Determine your path (bank charter vs sponsorship).
Questions to Ask
Which services are included, and which require separate vendors?
What is your API uptime SLA and historical performance?
How long does integration typically take for programs similar to ours?
What are your pricing tiers and transaction costs?
Do you provide a sandbox environment and developer support?
Red Flags
Poor API documentation and limited developer resources
History of extended outages or reliability issues
Opaque pricing model with hidden fees and charges
Limited customization requiring workarounds for basic features
What Good Looks Like
API uptime SLA of 99.9% or higher
Comprehensive API documentation
Active developer community
Transparent pricing
proven integration timeline of 8-12 weeks for similar programs