Convenience is killing optionality…. 

by Al Noshirvani

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a huge push for software companies to bundle integrated payment processing into their platforms. On the surface, this makes sense—and in some, perhaps most cases, it absolutely works.

But I don’t think it’s the right choice by default for all businesses.

I’m not arguing against using integrated payments. What I am arguing against is losing the flexibility and competitive advantage that comes from being able to choose and shop your payments provider independently from your software provider.

Yes, there are real advantages:

One vendor relationship
Lower “bundled” pricing
A “single throat to choke” when something breaks
Faster initial deployment

However, the payments industry is evolving at breakneck speed—new rails, pricing models, fraud tools, wallets, AI. and compliance capabilities are emerging constantly. In many cases, software companies simply can’t keep pace with this tech, and those companies whose core focus is payments innovation.

When payments are tightly coupled to software:

You’re locked into the software vendor’s roadmap
Switching providers becomes costly or impossible
You may miss out on better economics or newer capabilities

The most resilient businesses I see prioritize optionality. They may use integrated payments where it makes sense—but they ensure they retain the ability to adapt as the payments landscape changes.

In a world where payments can be a strategic advantage, flexibility matters.