# Payment Rails

*Banking & Payments — Finicade finance glossary*

Payment rails are the networks that actually move money — ACH, card networks, wire systems, real-time schemes and blockchain settlement.

Payment rails are the underlying networks that actually move money — ACH, card networks, wire systems, real-time schemes, and increasingly blockchain settlement. Each has its own cost, speed, reversibility and reach, and choosing between them is the core design decision in any payment product. Most apparent innovation in payments is a new interface over an old rail rather than a new rail.

**Also known as:** payment infrastructure, payment network

**Related terms:** [ACH](https://finicade.com/glossary/ach), [Card Network](https://finicade.com/glossary/card-network), [Real-Time Payments](https://finicade.com/glossary/real-time-payments), [Wire Transfer](https://finicade.com/glossary/wire-transfer), [Cross-Border Payments](https://finicade.com/glossary/cross-border-payments)

Source: https://finicade.com/glossary/payment-rails