By Nicole Warren, payment-workflow analyst with 9 years of experience configuring merchant portals, remote collections and transaction reporting
Last reviewed: July 19, 2026
Gravity Payments helps businesses accept payments through physical devices, browser-based entry, customer payment links and software integrations. The correct tool depends on who initiates the payment, whether the customer is present and how the business needs to connect the transaction with an invoice or accounting record.
This independent guide is not affiliated with Gravity Payments.
Existing merchants should enter through the official Merchant Logins page because Gravity Dashboard is not the only account destination. Businesses comparing the service should confirm which tools are included in their proposal rather than assuming every feature in the support library will be enabled.
What is Gravity Payments?
Gravity Payments is a merchant-services provider that supplies payment-processing tools to businesses. Its current site describes support for in-person and remote payment acceptance, along with integrations involving hundreds of hardware and software solutions.
It is not a personal money-transfer app.
A Gravity merchant account may include a physical terminal, Gravity Dashboard, Virtual Terminal access, Payment Links or Gravity Portals. The exact combination depends on the merchant’s processing setup and enabled products.
That distinction matters before the first sale.
A retailer may need a physical device and dependable batch reports. A professional office may rely on emailed or texted payment requests. Another business may need employees to process authorized remote transactions from a browser.
Map the payment path first. Skip product comparisons based only on the company name.
Which tool fits an in-person payment?
A physical terminal is generally the natural route when the customer is present and can interact with the payment device. Gravity says it integrates with numerous hardware solutions and promotes payment acceptance for in-store, mobile and other merchant environments.
The business should verify the proposed terminal model, connection requirements and compatibility with its existing point-of-sale or management software. Broad integration claims do not confirm that every device works with every software version.
Ask who supports each component.
A terminal problem can originate in the hardware, local network, payment application or merchant account. Employees should know which company receives the first support request for each type of failure.
After transactions are processed, Gravity Dashboard can provide recent transaction activity and batch history. Those reports help the business move from customer receipts to settlement records rather than treating the terminal screen as the final accounting record.
When should a merchant use Virtual Terminal?
Gravity’s Virtual Terminal is a browser-based tool for authorized employees processing card-not-present transactions. Gravity places it in the left control panel of Dashboard and documents four transaction categories: Sale, Authorization, Capture/Force and Void/Refund.
The employee initiates the payment.
That makes Virtual Terminal suitable for workflows in which the business has an authorized remote transaction to process but the customer is not standing at a card reader. Gravity says virtual terminals can be accessed from devices such as computers, smartphones or tablets, depending on the merchant setup.
Staff training matters here. A sale, authorization and later capture are not interchangeable actions. Refund permissions should also be limited according to job responsibility.
Use specific internal references when the interface provides a suitable field. “Invoice 3841, consultation deposit” will help accounting later. “Payment” will not.
Do this first: decide who truly needs Virtual Terminal access. Skip granting it automatically to every Dashboard user.
When are Payment Links a better choice?
Gravity Dashboard supports single-use and multi-use Payment Links for enabled accounts. The documented workflow begins with Payment Links in the left navigation, followed by Create Link and selection of the desired link type.
The customer initiates the transaction from the link.
That can be a better fit than Virtual Terminal when a business wants the customer to complete the payment on a customer-facing page. A single-use link can be tied to one transaction, while a multi-use link can support repeated collection through the same payment request.
This difference is operational, not cosmetic.
With Virtual Terminal, an employee operates the merchant-facing payment screen. With a payment link, the customer enters the payment through the provided page. The business should confirm how each method appears in transaction reporting and which references can be required.
Run a controlled test before sending links broadly. Verify the business name displayed to the customer, the description shown on the page and where the completed transaction appears in Dashboard.
A recognizable customer-facing business name can also reduce confusion. Gravity identifies an unfamiliar billing name as one reason customers may dispute a charge.
When does Gravity Portals make more sense?
Gravity Portals is the company’s online billing-management platform. Gravity describes it as a system that allows businesses to issue invoices and collect customer payments.
That is broader than creating a standalone payment link.
A business with an accounts-receivable workflow may need customer billing records, invoice presentation and a customer-facing payment environment. A company collecting occasional deposits may find a simple link sufficient.
Confirm the included product by name.
Do not assume that access to Dashboard Payment Links also means Gravity Portals has been provisioned. The public materials describe them as separate functions.
Before adopting Portals, ask how invoices are created, how completed payments are reported and whether customer records can be matched with the company’s accounting or business-management process.
