Get the quick facts on the nation’s core credit card processors. These are the companies that operate their own Front-end and Back-end platforms that ensure your customers funds are delivered to your business. If you’re in the market for merchant services, you’re 99.99% using one of the below companies either directly or through an ISO/MSP reseller.
Easily compare each company of interest by selecting the logo below. It’s simplified and to the point.
 |
|
| MIR Rating |  2.5 out of 5 stars |
| About | Heritage dating back to 1970. Formerly 5/3 (Fifth Third) Processing Solutions since 2003. Established 2011. HQ – Cincinnati OH. |
| Markets | National Processing Company, Jeanie ATM Network, Skipjack payment gateway |
| Portfolio | Element Payments, Mercury Payments, Payline Data, FattMerchant |
| Customers | 400,000 merchant in 8 countries |
| Revenue | $726 billion in annual transaction volume with 20 billion transactions |
| Common Complaints | Low: however high complaint level from sales channels ISO’s/sub-ISO’s |
| Early Termination Fee | $295 - $495 and/or Liquidated Damages Clause |
| Rate Structures | Interchange Pass-thru, Tier Pricing, Blended |
| Customer Service Rating | Bad – unresponsive, long hold times |
| Online Reporting Tool | iam / iQ - https://auth.vantiv.com |
| Cons | Liquidated Damages (10-15% of projected earnings over the remainder of the contract), Preferred Tier-Pricing, Hidden fees, Auto-Renew contracts, Limited QC on multiple marketing channels |
| Pros | Vast processing capabilities, Large POS presence |
| Highlights | No recent highlights from this company |
| Website | https://www.vantiv.com |
| Customer Service Ph.no. | 866-622-2390 |
| Stock Symbol | NYSE “VNTV” |
 |
|
| MIR Rating |  3 out of 5 stars |
| About | Part of US Bank’s (US Bancorp) payment service division. Established 2008. HQ – Atlanta GA |
| Markets | Helcim, East West Bank, Bank of the West, Costco Merchant Services |
| Portfolio | US Bank, US Bancorp |
| Customers | 1.3M+ merchants in 30 countries |
| Revenue | $300 billion in annual transaction volume |
| Common Complaints | High: too many support departments. Technology is behind other processors. |
| Early Termination Fee | $0 |
| Rate Structures | Interchange Pass-thru, Flat rate, Tier-Pricing, Enhanced IC |
| Customer Service Rating | Below Avg. Friendly customer service, however there are multiple customer support departments with poor communication |
| Online Reporting Tool | MerchantConnect – www.merchantconnect.com |
| Cons | high cost for equipment Leasing programs with terms ranging from 24-48mos through Ladco Leasing. Auto-renewal contracts, minimum monthly service fee not consistent with cancellation/ETF. Higher than average transaction fee @ $0.19/trans |
| Pros | Merchant service solutions for businesses of all sizes. Notably the flat rate pricing for small businesses. No hidden fees. US-based customer service |
| Highlights | Poynt credit card terminal |
| Website | https://www.elavon.com https://www.paymentstart.com/ |
| Customer Service Ph.no. | 800-725-1243 |
| Stock Symbol | n/a |
 |
|
| MIR Rating |  3.5 out of 5 stars |
| About | HUGE credit card processor with thousands of resellers including ISO/Agent and Financial Institutions. Roughly 45% of processing is the US is handled by FD. Established 1969. HQ – Atlanta GA |
| Markets | Citibank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Banco Poplar, Suntrust Bank |
| Portfolio | CardConnect, Clover POS, Ignite Payments |
| Customers | 6M+ merchants; caters to full spectrum of merchants. Majority are SMB/SME |
| Revenue | $300 billion in annual transaction volume |
| Common Complaints | Above average: due to lack of quality control through reseller channels |
| Early Termination Fee | $500 and/or Liquidated Damages based on minimum monthly fees over remainder of contract term. |
| Rate Structures | Interchange Pass-thru, Flat rate w/ enhanced billback, Multi-Tier Pricing |
| Customer Service Rating | Average. High-level support. However, with high wait times often 20-40 mins till resolution. |
| Online Reporting Tool | Businesstrack – www.myclientline.net |
| Cons | Poor customer support and training. High Fees with enhanced billback billing method. Confusing statements. Reserve accounts and tendency to hold funds and/or drop accounts without notice. High lease fees at 48-60mo terms with First Data Global Leasing (FDGL). Annual fee increases. |
| Pros | Leaders in payment technology. Majority of product offerings are proprietary. |
| Highlights | Acquisition of CardConnect |
| Website | https://www.firstdata.com |
| Customer Service Ph.no. | 877-810-9315 |
| Stock Symbol | NYSE “FDC” |
 |
|
| MIR Rating |  4.5 out of 5 stars |
| About | the honest credit card processor with it’s own in-house sales team. No ISO/Agent and Financial Institutions sales channels. Established 1997. HQ – Princeton NJ |
| Markets | Schools, 20% of Restaurant market |
| Portfolio | Dinerware POS, Cash Register Express, PC America POS, Liquor POS, |
| Customers | 300,000 merchants |
| Revenue | $120 billion in annual transaction volume |
| Common Complaints | Low: due to simplicity and transparency of merchant statements |
| Early Termination Fee | $295 / Satisfaction Guarantee |
| Rate Structures | Interchange Pass-thru, Interchange + Flat Fee |
| Customer Service Rating | Excellent. High-level support with low wait times. Very accommodating and flexible. |
| Online Reporting Tool | InfoCentral https://infocentral.heartlandpaymentsystems.com/ |
| Cons | Expensive flat fee price plan for low volume merchants processing less than $50k/yr. Limited offerings on tablet-based POS solutions. Not recommended for seasonal merchants. |
| Pros | Reputation for industry leading data security and transparency. High presence in innovative solutions for niche markets. Endorsed by the Restaurant Association. eCommerce SecureSubmit tool eliminates PCI liability and protects customer information. Easy to read merchant statements. No hidden fees or sales gimmicks. |
| Highlights | Recently acquired by Global Payments. Heartland Payroll+HR Solutions, Heartland Lending with Amex. Launched new partnership with HSBC Bank under Global Payments direction. Acquisition of Beanstock for SMB market. |
| Website | https://www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com |
| Customer Service Ph.no. | 888-936-3600 |
| Stock Symbol | formerly “HPY” |
 |
|
| MIR Rating | 3.5 out of 5 stars |
| About | global presence serving in 30 countries. Their niche appears to be in complex business markets. Established 1967. HQ – Atlanta GA |
| Markets | HSBC Bank through Heartland Payment Systems, |
| Portfolio | eWAY, Realex Payments, Ezidebit, AuctionPay, Payment Processing |
| Customers | 2.5 million merchants in 30 countries |
| Revenue | $550 Billion in transaction volume with $11B Transactions |
| Common Complaints | Above average: inconsistent service fees |
| Early Termination Fee | $500 and/or Liquidated Damages whichever is greater. |
| Rate Structures | Interchange Pass-thru, Flat Rate, Tiered pricing |
| Customer Service Rating | Poor. Little to no customer support. |
| Online Reporting Tool | BusinessView https://businessviewglobal.com/AP/ |
| Cons | Difficult to close account with undisclosed contract terms. Pricing is not consistent with in-house sales and reseller channels. Fund holds, undisclosed hidden fees. |
| Pros | A portion of their portfolio is focused on non-profit organizations with their Greater Giving fundraising program |
| Highlights | Recently acquired Heartland Payment Systems in March 2015. |
| Website | https://www.globalpaymentsinc.com/ |
| Customer Service Ph.no. | 800-367-2638 |
| Stock Symbol | NYSE – “GPN” |
 |
|
| MIR Rating |  4 out of 5 stars |
| About | Total System Services is the oldest and 2nd largest processor in size to First Data. Their niche appears to be in complex business markets. Established 1983. HQ – Omaha NE |
| Markets | Primarily establishes partnerships with software and business value added companies. High presence in government and medical environments. |
| Portfolio | CPAY, TransFirst, First National Merchant Solutions, Clarity Payment Solutions, Card Tech Ltd, TermNet Merchant Services, ProPay, Central Payments, |
| Customers | $2 Million merchants in 80 countries, thanks to over 400 issuing clients |
| Revenue | $1 Trillion in annual transaction volume with 14B annual transactions |
| Common Complaints | Medium – due to lack of service from reseller channels |
| Early Termination Fee | $500 year 1, $250 year 2 & 3 |
| Rate Structures | Interchange Pass-thru, Simplified Tier Pricing Plans |
| Customer Service Rating | Fair |
| Online Reporting Tool | TSYS Merchant Solutions http://tsysmerchantsolutions.com/customer/ |
| Cons | Billing issues with closed accounts. Auto Renewal contracts. Expensive equipment lease options. Confusing customer service channels vary based on account relationships. |
| Pros | Specializes in specific niche markets for customized pricing and technology such as Mindbody Software |
| Highlights | No recent highlights from this company |
| Website | http://tsysmerchantsolutions.com/ |
| Customer Service Ph.no. | 800-228-2443 |
| Stock Symbol | NYSE – “TSS” |
 |
|
| MIR Rating | 4 out of 5 stars |
| About | Formerly known as RBS Worldpay Established 1991. HQ – Atlanta Ga |
| Markets | Authorize.net and online payments / eCommerce |
| Portfolio | Cardsave, SecureNet, Envoy Services Ltd., Century Payments, |
| Customers | Focus in UK and USA market. Serves 146 countries and supports 126 different currencies. Mix of multinational, multichannel small business retailers. |
| Revenue | $526B in sales transaction volume, with 400k merchants doing 11.4B annual transactions |
| Common Complaints | Medium. Complaints are more apparent in UK market |
| Early Termination Fee | $295 prorated |
| Rate Structures | Interchange Pass-thru, Flat Fee, Simplified Tier-Pricing |
| Customer Service Rating | Fair |
| Online Reporting Tool | WorldPay Merchant Portal https://portal.worldpay.us/ |
| Cons | Given the size and global presence of WorldPay, customer service may be a challenge. Not recommended for small or startup businesses. |
| Pros | Great fit for enterprise & international business payment solutions. Underwriting for high risk accounts. |
| Highlights | Bankout solution provides high volume, seamless payments to customers and suppliers, without the expense of making international bank payments. |
| Website | http://www.worldpay.com/ |
| Customer Service Ph.no. | 800-859-5965 |
| Stock Symbol | LSE – “WPG” |
If you have specific needs for a payment solution we’ll be happy to help. Scheduling a consultation only take a few minutes and we guarantee we’ll deliver the information you need to make an informed decision for your merchant services. We save you time and money. It’s as simple as that.
