The payment platform your DMS was waiting for.
Real-time integration with CDK, Reynolds, Tekion, and Dealertrack. Auto-reconciliation. Split tender, hosted links, installment plans. Built for the way dealerships actually run.
per rooftop, per day, evaporating on data entry with a generic processor. Real-time DMS integration returns those hours to your controller.
Source: internal reference, mid-volume dealership review, 2025.Real-time integrations with the DMS providers dealerships actually run.
Built by us. Maintained by us.CDK Global
Real-time push and pullReynolds
Repair-order lookupTekion
Deal + service paymentsDealertrack
F&I + accounting syncWhat are dealer merchant services?
Payment processing built for the way an auto dealership actually runs. Card, check, wallet, hosted-link, and installment payments across sales, service, parts, and F&I, all reconciled back to the DMS automatically.
A single deal can involve a trade-in credit, a cashier check for down payment, a swiped debit for TT&L, and a financed balance. Generic processors treat every swipe as a standalone event. Dealer merchant services treat the deal, the repair order, or the parts ticket as the source of truth and match the payment to it.
Card + wallet acceptance
Credit, debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay across every department and device.
Real-time DMS integration
Certified links with CDK, Reynolds, Tekion, and Dealertrack.
Auto-reconciliation
Every transaction matched to the corresponding DMS record automatically.
Tokenization + PCI-DSS
Customer Vault with tokens replacing raw card numbers site-wide.
Surcharge and cash discount
Compliant programs that recover the processing fees you already absorb.
Hosted payment links
Text or email a link. Customer pays. Payment routes back to the RO or deal.
Dealer Pay Later
Installment plans so a $2,800 transmission does not lose the customer at the counter.
Real-time reporting
Live cross-rooftop visibility with smart alerts for the controller.
How dealer merchant services differ from generic processors.
Marcus took over as GM of a two-rooftop Chevy dealership. Six weeks in, his service manager pulled him into the drive to show him a $4,200 repair order that took a cashier eleven minutes to close. That gap between payment tool and dealer merchant services is real, and it shows up in five specific places.
DMS integration, not just an API
Generic processors offer APIs. Dealer merchant services offer expert-built, real-time integrations with CDK, Reynolds, Tekion, and Dealertrack. That means the payment platform can pull an open RO or parts ticket the moment a cashier searches, and push the completed transaction back to the DMS. No import files. No nightly batch. No re-keying.
Auto-reconciliation matched to dealership records
Every transaction is matched with the corresponding DMS record automatically. Anything unmatched (refunds, credits, exceptions) is flagged in a daily exception report sent to your controller. That eliminates the hours of manual account balancing generic processors leave as a back-office task.
Dealership-native payment scenarios
Split tender. Partial payments. Hosted payment links texted to a customer picking up a service loaner tomorrow. Installment plans through Dealer Pay Later so a $2,800 transmission job does not lose the customer at the counter. These are not edge cases at a dealership. They are Tuesday.
Security tied to a standard, not a slogan
PCI-DSS certified across every solution, with tokenization through a Customer Vault. That is the standard the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council actually enforces. Anything vaguer than that (bank-grade security, enterprise encryption) is marketing, not a security claim.
Partnership, not a ticket queue
Franchised dealerships rarely have the IT capacity for a heavy software rollout. White-glove onboarding, hands-on training for every department, and dedicated expert support come with the product, not as an add-on. When the parts counter has a question at 4:47 p.m. on a Friday, "log a ticket" is not an answer.
Side by side. Dealer merchant services versus a generic processor.
Real-time push and pull with CDK, Reynolds, Tekion, Dealertrack. Built and maintained by us.
Generic API. Integration built and maintained by your IT department, if you have one.
Every transaction auto-matched to the DMS record. Exceptions flagged in a daily report.
Manual weekly reconciliation. Two staff-days per rooftop, per month, minimum.
Split tender, partial payments, hosted links, installment plans, service-drive mobile.
Standalone swipe. Workarounds break the DMS record if they work at all.
PCI-DSS certified end to end. Customer Vault with tokenization. Card-on-file safe.
"Bank-grade encryption." Raw card data on file. Compliance risk sits on your GM.
White-glove onboarding, hands-on training, dedicated expert support included.
Ticket queue. Chat bot. Success manager once you upgrade to Enterprise.
The reconciliation problem, in numbers.
Ask any dealership controller what eats their Monday morning and you will hear the same answer: reconciliation. Every rooftop batch, line by line, exceptions surfacing weeks later. Auto-reconciliation collapses two days into fifteen minutes.
Controller time spent on manual reconciliation, three-rooftop Ford dealership
Exception review after switching to auto-reconciliation
Staff time reclaimed when the payment platform pushes to the DMS in real time
Daily exception report landing before the controller opens the door
Payment methods dealerships need in 2026.
Customers pay differently now than they did five years ago. A dealer payment platform should accept every method, natively, without workarounds.
Credit, debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay. Every department. Every device.
Same platform on the service drive, at the parts counter, in F&I, and on the delivery app. Nothing gets re-keyed.
