How Online Payments Work
SamCart builds your checkout experience — your payment processor handles the money.
When a customer clicks "Buy" on your SamCart checkout page, several things happen behind the scenes. SamCart manages your checkout experience — products, upsells, order bumps, subscriptions, and analytics. But SamCart doesn't actually charge the customer's card. That's the job of the payment processor.
The payment processor (SamPay, Stripe, Braintree, etc.) is the company that charges your customer's card, communicates with the card networks (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) and the customer's bank, and deposits your funds (minus processing fees) into your bank account on a regular payout schedule.
In short: SamCart controls the sales experience, and the processor controls the money. Choosing the right processor affects which features you can use, how quickly you get paid, and what fees you'll pay.
Processor Availability by Plan
Which processors you can connect depends on your SamCart plan:
| Processor | Core | Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| SamPay | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PayPal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stripe | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Braintree | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Authorize.net | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Easy Pay Direct | — | ✓ | ✓ |
Core plan customers can use SamPay, Stripe and PayPal, which currently have no additional platform fees. Pro and Enterprise customers can also connect third-party processors (Braintree, Authorize.net, Easy Pay Direct). There may be fees associated with using third-party processors based on your sales volume. We are currently allowing new Pro and Enterprise customers to use third-party processors without additional platform fees. If that changes, we will always give you plenty of notice.
SamPay — SamCart's Built-In Processor (Recommended)
Available on all plans.
SamPay is SamCart's own payment processor, built on Stripe's infrastructure. It's the only processor that gives you access to every SamCart feature — no exceptions.
With SamPay, you get:
- Full access to 1-Click Upsells, Subscription Saver, and all selling features
- Buy Now Pay Later (Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay) to boost conversion on higher-ticket products
- Apple Pay & Google Pay for faster checkout
- Option for Instant Payouts right from the SamCart dashboard — get your money in minutes instead of days, for a small fee
- A built-in payouts dashboard so you can manage everything in one place
- Your relationship is with SamCart directly for any processing support
SamPay uses the same processing engine as Stripe, so you get the same reliability and security. If you're setting up SamCart for the first time or considering a switch, SamPay is the simplest path to unlocking everything the platform can do. It is important to note that SamPay will not allow you to connect an existing Stripe account. It will require you to create a new Stripe account.
Note: Buy Now Pay Later (Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay) is not available on subscription products or free trial offers.
Stripe — Direct Connection
Available on all plans. (As well as Legacy plans: Launch, Grow, Scale and Legacy Core.)
If you already have a Stripe account, you can connect it directly to SamCart. Stripe supports most core SamCart features, including 1-Click Upsells, subscriptions, Subscription Saver, and Buy Now Pay Later.
Stripe also offers instant payouts (for a fee) through Stripe's own dashboard, and supports Apple Pay & Google Pay. The main difference from SamPay is that you'll manage payouts through Stripe's dashboard and support with processing will be handled directly with Stripe.
When to consider Stripe: You already use Stripe across multiple platforms and want to keep everything consolidated in one Stripe account.
Braintree — PayPal's Full-Stack Processor
Available on Pro and Enterprise plans. (As well as Legacy plans: Launch, Grow, Scale and Legacy Core.)
Braintree is PayPal's card processing platform. Braintree supports core selling features like 1-Click Upsells, subscriptions, and Subscription Saver.
However, Braintree does not support Buy Now Pay Later, has no instant payout option, and has a smaller integration ecosystem than Stripe. The dashboard and reporting tools are also less polished. You'll need a PayPal Business account to sign up.
When to consider Braintree: You're already using Braintree on other platforms and want to keep your processing consistent across your business.
Easy Pay Direct — High-Risk & Chargeback Specialist
Available on Pro and Enterprise plans. (As well as Legacy plans: Launch, Grow, Scale and Legacy Core.)
Easy Pay Direct (EPD) is a merchant account provider that specializes in high-risk and high-volume businesses. EPD connects you to a network of banking partners and can set up redundant merchant accounts to protect against processor shutdowns.