How do merchants find the correct login?
Gravity’s Merchant Logins page provides a direct Gravity Dashboard route and asks other merchants to choose the selection matching their merchant ID. It also lists separate ChargeItPro access.
Start there.
Gravity documents Access One for certain merchants whose merchant IDs begin with 4 or 5 and who use standalone or non-integrated processing. Access One can show batch history, chargeback information and monthly statements.
This creates a common wrong-page problem: an employee reaches a legitimate Gravity login but the account is not recognized because the merchant belongs to another portal.
Confirm the account route before resetting the password repeatedly.
Gravity Dashboard also supports individual user creation. Its documentation places this under Users and Add User, and advises multi-location merchants to filter by account before adding someone.
Individual access is preferable to one shared employee login.
How should transactions be reconciled?
Gravity Dashboard separates transaction history from batch reporting. Its documentation describes real-time transaction and batch details, while the main Dashboard page lists recent activity and batch history among its central functions.
Use this order:
- Locate the customer transaction.
- Confirm its amount and status.
- Identify the batch containing it.
- Review any returns or other batch activity.
- Compare the expected batch amount with the bank entry.
- Use the monthly statement to investigate broader account charges.
Do not compare gross receipts directly with one bank deposit.
The transaction date, batch date and bank-posting date may differ. A refund or void can also affect the numbers being compared.
For a reversal, Gravity instructs Dashboard users to open Virtual Terminal, choose Void/Refund and select the appropriate location when the account includes several locations. The transaction can be searched using the final four card digits or authorization ID.
The location selection is easy to overlook.
What happens when a customer disputes a payment?
Gravity provides Dispute Manager, a separate online portal for accessing and responding to retrieval and chargeback notices. Merchants can register for email notifications when a new dispute is issued.
Ordinary transaction reporting does not replace dispute monitoring.
A payment can remain visible in Dashboard while a dispute requires attention elsewhere. Assign one employee to review notices and another as backup.
Gravity identifies two concrete dispute triggers in its merchant education: the amount charged differs from the sales receipt, or the business name on the card statement is unfamiliar to the customer.
Check both during setup.
For an active case, use the submission instructions and deadline shown on the individual notice. Skip generic timelines from unrelated articles.
What PCI responsibilities remain?
PCI DSS is the payment-card security standard that applies to merchants handling card payments. Gravity partners with VikingCloud, also identified as SecureTrust, to provide guided questionnaires and assistance with annual PCI validation.
The merchant still has responsibilities.
A countertop terminal, Virtual Terminal and online customer payment page can create different payment environments. The business should complete the assessment assigned to its actual setup rather than assuming processor enrollment completes compliance automatically.
Review PCI scope again when adding a new payment method or integration.
Account security also extends beyond PCI validation. Gravity has warned merchants about phishing threats, which reinforces the need to use the official login and support routes rather than account links delivered through unexpected messages.
How can merchants reach Gravity Payments support?
Gravity’s official Support page lists (866) 701-4700 and says multilingual assistance is available 24/7 in English, Spanish, Korean and Japanese.
Prepare the issue before calling:
- Business location
- Correct merchant portal
- Payment tool involved
- Approximate transaction time
- Exact displayed error
- Transaction or batch reference
- Whether other payments still work
Be precise.
“Customer completed a single-use link, but the payment is absent from today’s batch” gives support a useful starting point.
“Online payment missing” does not.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gravity Payments a bank?
No. It provides merchant services.
Is Virtual Terminal the same as Payment Links?
No. Virtual Terminal is operated by the merchant’s employee, while the customer completes a payment through a Payment Link.
Can Gravity create reusable links?
Yes. Gravity documents multi-use as well as single-use Payment Links.
Is Gravity Portals included with every account?
The public pages do not establish that. Verify whether Portals is listed in the merchant’s written configuration.
Does every merchant use Gravity Dashboard?
No. Gravity routes merchants according to their account, and certain standalone merchants can use Access One.
Where are chargebacks managed?
Gravity documents Dispute Manager as the portal for retrieval and chargeback notices.
Can a multi-location merchant search for a refund?
Yes, subject to user access. Gravity instructs users to select the appropriate location before searching in Void/Refund.
Is support available overnight?
Yes. Gravity publishes 24/7 multilingual support.
Choose the payment tool according to who initiates the transaction and how it must be reconciled. Then confirm portal access, user permissions and reporting before putting the workflow into daily use.