Key takeaways
- Run both acquirers in parallel for at least one settlement cycle.
- Swap terminals outside trading hours, site by site.
- Keep the old MID open until refunds on legacy transactions have cleared.
Merchants stay on bad rates for years because the switch feels risky. Done properly it is a scheduling exercise, not a leap.
Week one: onboarding and parallel setup
Underwriting and MID issuance happen while you keep trading as normal. Your new gateway credentials go into a staging configuration and you test the full journey: sale, partial refund, void, chargeback notification and settlement file.
Week two: cut over in slices
- Move online volume first — it is reversible with a config change.
- Swap terminals per site, outside trading hours, with the old device kept on site for 48 hours.
- Reconcile the first settlement against your till reports before moving the next slice.
Week three: close out
Keep the legacy MID open, with a zero minimum if you can negotiate it, until the refund window on historical transactions has passed. Cancel terminal rentals in writing and check the notice period — this is where merchants most often pay for a service they no longer use.
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