The best merchant account service lets you receive credit and debit card payments both online and in person from your clients. Additionally, you also get extra payment processing tools like virtual terminals, point-of-sale (POS) systems, payment gateways and card-reading devices. Merchant accounts can also be categorized into four segments, including local, offshore, direct and high risk.  Our top 10 picks will help you to identify the best merchant services for your payment transactions. 

Merchant Services

Helcim

Small businesses doing credit card processing

Best for

Rates

Contract duration

Helcim is one of the best credit card processors for small businesses that process more than $5000 monthly because it has a one flat price and a monthly contract which you can leave anytime without paying a termination fee. Helcim gives a rate lock guarantee, which cannot increase the pricing. It has competitive rates and is cheaper than most credit card processors because it uses the interchange plus charging model for credit card transactions.

Their rates are cheaper than their competitors. With Helcim, you will access features such as point-of-sale software, QR code payments, and a hosted online store. Other features available are a virtual terminal, recurring payments and invoicing. It can integrate with other software such as Quickbooks online and desktop and shopping carts such as Magento. All these features do not come at an extra cost.

ionos

Leaders is a powerhouse in the merchant service industry. The company serves an extensive customer base that keeps growing every day. Offers low rates, impressive value-added services, and more.

Merchant One

Best For

MerchantOne offers everything from an entire POS system to a card swiper for your mobile devices. They customize their packages to fit your business needs. They accommodate all sorts of businesses, including large enterprises and small organizations. Their monthly fee is $ 6.95, and it gives you access to 24/7 customer support services. However, their prices vary depending on the type of business. They don’t believe in leases, so you won’t be signing any contracts. They can set you up with a merchant account within 24 hours. They accept Visa, American Express, Discover, and Mastercard. They have plenty of credit card machines and hardware to choose from. They use advanced technology to make transactions easy.

business.com

Payment Cloud

New small businesses, merchants and high-risk takers

Payment Cloud is the best merchant service for small startups. The merchant service also suits business models that operate in a high-risk industries such as the transport market, e-commerce, and diet programs. Payment Cloud boasts an excellent 98% approval rating zero cost comparison, as well as a quick gateway and account setup. The service also gives NFC, EMV, Swipe and contactless transactions – best for most merchants.

Payment Clouds has flexible policies that often appeal to merchants. For instance, you get zero cancellation fees, zero setup fees, and next-day payments. Furthermore, you can also get excellent same-day setup as well as 24/7 live technical customer support.

The merchant service is also popular, thanks to its impressive integration with a wide array of business apps, like Shopify, WordPress Woo, BigCommerce and more.

ProMerchant

ProMerchant is the right choice for small businesses who operate in high-risk industries. The merchant service provides monthly contracts and zero gateway setups and cancellations. Noteworthy, ProMerchant also ships with a free EMV terminal at sign up.

Business owners get the freedom of selecting either the interchange-plus charge transaction fee or the interchange-plus fixed percentage rates. These options allow you (the merchant) to make an educated decision on the type of plan that suits your revenue stream. Moreover, you can always tweak your requirements, thanks to ProMerchant’s monthly contracts. 

ProMerchant provides same-day approvals and processes payments within 72 hours of request. The merchant service also offers similar rate structures to American Express that you can use on Visa and MasterCard – a big plus.

FiveStars

Brick and mortar (physically located) businesses

Fivestars is another excellent merchant service for processing credit cards. The service specializes in giving brick and mortar businesses leverage payments. Subsequently, this encourages taking part in loyalty programs and to create the infrastructure for running motivated target marketing.

According to Fivestars, they are prepared to give you any workable rate and can integrate with your existing POS system with zero hidden charges. As such, if you run small physical business models like spa, food courts, salon, and retail shops, we recommend Fivestars.

# Stax by Fattmerchant Review

## In Brief

Stax by Fattmerchant is a monthly subscription-based payment allowance capacity that costs a level proportion rather than a percentage-based fee. For minor corporates that handle a large amount of money, monthly may make the transactions cheaper than competing point-of-sale suppliers. The program is simple to operate and accepts both swiped and captured payments. There is no initial assumption outlay with Stax.

