ProMerchant credit card processing review 2024
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BLUEPRINT
Updated 12:19 p.m. UTC April 29, 2024
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ProMerchant
Pros
- Personalized customer support.
- Two competitive pricing models.
- Free equipment.
Cons
- Pricing information not listed on website.
- Limited complementary features.
- Limited time in business.
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Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of business products and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best product for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.
- 27 companies reviewed.
- 11 hours of product testing.
- 1,674 data points analyzed.
Featured credit card processing offers
Stax
Monthly fee
$99
Swiped transaction fee
7¢ to 10¢ + interchange rate
Merchant One
Monthly fee
$13.95
Swiped transaction fee
0.29% to 1.55% per transaction
Payment Depot
Free Trial
No
Offers
$0 Setup & No Cancellation Fees
Pricing
Customized Interchange+ Pricing – Rates as low as 0.2% – 1.95%
Clover
Monthly fee
$14.95
Swiped transaction fee
2.6% + 10¢
ProMerchant overview
Cape Payments, LLC does business as ProMerchant and was launched in 2018 by Kevin Murphy. The credit card processor is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and is run by a crew of about 50 employees. It offers credit card processing for brick-and-mortar, mail order, online and field service companies, including those in the restaurant, retail, phone/mail order and ecommerce industries. It also offers solutions for high-risk merchants.
ProMerchant specializes in offering catered solutions to each merchant and dedicated customer service. As a result, in the company’s five-year history, it has earned an overall positive reputation. The service provider has earned 4.9 out of five stars on TrustPilot, with 95% of reviewers giving five-star ratings. User reviews consistently focus on the brand’s top-notch customer service, stating sales and service representatives are patient, knowledgeable, understanding and work to offer personalized solutions.
However, out of the 188 reviews posted as of this writing, there were five complaints on TrustPilot in response to account holds and ProMerchant’s sales experience. Brand representatives responded to some of these negative reviews and reached out to each customer outside of the platform.
How much does ProMerchant cost?
| PROMERCHANT COST | |
|---|---|
Pricing structure
| