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Stripe vs Adyen for ecommerce brands: flat rate vs Interchange++ cost per order, onboarding and minimums, payouts, subscription billing and retries, and what happens to your saved cards.

Network tokens explained for subscription brands: how they differ from stored cards and account updaters, why renewal approvals rise, 2026 fee changes, and what to ask your gateway.

Soft vs hard declines explained for subscription brands: which Visa decline categories and Mastercard advice codes you can retry, network retry limits and fees in 2026, and a compliant retry plan.

Visa VAMP and Mastercard ECM thresholds for 2026: how each network calculates its chargeback ratio, why yours is likely higher than your dashboard shows, what ECM fines cost, and what changes in 2027.

What acquirers evaluate during merchant account underwriting, why applications get declined, and three checklists to help you prepare a stronger application.

A practical framework for forecasting campaign payment demand, confirming each MID's operating envelope, allocating routes, and monitoring a high-volume ecommerce launch.

Shopify Payments vs Stripe for DTC brands: real fee math by plan, why Stripe rarely appears in a US Shopify checkout, dispute fees, subscription support, and whether your stored cards can move with you.

Eight subscription platforms compared for ecommerce and DTC brands: Recharge, Skio, Loop, Stay Ai, Paysight, PlatformPay, Ordergroove and Stripe Billing, with real cost math and the gateway questions most lists skip.

Stripe vs PayPal for ecommerce brands: real fee math per order, payout timing, account holds, subscription portability, and why most growing stores end up using both.

Reconcile ecommerce payouts with sales, refunds, fees and reserves using a worked example and a practical process for tracing payments to the bank.

Calculate what payment processing actually costs, separate fees from reserves, and compare providers using a worked ecommerce example.

Gavin McConnon reflects on Paysight’s sponsorship, shortlist recognition, and an evening celebrating the Irish eCommerce community in Dublin.