EPD does not support Buy Now Pay Later, digital wallets (except Google Pay), or instant payouts. Pricing is custom and not published; you'll need to apply to get your rates.
When to consider EPD: Your business has high chargeback rates, processes high volume, or has been shut down by other processors and you need a specialist to stabilize your payment processing.
Authorize.net
Available on Pro and Enterprise plans. (As well as Legacy plans: Launch, Grow, Scale and Legacy Core.)
Authorize.net can be used two ways with SamCart: as an all-in-one solution (gateway and processing bundled together), or as a gateway-only connection where you bring your own merchant account with negotiated bank rates.
The gateway-only option is worth considering if you already have a merchant account with favorable rates through your bank. Authorize.net supports core SamCart features but does not offer Buy Now Pay Later, digital wallets, or instant payouts. Feature support and reporting are less comprehensive than SamPay or Stripe.
When to consider Authorize.net: You have an existing merchant account with negotiated rates and want to use it with SamCart, or you need Authorize.net for compatibility with other parts of your business. It is important to note that your checkout pages will be required to include a billing address when this is the connected processor.
PayPal — Additional Checkout Option
Available on all plans.
PayPal can be added alongside any other processor to give your customers an additional way to pay. Many buyers prefer PayPal, especially for higher-ticket purchases where they want buyer protection, and offering it can reduce checkout abandonment.
PayPal funds go to your PayPal balance, where you can transfer them to your bank instantly (for a fee) or for free in a few business days. PayPal supports subscriptions, payment plans, free trials, order bumps, and 1-Click Upsells.
When to consider PayPal: You want to give customers a familiar, trusted checkout option alongside your primary card processor. Even though PayPal fees can be higher than a traditional processor, in many cases the extra revenue generated by having it as an additional payment option outweighs the additional fees.
SamCart Feature Compatibility by Processor
Not every processor supports every SamCart feature. The table below shows what's available with each option.
| Feature | SamPay | Stripe | Braintree | PayPal | Auth.net | EPD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Click Upsells | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Subscriptions & Recurring Billing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Payment Plans | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Trials | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Subscription Saver (Dunning) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Order Bumps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Buy Now Pay Later (Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay) | Yes | Yes | No | N/A | No | No |
| Apple Pay & Google Pay | Yes | Yes | No | N/A | No | Google Pay only |
| Instant Payouts | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (via PayPal) | No | No |
| Built-in Payouts Dashboard | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| SamCart Support for Payment Issues | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Note: Feature availability in the table above refers to processor compatibility. Some features (like 1-Click Upsells, Order Bumps, and Subscription Saver) are also gated by plan — they require a Pro or Enterprise plan regardless of which processor you use. See our SamCart Plans and Pricing article for the full plan comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I'm new to SamCart. Which processor should I choose?
A: SamPay. It's built into SamCart, gives you access to every feature, and our team can help if you run into any payment issues.
Q: I'm on the Core plan. Can I connect Stripe?
A: Yes, since Stripe is not considered a third-party processor.
Q: I already use Stripe. Do I need to switch to SamPay?
A: You don't have to. Stripe works well with SamCart and supports most features. The main things you'd gain by switching are the built-in payouts dashboard, SamCart's direct support for payment issues, and guaranteed access to any future payments features.
Q: Can I use more than one processor?
A: Yes. PayPal can be added alongside any other processor to give customers an additional checkout option. On Pro and Enterprise plans, you can also connect multiple card processors at the same time and use SamCart's Payment Routing feature to control which processor handles which products. This is useful for spreading volume across processors, keeping a backup processor ready in case one goes down, or routing different product lines to different accounts. You assign processors at the product level — each product can be routed to a specific processor, while everything else flows through your default.
Q: What about Buy Now Pay Later?
A: BNPL (Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay) is available through SamPay and Stripe only. It's a great option for higher-priced products. Note that BNPL is not compatible with subscription products or free trial offers.
Q: Are there additional platform fees for using a third-party processor?
A: We are currently allowing Pro and Enterprise customers to use third-party processors without additional platform fees. If that changes in the future, we will always give you plenty of notice. All processors charge their own standard processing fees (separate from SamCart), which vary by provider.