Global Payments Review

Pros

• Comprehensive line of products and services
• Broad support for international merchants
• Interchange-plus pricing available

Cons

• No pricing disclosures on the website
• Requires standard three-year contract with automatic renewal clause
• Contract includes early termination fee
• Extensive use of independent sales agents
• Expensive for low-volume merchants
• High complaint volume

What Is Global Payments?

Global Payments is a major merchant services provider headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the largest credit card processors in the world, it serves over 4.6 million merchants in 41 countries worldwide.

Unfortunately, large, direct processors often don’t work well for small businesses. High prices, rigid contract terms, and poor customer support frequently make them a poor choice for merchants who don’t have the leverage to negotiate better terms.

Although Global Payments operates in North America, Europe, Brazil, and the Asia-Pacific region, its US website provides only a limited overview of the company’s products and services. Pricing and contract terms are not disclosed at all.

Under our small business-focused rating criteria, Global Payments receives a below-average overall score. While a larger business might be able to negotiate a good deal with the company, we don’t recommend it to small or medium-sized businesses. Check out our guide to the best credit card processors for small businesses for some superior alternatives.

Products & Services

Global Payments offers a full range of payment services for in-person, online, and mobile transactions. The website provides a very basic introduction to each of these services, but you’ll have to talk to a sales representative for specifics. Here’s an overview to get you started:

Fees & Rates

Global Payments does not disclose any pricing information on its website. Your Global Payments rates and fees are negotiable, so don’t be afraid to haggle a bit. If you’re not sure what to ask about, check out our guide to credit card processing fees and rates.

Pricing Overview

The company generally offers either interchange-plus or membership pricing to all new merchants, even small business owners. However, it doesn’t disclose this policy on its website.

There’s always the possibility (particularly with an independent sales agent) that you’ll be offered a more expensive tiered pricing plan if you don’t insist on interchange-plus.

Monthly Plans

You will also have a monthly account fee that will be charged whether you use your account during a given month or not. This is in contrast to payment service providers (PSPs) like Square, which typically offer flat-rate pricing and no monthly fee.

Extra Costs

Global Payments doesn’t disclose any of the specific fees that you’ll have to pay to maintain your account or pricing for optional add-on services, so be sure to inquire about these before signing up. Sales agents throughout the processing industry are notorious for pushing additional services — some of which you might actually need — but neglecting to mention that there’s an additional fee to add them to your account.

One fee that’s been the subject of numerous merchant complaints is that Global charges a large annual account maintenance fee. We can’t emphasize enough how critically important it is to thoroughly review every word of your contract before you sign up to uncover these “hidden” fees.

Sales & Advertising Transparency

Global Payments doesn’t engage in much direct-to-customer marketing, and the company’s US website offers little specific information beyond the usual marketing fluff. Global employs both in-house sales staff and independent agents, so the sales experience is not very standardized.

The company’s broad use of ISOs and heavy reliance on independent sales agents results in many different pricing plans being pitched by different representatives. In negotiating with sales agents, remember that verbal promises mean absolutely nothing. Many providers even include clauses in their contracts expressly disavowing any verbal assurances made by their agents. You must read your entire contract and application very carefully to protect yourself from unpleasant surprises down the road.

On a positive note, Global’s website does not appear to include any of the misleading sales gimmicks commonly found on the sites of other merchant service providers.

Contract Length & Early Termination Fee

Merchant accounts from Global Payments include a standard three-year initial term, plus an automatic renewal clause that extends the contract for one-year periods after that. The standard contract also contains an early termination fee (ETF) that you’ll have to pay if you close your account early. Some contracts also include a liquidated damages clause that can result in an even higher penalty for getting out of your contract.

Fortunately, there’s room for negotiation with these standardized terms, and you certainly should attempt to obtain a waiver of the early termination clause, at least. Be sure to get it in writing and keep a copy for your records. While a waiver of the ETF removes the penalty for closing your account, it’s not the same thing as true month-to-month billing. You’ll still need to provide adequate notice and follow the instructions in your contract to close your account. Failure to do so could result in the company continuing to charge you monthly and annual account fees even after your account is no longer in use. We’ve seen a disturbing number of complaints from merchants who’ve had this happen to them.

Customer Service & Technical Support

Global Payments offers 24/7 telephone and email-based customer service to its US-based merchants. Existing customers can also log into their Merchant Portal to view the status of support requests and payment disputes.

Merchant feedback indicates that users are assigned a dedicated account manager when they sign up. While there are advantages to having a single point of contact within the company, many merchants indicated that this created problems when customer service representatives were unwilling to fix a problem without approval from the account manager, resulting in delays in resolving issues.

We also continue to see a fair number of complaints regarding the quality of Global’s customer service. While the company seems to have taken positive steps to improve in this area, it appears that merchants are still encountering problems. Unfortunately, poor customer service is one of the most common complaints against the payments processing industry in general.

User Reviews & Complaints

Here’s a closer look at Global Payments user reviews.

Final Verdict On Global Payments

With a company like Global Payments, the name speaks for itself. Global undoubtedly runs a large, successful, and highly capable payment processing business. However, just because a business is successful does not mean that it’s a good proposition for all of its customers.

If you run a large business that needs access to more specialized resources and services than a smaller provider can offer (for example, support for international payments), it might be worth looking into Global Payments. For smaller businesses, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

Despite being one of the largest processors in the industry, Global Payments earns a below-average score according to our criteria. The company’s long-term contracts with expensive cancellation penalties, poor sales practices, and reputation for below-average customer support make it a poor choice for most small businesses.

If you’re looking for a credit card processor that offers international payment support, check out our guide to the best international payment processors for small businesses for some great recommendations.

Credit Card Processor Review Methodology

We evaluate and test each payment processor that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on certain key characteristics in order to generate our granular ratings for merchant accounts and credit card processors.

For payment processing reviews, we use a 24-point rubric to evaluate the provider. First, we look at pricing structure – interchange plus, subscription-based, tiered, or hybrid – giving the most points to providers that provide fair, transparent pricing and docking those that rely on tiered models. Then we examine rates, the presence and transparency of early termination fees, and any additional fees.

We also look at contract length and fairness and test out sales staff and customer service channels ourselves to ensure that the company uses reputable, above-the-board sales techniques. Finally, we take the company’s online reputation into account, reading customer reviews and comments.

Read more about how we rate payment processors.

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With Helcim, you get everything you need to accept credit card payments online or in-person with a free account, plus high-quality support from real humans. Start For Free.