What is a SaaS Hosted Checkout? 

A SaaS Hosted Checkout is a web-based payment processing solution where the checkout page is hosted by a third-party SaaS application.  This approach focuses on customer convenience by featuring a simple and easy to use payment process.  In contrast, payment gateways allow merchants to route payments but nothing more.  A hosted payment page includes all the steps of the payment process. 

The process follows these steps: 

1. A customer is ready to complete the payment on your website or application. 
2. Rather than processing the payment details directly on your site, the customer is redirected to a secure page.  
3. On this page, the customer enters their payment details, which are then processed by the payment gateway.  

This practice makes your PCI DSS compliance easy, and at the same time, it provides the option of using brand elements to achieve the brand consistency. 

SaaS hosted checkout system has the following advantages: 

• 安全: Sensitive payment data is handled on the provider’s secure servers, reducing the risk of data breaches.  
• 合规性： The payment provider is one ensuring PCI DSS compliance  
• Checkout process: The customer experience is prioritized and simplified, influencing conversion rates. 
• Ease of use: SaaS businesses can focus on core activities, and the payment solution handles the financial operations and infrastructure.  

The disadvantages of SaaS hosted checkouts include: 

• Less customization control: SaaS businesses face design and functionality limitations  
• Third-party integration: Customers are redirected to a third-party site, which can fragment the purchasing experience and influence the shopper’s perception.

The SaaS hosted checkout integration follows these steps:  

1. Create a secure payment session using your server-side code and the Hosted Checkout API.   
2. Next, you’ll integrate Hosted Checkout into your website using code snippets, plugins, or libraries available for various platforms.  

With SaaS Hosted Checkout solutions, the 支付处理器 manages cardholder data, which affects the security characteristics of the system.  

PCI DSS合规性 is managed by the payment processor, possibly influencing the compliance efforts required by merchants.  This compliance simplification can affect the allocation of merchants’ attention between their core business operations and complex SaaS security protocols.