An acquiring gateway is a payment gateway that is operated by an acquirer, or connected directly to one, and through which merchants submit card transactions for authorisation, capture and settlement. The term is used loosely, but it generally separates two set-ups. In one, the gateway and the acquiring bank are the same company or group, so a merchant gets technical connection and a merchant account from one provider. In the other, an independent gateway connects to many acquirers and the merchant chooses which one to use. An acquiring gateway is simpler to contract and may give better data on declines, but it ties the merchant to that acquirer, while independent gateways make multi-acquirer processing easier. Some providers also call their direct network connection to Visa or Mastercard their acquiring gateway. Also see payment acquirer.