Windcave: Secure, Scalable Payment Gateway for Global Merchants

Discover Windcave, formerly known as Payment Express. It is a strong, multi-channel payment gateway trusted by businesses around the world. Windcave provides payment solutions for in-store, online, and unattended transactions. It is a PCI-certified leader in modern payment processing.

Company Overview & Brand History

• Formerly Payment Express: Windcave rebranded from Payment Express to better reflect a modern, omni-channel vision.

• Headquartered in New Zealand: With global operations, Windcave supports merchants across 40+ currencies, 45+ processing partners, and more than 30 regions worldwide.

• Track Record: Known for PCI DSS 4.0 compliance, ISO 27001, SOC II Type II, EMVCo certifications, and WCAG 2.1 accessibility support.

Core Payment Solutions

In-Store / Retail Payments

Windcave supports EMV-certified terminals and integrates with retail POS hardware via HIT, Tupelo XML socket, or Tap-to-Pay on iPhone SDKs. It enables contactless, chip & PIN, and unattended Visa/Mastercard transactions at PCI-P2PE standard.

Online / E-Commerce Payments

Merchants can integrate Windcave using REST API, Hosted Payment Page (HPP), form-post, AJAX post, or server-side methods. Solutions support multiple platforms (over 200+ eCommerce plugins including Magento and WooCommerce) tokenization, recurring billing, hosted checkout, and payment links via email or SMS.

Unattended / Self-Service

Windcave offers modular, weather-resistant payment devices usable in vending, parking, kiosks, and other self-service environments. Integration options include serial, MDB, or Pulse protocols depending on hardware.

Feature Highlights

Global Acquiring & Cross-Border Acceptance

By partnering with over 45 processors globally, Windcave enables merchants to process payments in local currencies across multiple markets from a single integration. Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) and cross-border payment capabilities help improve conversion rates and reduce hidden bank fees.

Tokenization & Stored Credential Support

Windcave’s tokenization service retains card data securely and supports automatic scheme network updates. This improves repeat-payer conversion and reduces compliance scope on stored-credential transactions.

Fraud Prevention & 3D Secure 2.0

Supports 3D Secure v2 (3DS2) to comply with EU PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication and reduce chargebacks. The embedded iframe or hosted flow seamlessly challenges users when required.

Data Insights & Reporting

Windcave’s unified dashboard consolidates transaction and customer data across all channels and regions. Real-time reporting can be exported in CSV, XML, or PDF, helping businesses optimize operations and reconciliation.

Payment Methods Supported

Windcave supports all major credit and debit card schemes: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club, and UnionPay International. It also enables alternative and local payment methods, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, Account2Account / ACH, Klarna, UnionPay, Interac Online, and more depending on region.

Integration Options & Developer Support

Windcave offers a wide range of integration styles:

• Hosted Payment Page (HPP): Redirect your customers to Windcave’s secure payment page to reduce PCI scope (SAQ A compliance).

• Merchant-Hosted Form Post / AJAX Post: Allows a more native checkout while keeping PCI scope manageable under SAQ A-EP.

• Server-Side (SAQ-D): Fully native checkout flow with server-side integration for merchants with full PCI certification.

• REST API: Comprehensive API access for card-not-present transactions, subscriptions, marketplace payments, delayed capture, refunds, and idempotency.

• Specialized Integrations: Extensions and SDKs for WooCommerce, Magento, Lightspeed Retail POS, IVR, SFTP batch, and more, alongside custom integrations via partner network.

Compliance & Certifications

Windcave maintains the highest security and compliance standards:

• PCI DSS Level 1, certified to PCI DSS Version 4.0

• P2PE encryption for in-store PIN entry devices

• EMVCo contact/contactless terminal certifications and Mastercard TQM labels

• ISO/IEC 27001 information security standard

• SOC II Type II (SSAE 18 / ISAE 3402) audited security controls

• ISO 9001:2015 quality management standards for manufacturing of hardware

• WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessible hosted payment pages for compliance with accessibility guidelines

Global Deployment & Multi-Region Support

Windcave’s single platform approach enables merchants to integrate once and deploy across multiple markets:

• Operates globally across Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, and more

• Maintains 24/7 global support teams and regional offices to assist merchants in any timezone

• Offers unified merchant settlement, consistent hardware standards, and simplified provider management across jurisdictions

Suited Merchant Profiles & Use Cases

Windcave is especially well-suited for:

• Mid-sized to enterprise merchants operating multi-channel (e-commerce, retail, unattended) businesses

• Merchants expanding into multiple countries, needing global acquiring with local processing

• Businesses processing recurring payments, requiring tokenization and repeat billing support

• Those needing high compliance and security standards, including 3DS2, PCI DSS 4.0, ISO, and SOC

• Sectors such as retail, hospitality, tourism, parking, vending, government, entertainment, and finance with tailor-made integrations via certified partners

Conclusion

Windcave offers a mix of global reach, compliance, and flexibility for developers. Whether you are starting e-commerce in Asia, growing retail in Europe, or managing unattended kiosks in Australia, Windcave provides a single platform with strong encryption, detailed reporting, fraud prevention, and a broad payment network.