Can I connect my own payment gateway so my customers' card payments go straight into my own bank account?

Yes, in most cases you can connect your own payment gateway so the money your customers pay lands in your own account rather than passing through anyone else on the way. At the checkout step your portal hands the customer over to the gateway, the gateway collects the card details and confirms the payment, and the settlement then goes to whatever bank account you have registered with that gateway.

What you need first is a merchant account with a gateway that can be connected to your portal. Many of the well known gateways can be added, but not every gateway in every country, so it is worth checking before you commit to a particular provider or sign a contract with them. Once you have the account, you will be asked for the keys or credentials the gateway issues you, and those are saved against your portal so the checkout knows where to send each payment.

One thing to be clear about is that the gateway sets its own rules, not us. The charges it takes, the currencies and card types it accepts, how many days the money takes to reach your bank, and the way refunds and chargebacks are handled all come from your own agreement with the gateway. When a refund is due, the money normally goes back by the same route it came in, so both the gateway and the travel supplier have a say in how quickly your customer actually sees it.

Before you apply for a merchant account, check which gateways are supported for your country and your plan, and once it is switched on, put through one small test booking to confirm the payment reaches the account you expect.