## Advantages

- There are no extra charges measured as a percentage.
- Transactions may be swiped or typed in.
- Client service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

## Disadvantages

- The software program entails an extra payment monthly
- For smaller organizations, the valuing method is costly

## Suitable For

- Small enterprises that generate a lot of money every month
- Corporates that accept both swiped and keyed-in costs.
- Proprietors of small businesses that want reimbursement and analytical services all in one spot

## What Is on the Menu

- Whole service large scale accounts with wordpay dealing out
- Fixed and phone card readers
- Assistance for both cards and keyed-in payments
- Payment estimation with no fraction-based transaction charges
- Unified Stax Pay network site for monitoring your records
- Stax Application programming interface for customization and bespoke connections
- Customer service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via an e-ticketing mechanism.

## Registering Procedure

When you want to be a member of Stax, all you are supposed to do is reach the customer care services of the Fattmerchant sales group. You may get a quote by completing the online application form, and a sales assistant will give you immediate feedback on the following working day. This is a better approach to decide how many Stax premium services you will need and the cost you will be charged monthly.

If you agree to work with Stax, information about your monthly subscription, company license, and social safety contact will be crucial. You may select a hardware and software of your choice, and fattmerchant will deliver everything you like within the approved time.

## Exceptional Services Offered by Stax

### Subscription-Based Pricing

Stax's price scheme is the most notable differentiating characteristic. Stax charges a set monthly fee rather than a cut of each sale your company generates. You'll have to pay $99 monthly and an added fixed purchase price. That suggests the package comes with a built-in reduced proportion: the further funds your company handles, the more money you will save equated to merchants who charge a balance of each operation.

Stax provides a wide variety of functions as part of its regular once-a-month subscription. With Data integrity embedded into the system, for illustration, you can handle scanned and keyed-in payments. Similarly, the platform has electronic billing and accounting computer software connections.

### Stax Pay Programme

Stax still has a digital platform named Stax Pay that allows users to manage their company’s sales statistics. This needs a supplementary monthly membership, with three levels to choose from based on your desired features.

Extensive statistics detail your sales by region and staff is included in the upper level of the product. Similarly, it contains a one-click shopping cart for e-commerce, regulation of account, the credit card on file backing, and recurrent outflows.

Stax Pay's inventory system and billing capabilities are rather rudimentary. There is no integration for barcode technology or Stock keeping units, and rather than providing a document, you must manually enter invoice data. Even yet, having these options right among the rest of Stax's payment functionality is quite helpful.

Stax Pay already has a designed application software design boundary for enterprises that want more management over their transactions. The API is well-recognized, but it is not a connector alternative, unlike certain payment providers. To get the most out of this agreement, you will probably need to hire a software engineer.

### Transparency

Stax is crystal clear about its operations, which is one of our favorite aspects of the firm. The user agreement is available for inspection on the Stax homepage whenever you initiate the process of registering for a package.

Furthermore, all Stax commitments are month-to-month, with no costs for early withdrawal. To discontinue your connection, it is advisable to give a one-month notification.

### Client Sustenance

Fattmerchant supports Stax with a digital ticketing mechanism available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are usually received after a few hours, according to our findings. Stax provides a comprehensive electronic information library that focuses more on discussing the earner's capabilities than debugging.

### Assessing

Stax charges $99 monthly for a regular subscription that covers payment information and some important characteristics such as terms and conditions. Payments have no margin fees, although you will be charged $0.08 for swiped transactions and $0.15 for keyed-in checks.

A separate contract is mandatory for Stax Pay. The $49 Initial monthly package delivers vital analytics display and ACH payment functionality. On ACH transactions, Stax charges a 1% cash up to $10. The Development strategy contains various software solutions and access to the user, including Text2Pay functionality for $89 monthly. The $129 monthly Pro plan gives you access to all of Stax Pay's analysis tools, in addition to resource management, a one-click shopping basket, and recurring transactions.

Likewise, Stax retails physical payment schemes; nevertheless, values vary depending on which type you desire and the subscription options you choose. To determine how much a station will charge, you'll get a quotation.

### Summary

Medium companies with substantial revenue every month may find Stax by Fattmerchant to be a suitable fit. Payment service expenses remain stable throughout the period because of the membership pricing scheme and the absence of percentage-based interest charges. In addition, while handling substantial cash transactions, your firm effectively enjoys a reduction compared to other payment networks.

Organizations who want statistics, software connectivity, and e-commerce all on one system may choose Stax. Accepting payments in nearly any method and tracking revenue all over your company is very easy and transparent with the Stax Pay platform. While certain functionality is constrained linked to purpose-built alternatives, there's plenty to be said about integrating all of your payment systems in one place.

### Stax Information

Fattmerchant payment facilitator company, which started in 2014, is located in Florida. They relaunched and changed their name to Stax in April 2021, with a new price scheme, phone application, and redesigned their desktop system. Since its beginning, Stax has had over 12,000 firm customers enjoy the services and has handled over $9 billion in transactions.

Stax by FattMerchant Review

Stax

$99 every month plus $0.08 for every swiped payment or $0.15 per entered payment

If you’re a small business that transacts heavily, then Stax is a good start. Stax sells monthly contracts and has zero transaction fees.

You can also view built-in analytics, API and get support for e-commerce payments, all thanks to its digital dashboard called Stax Pay. The service also sports one of the best 24/7 customer support. The best part, you can terminate your contract early without incurring any cancellation fee.

<img src="/merchant-services.webp" alt="Merchant service" style="width: 100%" />

## Works best with:
- Business models that accept multiple payment options, including credit card transactions
- E-commerce businesses that want to accept online payments

## What you get from Leaders merchant service:
- Merchant account services
- Online credit/debit card processing
- Business cash advances
- POS systems
- NFC & Mobile wallet payments
- Swiped &EMV credit/debit card readers
- Loyalty card app
- QuickBooks integrations
- Payroll system

## At Glance

|                   |                                |
|-------------|----------------------|
|Best for           | Low rates, value-added services. |
|Rates              | Starting at 0.15% |
|Contract duration  | 3 years |
|Free equipment     | Yes |
|Same-day approval  | Yes |
|Same-day funding   | No |
|Customer support   | 24/7 Friendly service |
|Base of operation  | 	California, US |
|                   |                                |

Our "Leaders merchant service review" explores the features and price rates the company offers. We also look at its customer support, and the test its integration with popular POS systems like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay. As such, you can count on our honesty and thorough review of Leaders as a credit card processor

## Pricing (Software & Hardware)

Leaders offers the cheapest custom rates in the industry. Your rates will be influenced by a couple of factors, including the number of sales you make a day/month, the type of business model, and the industry you’re in.

## Here’s a list to some of the rates that Leaders charges:

- PCI Compliance fee goes for $129 every 12 months
- Monthly service fee estimated at $7.95
- Key cards rates starting at 1.79%
- Swiped cards starting at 0.15%
- The company also sells multiple well-reputed hardware you can purchase directly from the website. For instance, Leaders works with the Clover POS system, as such, you also get the confirmation of the manufacturer’s name of the hardware you’re getting.

## We’ve listed some of the hardware you can get from the Leaders site:

- Clover POS system
- Clover Mini
- Clover Flex
- Clover Go All-in-one
- VeriFone Vx520 DC Terminal
- VeriFone Vx680 Terminal
- VeriFone Vx805
- PAX300 Retail PIN pad
- PAX300 S80 Countertop payment terminal
- First Data FD130 DC Terminal
- PAX S80 FD130 DUO DC Terminal & FD35 PIN pad
- Walker 2.0 EMV Mobile Credit Card Reader
- Virtual Terminal shopping cart.

## Benefits from using Leaders
Leaders excels in terms of the special features it offers its users – something that gives them edge over its competitors. Let us look at the top benefits you can get from Leaders:

### Signup bonus
Leaders gifts its new clients with a generous signing bonus. The service gifts you either one of a free EMV credit card terminal, a free payment gateway or a mobile credit card reader. Therefore, if your business does heavy transactions a day, getting these extra hardware is a big plus.

### Very low rates
Leaders gives its customers the lowest rates when compared to its competitors in the industry. You get rates that go low as 0.15%. The rates you get are dependent on your business requirements, the types of payments you accept, and more.

### $500 Assurance Guarantee
Leaders offers a very convincing assurance guarantee. The merchant service promises that you’ll get a free $500, no questions asked, if you don’t end up saving money while using their service. This is a very pleasing program, and the guarantee is a show of confidence from Leaders that their service will save you money.

### Fast, high approval rates
Leaders keeps its initial requirements low, making application less tedious and fast. Once you make your registration application, you can same-day approval. Leaders doesn’t scrutinize much into your type of business model – as long as you provide proof of ownership, your application will go through instantly. What’s more, Leaders has a whopping 98% approval rating.

### One-Stop-Shop
Leaders also identifies as a one-stop shop. You can all the merchant services, including hardware systems (like Clover POS system), credit processing terminals to your business accounts and other gateways. Moreover, Leaders provides extra services, like website design and integration – a rare service from a merchant service. Thanks to this, your new/ small business can benefit from this if you’re on a budget. Unfortunately, Leaders doesn’t offer same-day funding.

## How to get started with Leaders
Getting started with Leaders is effortless and the whole process takes less time. Leaders doesn’t demand that you go to their physical offices to register, however, a short navigation to their official website should get you going. Moreover, if you want to speak to one of their agents, you can get the contact details on the site.

Noteworthy, you must have the official documentation of your business to prove ownership. The whole application and signup is done online. You’ll also need to scan all your business documents directly on the online application form – zero printing required.

The moment your application is approved, Leaders will send you your login details to activate your new terminal and e-commerce software. Once you’ve gone through the whole process successfully, you can now start accepting credit/debit card payments. Best part, the whole process takes 3 to 5 business days to finish.

## Customer Support
Leaders sports an unbeatable customer support system. They offer a 24/7 support, and you get to chat with a human agent if you have a pressing issue. Noteworthy, the support agents are very friendly and equally knowledgeable, as they help you understand the service without hassle.

You can call their support using a toll-free line that is on the website. Alternatively, you can fill in a contact form and specify the type of support you need – either general inquiry or tech support.

## Bottom Line
Leaders is a major force in the merchant service industry. The company serves an extensive customer base that keeps growing every day. After reviewing the service, we can confirm that it offers an array of top features and benefits that you’ll otherwise not get from its competitors. What’s more the company’s ability to give unique benefits like website design and payment gateways is a major boost. Enjoy same-day approvals, 24/7 friendly and informed customer support and save your money with their very low rates – all the while having the ability to accept money via multiple options. The best part, its $500 assurance program makes, Leaders the company to beat.


Leaders Merchant Services Review

Leaders

Extra value-added services and affordable rates

Leaders is an excellent merchant service choice if you enjoy low rates. The card processing service is part of Paysafe Group and has operated for 20 plus years. Leaders is popular among several businesses, thanks to its low rates. Moreover, Leaders has an impressive approval rating of 98% - an encouraging aspect to consider when choosing a merchant service.

Leaders also sells a policy that can boost your confidence in them. It states that if its package can’t save you money within 6 months of your contract, you’ll get a $500 compensation fee. Best part, Leaders works well with Clover POS system as well as QuickBooks. You also get unbeatable 24/7 customer support and a vast knowledge-based system with useful information to help you troubleshoot any problem. What’s more, Leaders offers extra value-added services like cash advances, gift cards, loyalty programs, and POS systems.

Flagship

Small businesses, E-commerce businesses, short contracts

Flagship is your best bet if you’re a small business owner. Flagship merchant service best identifies with the multiple options it offers its users. Furthermore, it’s been voted as leading merchant service for 8 years now. This is because Flagship is the best solution for a wide pool of businesses, including mobile, online, MOTO, in-store and more. You also get multiple payment options like EMV, NFC, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and more. As such you can rely on Flagship to process your credit and debit card payments as well. The best part, Flagship doesn’t have commitment contracts and no cancellation fees.

What’s more, Flagship lets you select your preferred free hardware from Clover Mini POS system. Alternatively, you’re also free to choose from the EMV certified terminal when signing up. Additionally, Flagship gives a robust business management portal where you can monitor your transactions online. There’s also an offer of funding at sign up as well as cash advances nearing $150,000. Top of the list is the processing rate cover. This means that you receive a $200 AmEx gift card compensation if the service can’t offer the cheapest processing costs.

Best 7 Merchant Services

Best 7 Merchant Services

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