Native check acceptance
Still a huge share of down payments and service transactions. Treated as a first-class payment method, not a workaround.
Text a link. Customer taps. RO closes.
Pickups, deliveries, remote payment. The hosted link is signed to the customer, routes back to the deal or RO, and never touches your DMS record.
Installment plans that keep the customer at the counter.
A $2,800 transmission job does not lose the customer at the counter. Installment plans routed through the DMS, no third-party redirect.
Real dealership scenarios, natively.
Trade credit, cashier check, swiped debit, and financed balance land on the DMS as one deal, not four disconnected transactions.
Customer Vault + tokenization.
Raw card numbers never sit on your systems. Recurring service billing, loyalty programs, and card-on-file for repeat customers, done safely.
Walk through your specific department scenarios: service drive, parts counter, F&I.
Request a demoSeven questions that separate real dealer merchant services from a generic processor with a dealership landing page.
The sales decks all look similar. These are the answers you should hear before you sign a Merchant Services Agreement.
Which DMS providers do you integrate with by name, and in real time?
The answer should include CDK, Reynolds, Tekion, and Dealertrack, and the integration should be built and maintained by the provider, not "available via API."
How does auto-reconciliation actually work against the DMS?
Ask to see a live daily exception report. Ask what happens to unmatched refunds and credits. Ask how long a new rooftop takes to configure.
What payment scenarios does the platform natively handle?
Confirm split tender, partial payments, hosted links, installment plans, mobile wallets, check, and service-drive mobile payment.
Is every solution PCI-DSS certified, and how is card data stored?
The answer should include tokenization through a Customer Vault. If the provider hedges on either, keep looking.
Is surcharging or cash discounting supported, and is compliance built in?
State-by-state rules matter. The provider should own the compliance workflow, not push it back to you.
What does onboarding, training, and support actually include?
Look for white-glove onboarding, hands-on training for every department, and dedicated expert support. Not tiered support packages that upsell you into "premium" access.
How is the platform priced against your actual rooftop?
Sales-led custom pricing is normal, since volume, mix, and DMS setup differ. But the provider should be transparent about the structure once they have scoped your rooftop.
Case studies coming soon.
We prefer to publish testimonials once a rooftop has run a full reconciliation cycle on the new platform. In the meantime, request a demo and we will walk through the reconciliation workflow with a rooftop like yours.
Request a demoCustomer stories launching soon.
Customer logos land here once a rooftop has run reconciliation for a quarter and cleared publication with their principal. Speak to us about being one of the first.
Frequently asked questions.
The questions dealership principals, GMs, and controllers ask us before signing a Merchant Services Agreement.
What are dealer merchant services?
Dealer merchant services are payment processing solutions built specifically for auto dealerships, with real-time DMS integration, auto-reconciliation to accounting records, and native support for dealership workflows like split tender, hosted links, repair-order lookup, and installment plans.
Can a dealership use Stripe or Square for payments?
Technically, yes. Practically, no. Stripe and Square are horizontal processors built for online checkout and small retail. They do not integrate in real time with CDK, Reynolds, Tekion, or Dealertrack, do not reconcile to a repair order or deal, and do not handle split tender or installment workflows natively. Most dealerships that try generic processors switch within eighteen months.
How much do dealer merchant services cost?
Pricing is almost always sales-led and custom, because every dealership transaction mix, volume, DMS, and department structure is different. Ask any provider for a scoped quote against your actual rooftop, not a generic rate card. The right question is not "what is your rate" but "what does this cost after auto-reconciliation, surcharge recovery, and reclaimed staff hours?"
What DMS integrations should dealer merchant services have?
At a minimum, real-time integrations with the four DMS providers most franchised dealerships run: CDK, Reynolds, Tekion, and Dealertrack. If a provider cannot name your DMS by name and describe how the integration works, they built for a different industry.
Is a Customer Vault the same as card-on-file?
Card-on-file is the outcome. The Customer Vault is the PCI-compliant tokenization mechanism that makes card-on-file safe. Instead of storing raw card numbers, the Customer Vault stores tokens, which is what allows dealerships to run recurring service billing, loyalty programs, and quick follow-up transactions without holding sensitive data.
Are surcharging and cash discount programs legal for dealerships?
Yes, in most states, when done compliantly. Both card network rules and state law regulate how the fee or discount must be disclosed, calculated, and applied. A dealer merchant services provider should build the compliance workflow into the platform, not leave it as your GM problem.
How long does implementation take?
It depends on your DMS, the number of rooftops, and the number of departments going live. With white-glove onboarding, hands-on training, and dedicated expert support, most single-rooftop implementations are live in a matter of weeks, not months.
Stop losing hours to a payment tool that was not built for you.
Real-time integration with CDK, Reynolds, Tekion, and Dealertrack. Auto-reconciliation and daily exception reports. Split tender, hosted links, Dealer Pay Later installment plans. PCI-DSS certified with tokenization through the Customer Vault. Compliant surcharge and cash discount programs.
A walk-through against your actual DMS.
Bring your rooftop count, your DMS, and your reconciliation workflow. We will show you what changes.
Request a demoOr explore the full solutions overview at dealer-pay.com