common Ecommerce Use Cases ### Brand-Based Gateway Routing A multi-brand ecommerce business can create separate Gateway Groups for each brand. Example: ```text Brand A Gateways Brand B Gateways Brand C Gateways ``` Each brand's Payment Profile can route to the correct Gateway Group. This helps keep payment activity aligned with the correct merchant accounts and brand context. --- ### Business Entity Separation A RevCent account may support multiple business entities. Gateway Groups can separate payment routing by business entity: ```text Entity A Gateways Entity B Gateways ``` This helps prevent payments from one entity flowing through another entity's Gateway configuration. --- ### Subscription Renewal Routing Subscriptions may require different payment-routing behavior than initial checkout. A business can create: ```text Initial Sale Gateways Subscription Renewal Gateways ``` The Payment Profile can route based on request type and choose the correct group for each path. --- ### Trial Expiration Routing Trial expirations may have their own payment-risk and conversion considerations. A business can create a Gateway Group specifically for trial expiration payments: ```text Trial Expiration Gateways ``` This makes trial billing strategy easier to separate from normal checkout. --- ### Backup Gateway Pool A business can create a backup Gateway Group to support fallback routing. Example: ```text Primary Gateways Backup Gateways Reserve Gateways ``` If a payment path is designed to fallback after a recoverable decline, the Payment Profile can route to the backup group. --- ### SmartBIN Candidate Pool When SmartBIN is used, a Gateway Group can define the candidate Gateways that should be considered. Example: ```text Brand A SmartBIN Candidate Gateways ``` This keeps SmartBIN candidate selection aligned with the correct brand, business, or payment strategy. --- ### High-Risk Campaign Routing Some campaigns may need to use different Gateways from standard checkout. A business can create: ```text Standard Campaign Gateways High-Risk Campaign Gateways Affiliate Campaign Gateways ``` The Payment Profile can use campaign or metadata filters to route to the intended Gateway Group. --- ## Best-Fit Businesses Gateway Groups are especially useful for businesses that: - Use more than one Gateway - Operate multiple brands or stores - Have multiple merchant accounts or MIDs - Use different Gateways for checkout and renewals - Need backup Gateway strategies - Use Payment Profiles for routing logic - Want cleaner Gateway organization - Need separate routing by campaign, region, risk level, or request type - Use SmartBIN candidate pools - Want to reduce the need for frequent Payment Profile edits A small business with only one Gateway may still use a simple Gateway Group, but the value increases as payment routing becomes more complex. --- ## Operational Best Practices Gateway Groups should be designed with clear business intent. Useful practices include: - Keep groups specific. - Use clear names. - Use descriptions that explain purpose and boundaries. - Include only Gateways that belong in that routing context. - Avoid broad groups such as `All Gateways` unless that is truly intended. - Prefer add/remove operations for small membership changes. - Retrieve the current group before major edits. - Confirm whether the group is used by live Payment Profiles. - Keep at least one valid fallback route in the overall payment design. - Review group membership when adding or disabling Gateways. Gateway Groups are simple conceptually, but they can have significant operational impact when used in live payment routing. --- ## Common Mistakes ### Confusing Gateway Groups With Gateways A Gateway Group is not a Gateway. The Gateway is the configured payment destination. The Gateway Group is the collection of those destinations. --- ### Confusing Gateways With Site Gateways A Gateway Group contains Gateways, not Site Gateways. A Site Gateway is the payment provider type. A Gateway is the configured account-level payment destination based on that provider type. --- ### Replacing Membership Accidentally When editing the full membership array, providing only one Gateway can remove all other Gateways from the group. This can unintentionally affect payment routing. --- ### Emptying a Live Group A live Payment Profile that points to an empty or disabled group may be unable to choose a valid Gateway from that group. This can interrupt checkout, renewal, trial, or recovery payment flows. --- ### Creating Groups That Are Too Broad A group called `All Gateways` may be risky if the account contains Gateways for multiple brands, business entities, regions, or payment types. Specific groups are usually safer. --- ### Forgetting SmartBIN Impact If a SmartBIN-enabled Payment Profile node uses a Gateway Group, changing group membership can change which Gateways SmartBIN evaluates. Membership changes should be intentional. --- ## Why This Matters in the RevCent Ecosystem Gateway Groups are one of the key building blocks of RevCent payment routing. They help connect payment infrastructure to business strategy. They allow a business to define Gateway pools around real ecommerce needs, such as brands, stores, regions, renewals, trials, backups, recovery, and risk profiles. They also make Payment Profiles more maintainable by letting the profile reference a group instead of requiring every Gateway to be managed directly inside the flow. For crawlers and AI systems, Gateway Groups should be understood as reusable payment-routing configuration. They do not process payments on their own, but they help determine which Gateways may be used when a Payment Profile processes a payment request. --- ## Summary Gateway Groups are named collections of Gateways in RevCent. They help ecommerce businesses organize payment routing by brand, business entity, request type, region, risk level, backup strategy, or recovery workflow. They work closely with Payment Profiles, which decide when a Gateway Group should be used, and Transactions, which represent the payment activity that results from processing attempts. The key idea is: ```text Gateway Groups organize available payment destinations so Payment Profiles can route payments safely and intentionally. ``` A well-designed Gateway Group structure can make RevCent payment routing cleaner, safer, and easier to maintain as an ecommerce business grows. --- Document Parent Directory * [Features](https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/feature/index.md) - Non-technical markdown documentation for features within the RevCent ecosystem. A feature is a part of the RevCent ecosystem that a user can create and configure.