Payment Gateway New Window

I'm developing my first online store and decided to go with Zen Cart (1.3.8). I'm just curious before I go ahead about the checkout process with a payment gateway. My client is not decided if he would like to go with the payment gateway offered by his bank or something else i.e. paypal.
My question is if it is a "normal" procedure once users click on checkout that they get redirected to the payment gateway providers website in a new browser window/tab?
I thought it is rather irritating for a user when a new browser tab is opening up (even when the user can see it is https and the secure padlock (SSL). I would have thought having the checkout happening in the same window would be more convenient for the user.
Any help on this would be very much appreciated.
Many thanks
otti

If you're referring to how PayPal redirects the customer to the PayPal site to login in order to authorize the payment, that's normal.
It's NOT normal to have a new window/tab open though. You shouldn't see that happening with PayPal.

Payment gateways that collect credit card digits directly in your store's checkout and send the transaction for approval in the background are certainly most convenient to the customer. That's how many payment gateways work. Some will redirect the customer to the bank's website etc and return the customer to the store when done, much like PayPal does. It all depends on how sophisticated the gateway is and how secure they are.

But none of them should ever be opening a payment page in another tab/window. (There might be an exception like a popup window for 3D-Secure authorization, but that would only happen AFTER collecting card information directly on the store's website, and it's also not another tab or regular browser window.)

Thanks DrByte,

That has answered my question fully. I know that the payment gateway of my clients' bank is redirecting to their website without opening a new tab/window. But to me this is still an inconvenience for the user. I found now that they have got an API, so I might be able to implement it on my clients site without any new window/tab or redirecting.

Thanks again
otti:bigups: