Best Credit Card Processing Companies

Stax offers one of the most complete integrated payments platforms we’ve seen. Stax merchant accounts include advanced eCommerce capabilities, mobile processing, subscription billing, inventory management, advanced invoicing and billing, and more.

Stax offers Clover POS equipment, and various other smart terminals and mobile readers. However, a lot of eCommerce businesses also use Stax, thanks to its excellent pricing for online transactions.

Stax offers month-to-month billing with no long-term contracts or early termination fees.

Other than the monthly fee and interchange fee, which you’ll pay with any processor, Stax’s per-transaction markup is just $0.08 to $0.15, depending on whether the transaction is card-present, online, or keyed-in.

Here’s what you can expect for the monthly fee:

• Process under $150/year (up to $12,500/month), and you’ll pay $99/month
• Process $150K-$250K/year (up to $20,833/month), and you’ll pay $139/month
• Process $250K-$500K/year (up to $41,667/month), and you’ll pay $199/month
• Process over $500K/year, and you’ll need to negotiate a custom quote

Clover Payments offers basic credit card processing services and support for a few alternate payment methods. Here are the highlights:

• Offers flat-rate pricing (custom pricing available for high-volume businesses)
• Full line of Clover hardware
• Access to Clover App Marketplace
• EBT acceptance (on some devices)
• Tap to Pay on iPhone
• eCheck processing
• Scan-to-Pay QR code payments (Clover Dining plan only)
• Virtual terminal included

• 2.3%-2.6% + $0.10/in-person transaction (through Clover Payments)
• 3.5% + $0.10/keyed-in transaction (through Clover Payments)
• Variable processing fees (through Fiserv or Fiserv ISO)
• Variable monthly and annual fees (through Fiserv or Fiserv ISO)
• $0.00-$89.95/month software subscription fee (for one device; monthly fee depends on software plan)

Note that while you can also obtain Clover’s terminals and POS systems through parent company Fiserv or its vast network of resellers, pricing, and contract terms will be highly variable.

For a more detailed breakdown of Clover’s various features and pricing options, please see our complete Clover pricing guide.

Helcim offers a robust suite of proprietary products and services to meet the needs of most retail or online businesses. The versatile Helcim Card Reader, in particular, is both affordable and can function as either a mobile card reader or countertop terminal. Helcim also provides an excellent suite of features for eCommerce, including hosted payment pages for secure online checkouts, menu embedding, and buy-now buttons.

Your Helcim account comes with a full range of essential payment processing features, including the following:

• Full-service merchant account
• Proprietary Helcim Card Reader or Helcim Smart Terminal for in-person payments
• Helcim Payments app for mobile processing
• Virtual terminal included with each account
• ACH transfers included with every account
• Helcim POS software (requires tablet, laptop, desktop, or Helcim Smart Terminal)
• Access to Helcim API for customized credit card payments

With no monthly account fee and no long-term contracts, Helcim offers one of the lowest points of entry to a full-service merchant account:

• Interchange + 0.40% + $0.08/card-present transaction (volume discounts available)
• Interchange + 0.50% + $0.25/card-not-present transaction (volume discounts available)
• Helcim Card Reader — $99/unit
• Helcim Smart Terminal — $329/unit
• No monthly or annual account fees
• No PCI compliance fees
• No monthly minimum

Host Merchant Services offers its own proprietary payment gateway and POS system, as well as a broad range of third-party alternatives. It’s also one of the few merchant services providers that include free web hosting for eCommerce businesses as a standard account feature. Prominent third-party features include the popular Authorize.Net payment gateway and the full line of Clover terminals and POS systems.

Here are some more highlights:

• Full-service merchant accounts
• Accepts most high-risk industries
• Full line of countertop and mobile credit card terminals
• “Free” terminal available to merchants processing over $20,000/month
• Vital and SwipeSimple mobile processing solutions
• Proprietary Bonsai POS system available
• Clover and Vital POS systems available
• Authorize.Net payment gateway
• Proprietary HMSExpress payment gateway
• Virtual terminal included
• Web hosting included with an account
• Cash discounting program available

• No application or setup fees
• $14.99/month account fee
• Interchange + 0.25% + $0.10/retail transaction
• Interchange + 0.20% + $0.09/restaurant transaction
• Interchange + 0.35% + $0.10/eCommerce transaction
• $5.00/month gateway fee (optional)
• $15 chargeback fee
• No PCI compliance fee
• No early termination fee

Some of Payment Nerds best features include multicurrency support to accept global payments, numerous eCommerce integrations, a cash discount program for businesses who want to pass along processing fees to customers, robust APIs for building your own customized solution, and more.

Payment Nerds’ pricing is simple and straightforward, with no monthly fee and flat-rate transaction fees:

Payment Nerds transaction fees vary depending on your company’s risk level:

Transaction fees are higher in certain situations:

Chase Payment Solutions offers a full range of products and services for most small online or retail businesses, including the following:

• Full-service merchant account
• Month-to-month billing with no long-term contracts
• Authorize.Net payment gateway
• Virtual terminal included with each account
• InstaMed integration
• Chase Card Reader or Chase POS Terminal for in-person payments
• Tap to Pay contactless mobile payments
• Same-day funding for Chase business bank account holders
• Level II/Level III credit card processing for B2B payments
• Support for international payments
• Send payment links via text or email
• Send invoices from your Chase bank account

Chase Payments Solutions offers small business owners a surprisingly good deal on credit card processing. If you sign up for the company’s standard plan, you’ll receive a full-service merchant account with flat-rate pricing and an array of products and services to run your business. If you buy your hardware outright, you’ll enjoy a month-to-month contract with no long-term commitment and no early termination fee. However, if you want to accept online payments, you’ll need to pay a monthly fee:

• $0 monthly fee for standard account
• $9.95+/month for eCommerce
• 2.6% + $0.10/card-present transaction
• 2.9% + $0.25/online transaction
• 3.5% + $0.10/keyed-in transaction
• Custom pricing also available
• No PCI compliance fee
• No gateway fee
• $99 Chase Card Reader
• $499 Chase POS Terminal
• $10/chargeback

Square has evolved from a basic, mobile-only processing solution to a full-featured payments ecosystem and now includes the following major features:

• Aggregated account for credit and debit card processing
• Mobile card reader (magstripe-only) included with each account
• EMV and NFC-capable card readers are available
• Square Register POS system available
• ACH processing included with every account
• Square Online for eCommerce businesses
• Tap to Pay on iPhone & Android
• Basic Square Invoices feature included at no extra cost
• Analytics and reporting available through Square Dashboard

Square charges various fees on various plans, but its core processing services are free. Here are some things to know about Square pricing:

• No setup or application fees
• $0/month for Square Free account ($29+/month for Square Plus accounts)
• 2.6% + $0.10/card-present transaction
• 2.9% + $0.30/online transaction
• 3.5% + $0.15/manually keyed-in transaction
• 3.3% + $0.30/invoice (on free plan)
• 1%/ACH transaction (minimum $1 charge)
• No ACH reject or chargeback fees
• Square Contactless & Chip Reader — $59 each
• Square Terminal — $299 (or $27/month for 12 months)
• Square Register — $799 (or $39/month for 24 months)

Note that Square keeps costs low by aggregating accounts together rather than issuing each user a unique Merchant ID number. Because of this, you won’t get a true full-service merchant account, but you will likely be quickly approved for an account. The trade-off is that there’s a higher chance that your account will be frozen or terminated without notice if fraud is suspected.

Stripe offers an extensive variety of standard and optional features, including one of the most customizable APIs in the industry. Here are the major features that Stripe has to offer:

• Stripe Payments integrated payments platform
• Stripe Virtual Terminal
• Stripe Radar anti-fraud protection
• Stripe Terminal API & card readers for card-present transactions
• ACH processing included with every account
• Extensive library of APIs and developer tools
• Broad support for international payments and local payment methods
• Many ancillary services for establishing and running your business

Like other payment service providers (PSPs), Stripe uses a pay-as-you-go billing model with flat-rate pricing and a general lack of monthly account fees for basic services.

Stripe’s pricing details are as follows:

• No monthly fees for a basic account
• 2.9% + $0.30/online credit/debit transaction (+0.5% for manually entered transactions)
• 2.7% + $0.05/in-person credit/debit transaction via Stripe Terminal
• +1.5% for international cards
• +1% for currency conversion (if required)
• 0.8%/ACH direct debit transaction ($5.00 maximum)
• 1.2%/ACH direct debit transaction (two-day settlement)
• $1.00/ACH credit payment
• $1.50/instant bank account validation
• Additional fees for optional add-on services

Please refer to our full breakdown of Stripe’s pricing for additional details.

National Processing offers great service and pricing to small businesses. Key features include the following:

• Offers full-service merchant accounts
• “Free” credit card reader or terminal available
• Offers ACH and eCheck processing as an add-on
• Offers flat-rate pricing (or custom pricing for merchants processing over $30,000/month)
• Offers a variety of Clover and PAX terminals and POS systems
• No long-term contract if processing hardware is purchased outright
• Choice of proprietary National Processing Gateway or Authorize.Net

One point of caution with National Processing is that the “free” equipment offered with some of these plans also comes with long-term contract obligations, so make sure you know what you’re getting into if you decide to go that route. Fortunately, the company offers many exceptions to its early termination penalties if you promptly return any “free” equipment. You usually won’t have to worry about getting hit with an ETF if you close or sell your business. In fact, National Processing will usually only charge you an ETF if you cancel service to switch to a competitor.

• $9.95 or $19/month account fee (Basic In-Person, Basic eCommerce, or Advanced plans)
• $0.00/month for cash discounting program (optional)
• 2.5% + $0.10/in-person transaction (2.41% + $0.10 on Advanced Plan)
• 2.9% + $0.30/online transaction
• 3.5% + $0.15/keyed-in transaction

In addition to being one of the most ethical and transparent providers in the processing industry, Dharma Merchant Services offers a complete line of services for small and large businesses. Here are the highlights:

• Full-service merchant accounts through Fiserv or TSYS
• MX Merchant integrated payment platform
• Choice of Authorize.Net or MX Merchant payment gateways
• QuickPay virtual terminal
• Full line of credit card terminals, including Verifone Engage V200c, Fiserv FD-150, Ingenico Desk/5000, Dejavoo Z11, and other models
• MX B2B app for B2B processing
• Full line of Clover POS systems
• Credit card surcharging (no-fee, zero-cost credit card processing) program available

• $20/month account fee ($15/month for nonprofits)
• Interchange + 0.15% + $0.08/card-present transaction (volume discounts available)
• Interchange + 0.10% + $0.08/card-present transaction (qualified nonprofits)
• Interchange + 0.20% + $0.11/card-not-present transaction (volume discounts available)
• Interchange + 0.10% + $0.11/card-not-present transaction (qualified nonprofits)
• No gateway fees with MX Merchant
• $10/month for recurring billing (MX Merchant)
• $20/month for B2B processing (MX Merchant)
• No annual fee
• No PCI compliance fees
• No monthly minimum
• $49 account closure fee

Our guide for nonprofit payment processing discounts has more information for charities looking to save money on credit card acceptance.

PaymentCloud is primarily a high-risk specialist, but offers a full range of services to low-risk businesses as well. Highlights include the following:

• Mobile processing solution available
• Virtual terminal included
• Authorize.Net, NMI, or USAePay payment gateways are available
• ACH and eCheck processing are available
• Paysley QR-code payment service available

Like most high-risk specialists, the company doesn’t disclose any standardized processing rates. You’ll have to get a quote from the sales team and do a little negotiating to see how the company’s offer stacks up against other providers. Here is what you need to know about PaymentCloud’s pricing:

• No account setup fee
• No monthly minimum (low-risk accounts)
• Interchange + 0.05%-0.30% + $0.08-$0.10 per transaction (low-risk accounts)
• Processing rates vary by acquiring bank/back-end processors (high-risk accounts)
• $15/month account fee (low-risk accounts)
• Account fees vary by the acquiring bank/back-end processor (high-risk accounts)

While the company’s services are geared more toward eCommerce businesses, it also provides a full range of offerings for retail merchants. The company also offers top-notch customer service and support. Key services include the following:

• Offers full-service merchant accounts
• A hybrid risk structure lowers the chance of a held transaction
• High-risk processing (some industries)
• Free terminal with each account (requires $79 annual maintenance fee)
• Offers proprietary Quantum payment gateway or Authorize.Net
• PastePay Cloud POS software
• Includes virtual terminal

All of CDGcommerce’s pricing plans come with month-to-month contracts. There’s no long-term commitment and no early termination penalty for closing your account.  CDGcommerce does not charge account setup fees, PCI compliance fees, or a monthly minimum. Here are some more details of CDGcommerce’s pricing:

• $0.00 monthly fee (Simple, One Rate plan)
• 2.90% + $0.30/in-person transaction (Simple, One Rate plan)
• 3.50% + $0.30/online transaction (Simple, One Rate plan)
• $19-$49 monthly fee (Interchange-Plus plan)
• Interchange + 0.25% + $0.10/in-person transaction (Interchange-Plus plan)
• Interchange + 0.30% + $0.15/online transaction (Interchange-Plus plan)
• Interchange + 0.20% + $0.10/transaction (qualified nonprofits)

CDGcommerce also offers a choice of four membership pricing plans for high-volume businesses. Rates are as follows:

Using talech as its POS and eCommerce provider, U.S. Bank’s features are quite comprehensive, and best suited for small, mobile or brick-and-mortar businesses that may or may not have some online component, such as an online ordering website.

Some key features include:

• Dedicated merchant account
• 24/7/365 customer support
• Free mobile credit card reader
• Affordable POS hardware and software
• Online ordering website
• Virtual terminal with shopping cart integrations for eCommerce
• Tap to Pay on iPhone & Android
• Same-day funding for U.S. Bank business account holders
• Credit card surcharging program available
• Ability to send invoices via email or payment link
• Integrations with Authorize.Net, QuickBooks, Xero, and other business software
• Accept payments using Zelle

U.S. Bank Merchant Services’ monthly pricing ranges from $0-$99+ depending on your POS plan and equipment, with a month-to-month contract.

Flat-rate transaction pricing is as follows:

• In-person transactions (swipe, tap, insert): 2.6% + $0.10
• Manually keyed-in transactions: 3.5% + $0.15
• Online payments: 2.9% + $0.30
• Invoiced payments: 2.9% + $0.30

Hardware pricing starts at $0 with a free mobile reader, or if you need something a little more robust, you will pay $15/month for the talech smart terminal.

Fortunately, renting the smart terminal does not obligate you to use the service for any period of time, and you can close your account at any time without incurring a penalty. You can also purchase or rent full POS systems.

Here are some other important facts about U.S. Bank Merchant Services Pricing:

• Free mobile plan with free card reader
• No PCI compliance fees
• No early termination fee
• No account closure fee