Customer Checkout
Your customer pays on a Genius terminal or enters their details on a hosted checkout page. Card data goes straight to Cayan, not to your systems.
Accept Payments In Store and Online with Cayan
A secure payment gateway built on the Genius platform. Cayan connects your terminals, your point of sale software and your website to one payment system so you can take chip, tap, swipe and digital wallet payments wherever you sell.
Accept Payments Your Customers Prefer
Support all major credit cards, chip and contactless payments and popular digital wallets.
One gateway. Every counter.
Powerful Features for Every Business
Everything you need to run your business and get paid.
Store and Forward
Keep taking card payments when the internet drops, then send the stored batch through once you reconnect.
Hosted Online Checkout
Add a secure checkout to your website that swaps card details for a single use token before the sale reaches your servers.
Point to Point Encryption
Card data is encrypted at the reader and tokenized, so sensitive card information never sits on your point of sale system.
Genius Vault
Store customer cards securely so repeat sales run without collecting card details again.
Mobile and Handheld Payments
Take payments at the table, in the aisle or on a job site with a handheld terminal or a tablet connected reader.
Transaction Reporting
Review sales, look up past transactions and pull the detail your team needs from one reporting view.
Easy Integration. Built for Developers
Cayan connects to leading point of sale platforms and gives developers a documented set of web service APIs.
Get Paid in 4 Simple Steps
Authorization
Cayan encrypts and tokenizes the card data, then sends the transaction on to your processor and the issuing bank.
Approval
The bank approves the transaction and Cayan returns the result in seconds, along with a token your software can reuse.
Settlement
Funds settle to your merchant account on your scheduled funding cycle.
Customize your Merchant Account
Cayan gives you the flexibility to connect your merchant account to your point of sale system, your terminals or your website, and to run every channel through one gateway account.
Built for Every Business
From a single storefront to a multi location operation, Cayan scales with you.
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In-Store
Accept chip, tap and swipe payments at the counter on a customer facing terminal that also handles gift cards.
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Restaurant and Bar
Take payment at the table or the counter with tips, signature capture and split tenders.
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Mobile and On Site
Bring payment acceptance to the aisle, the job site or a pop up location with a handheld or tablet connected reader.
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eCommerce
Add a hosted checkout to your website and run in person and online sales through one gateway.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the Cayan payment gateway?
The Cayan payment gateway is built on the Cayan Genius platform and now owned by Global Payments. It connects a business’s point of sale software, terminal or website to its merchant account and payment processor. It supports inperson, mobile, online and manually entered transactions through one payment platform.
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Who owns Cayan?
Cayan started in Boston in 1998 as Merchant Warehouse and rebranded as Cayan in 2015. TSYS acquired the company for about $1.05 billion in a deal that closed in January 2018, and Global Payments acquired TSYS in 2019. Cayan is now a legacy name within Global Payments, so merchants may see Global Payments, TSYS Genius or Global Payments Integrated branding on support and setup pages.
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Is Cayan the same as Global Payments Genius?
No. Cayan and Global Payments Genius are related but not the same product. Genius started as the Cayan payment platform, launched by Merchant Warehouse in 2013. In 2025, Global Payments began using the Genius name for its broader point of sale suite for restaurants and retail, which its CEO said covers as many as 16 POS platforms. Legacy Cayan merchants may still run the Genius payment gateway with MerchantWare credentials, and the current Genius pricing page does not mention Cayan or MerchantWare.
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Is Cayan a merchant account or a payment gateway?
Cayan is primarily payment gateway and point of sale technology, and merchants also need an approved merchant account and a compatible payment processor to receive funds. Cayan merchant accounts and gateway credentials (a Merchant Name, Site ID and Key) now come from Global Payments. AllayPay sets up merchant accounts that run on the Authorize.net, NMI or Fluid Pay gateways.
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What payment methods does Cayan support?
Cayan supports Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover credit and debit cards, EMV chip cards, magnetic stripe cards, PIN debit, contactless and NFC payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, gift and stored value cards, and EBT Cash and EBT SNAP. Availability depends on the merchant account, processor and integration setup.
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Can I accept payments through my website with Cayan?
Yes. Cayan offers a hosted payments page and a JavaScript checkout library you can add to your own form. The library sends card details straight to Cayan and returns a single-use token, so your servers never handle the full card number.
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Does Cayan integrate with point of sale systems and business software?
Yes. Cayan gateway integration guides are published by Erply, Petrosoft SmartPOS and Spreedly, and a Cayan extension is listed for Magento and Adobe Commerce. Erply requires Genius terminals on the G2 build, firmware version 6 or higher. Cayan has also integrated with Lightspeed Retail, Retail Pro Prism, Keystroke POS, PostalMate and Microsoft Dynamics 365 through CPay, so confirm current support with each software provider.
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Can Cayan store customer payment methods?
Yes. Genius Vault securely stores customer card information once Vault is enabled on the merchant account. Your software can charge a stored card later without the card being present, and the card number stays in the Vault instead of your system.
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Can Cayan take payments when the internet goes down?
Yes. Store and Forward lets a Genius device keep accepting card payments offline and send the stored batch once the connection returns. Store and Forward must be enabled for the merchant, and some transaction types, such as gift card and debit, are not available while the device is offline.
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Does Cayan work with more than one payment processor?
Yes, historically. Cayan certified the Genius platform with several processors by 2017, including First Data, Chase, Elavon and Worldpay (formerly Vantiv). Global Payments, which owns Cayan, completed its acquisition of Worldpay on January 12, 2026, so Worldpay is now a Global Payments sibling rather than an independent processor. No current Cayan processor list is published, so confirm processor compatibility with Global Payments before you switch.
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Does Cayan support gift cards?
Yes. Genius devices, the Cayan point of sale terminals, handle gift card issuing, reloading, balance checks and redemption. Availability depends on the gift card program and point of sale software the merchant uses.
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Does Cayan support ACH and eCheck payments?
No. The Cayan gateway has no published ACH or eCheck support, and Spreedly lists credit card as the only payment method it supports for Cayan. Merchants who need bank payments can use Authorize.net, which supports eCheck payments. AllayPay offers the Authorize.net gateway directly.
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How does Cayan protect card data?
Cayan uses point to point encryption and tokenization. The card reader encrypts data before it reaches your point of sale system, so sensitive card information never sits on your network. That reduces how much of your business falls under PCI assessment.
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Is Cayan PCI compliant?
Cayan’s Genius Smart P2PE solution for Genius Countertop devices was validated by the PCI Security Standards Council as a PCI P2PE 2.0 solution in October 2017. Cayan said the validation cut a merchant’s self-assessment from 329 questions to 33. Merchants must still complete the PCI requirements for their own payment environment and should check that the solution remains on the current PCI SSC P2PE listing.
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Can I issue refunds and void transactions through Cayan?
Yes. Voids and refunds use the token returned with the original sale, so no card number is needed. A void cancels a prior credit transaction before settlement, and depending on the card issuer, the authorization hold may take a few days to drop off. After settlement, issue a refund instead. Spreedly’s Cayan connection does not support partial refunds or partial captures.
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Does Cayan provide APIs for developers?
Yes. Cayan publishes the Genius API for terminal transactions, MerchantWare 4.5 web services for credit and gift transactions, a hosted payments page, a checkout library for websites and Store and Forward for offline processing. Integrations authenticate with a Merchant Name, Site ID and Key issued by Global Payments, and Spreedly’s Cayan connection does not support 3D Secure 2.
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Can high-risk merchants use the Cayan payment gateway?
Only if Global Payments approves them. Global Payments now issues Cayan merchant accounts and gateway credentials, and it states that its Genius pricing is subject to underwriting, so Global Payments’ underwriting decides whether a high-risk business can use Cayan. High-risk merchants who are declined, or who want a dedicated high-risk program, can apply for a merchant account with AllayPay instead.
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What is a good alternative to Cayan for high-risk merchants?
AllayPay offers three gateways for high-risk merchants moving off Cayan: Authorize.net, NMI and Fluid Pay. AllayPay works with CBD and Delta 8, nutraceutical, vape, firearms and travel merchants. AllayPay accounts include chargeback monitoring services.
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How much does the Cayan payment gateway cost?
Global Payments’ public pricing page lists no gateway-only or Cayan pricing. For its current Genius POS, Global Payments publishes three software plans: Essentials from $0 a month, Advanced from $42 and Complete from $129, plus 2.6% + $0.10 on certain in-person card transactions. Those prices exclude interchange and other third-party fees, and Global Payments says all pricing is subject to underwriting.
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What is the difference between Cayan and Authorize.net?
Cayan is a Global Payments gateway paired with Genius in-store terminals, with credentials issued by Global Payments and credit card as the only payment method Spreedly lists for it. Authorize.net is a gateway that works with an existing merchant account and supports eCheck payments as well as cards. AllayPay offers Authorize.net directly.
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Why use AllayPay® for a Cayan payment gateway?
AllayPay helps Cayan merchants who need a high-risk merchant account or a different gateway, rather than a new Cayan account, which Global Payments issues. AllayPay has operated in Plantation, Florida since 2016 and serves more than 1,000 active merchants. AllayPay offers the Authorize.net, NMI and Fluid Pay gateways with a dedicated U.S.-based account manager.
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How do I get started with Cayan through AllayPay®?
Global Payments issues Cayan accounts, so existing Cayan merchants request their Merchant Name, Site ID and Key from Global Payments. To process with AllayPay instead, submit a free quote request with your business details and website, and AllayPay matches you with an Authorize.net, NMI or Fluid Pay setup. AllayPay offers same-day approvals for many businesses and boards U.S. merchants only.
Get Started
Ready to connect Cayan to your payments?
Tell us about your business and we'll match you with the right banking partner and the right pricing, usually within one business day.
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No long-term contracts. Cancel anytime.
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Service and support at a fraction of the cost.
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Dedicated U.S.-based account manager included.
