Payment Processing Flow Diagram (Checkout to Settlement)
Map how a card payment moves from checkout to settlement through gateway and banks.
Free to start · Fully editable · Export to SVG, PNG, GIF & MP4
What's in this template
7 connected components you can rename, recolor, and extend with AI.
A payment processing flow diagram maps the journey of a single transaction from the moment a customer enters card details to final settlement in the merchant's bank. The key parts include the checkout frontend, the payment gateway, the processor, the acquiring bank, card networks like Visa and Mastercard, the issuing bank that authorizes funds, and the webhook that confirms the result back to your system.
Product managers, fintech engineers, and solutions architects use this diagram when integrating Stripe, Adyen, or a custom processor, or when explaining authorization, capture, and settlement to stakeholders. It is ideal for onboarding docs, compliance reviews, and debugging declined-transaction issues across the full payment stack.
Great for
- Engineering onboarding docs
- Fintech architecture reviews
- Compliance and audit documentation
- Investor and stakeholder explainers
- Debugging declined transactions
Frequently asked questions
What is a payment processing flow?+
It is the sequence of steps a transaction takes from a customer's checkout to authorization, capture, and final settlement of funds into the merchant account, passing through the gateway, processor, card networks, and banks.
What are the components of a payment processing system?+
Core components include the checkout frontend, payment gateway, processor, acquiring bank, card networks, issuing bank, and a webhook plus ledger for recording outcomes.
What is the difference between authorization and capture?+
Authorization checks and reserves funds with the issuing bank, while capture actually moves the reserved money. Settlement then transfers the captured funds to the merchant, often a day or two later.
How do webhooks fit into payment processing?+
Webhooks let the processor asynchronously notify your backend of events like payment success, failure, or refund, so your ledger and order system stay in sync.
Related templates
View all Finance →Fintech Architecture Diagram (Neobank System Design)
Reference architecture for a modern fintech app with KYC, ledger, and banking APIs
Invoicing Workflow Diagram (Draft to Reconciliation)
End-to-end invoice lifecycle from draft to payment reconciliation
Expense Approval Flow Diagram (Tiered Sign-Off Tree)
Decision tree for routing employee expense claims through approval tiers
Trading System Architecture Diagram (Order to Execution)
Components of a low-latency trading platform from order entry to execution
Budgeting Process Diagram (Annual FP&A Cycle)
The annual budgeting cycle from forecasting to variance review
Loan Origination Process Diagram (Application to Funding)
Stages of a loan from application through underwriting to funding
Microservices Architecture Diagram
Map independent services, an API gateway, databases and a message bus in a microservices system
Serverless Architecture Template
Map API Gateway, Lambda functions, managed databases and event triggers in a serverless app
Make it yours in seconds
Open the payment processing flow diagram (checkout to settlement) in the Infogiph canvas, then edit, animate, and export.
Use this template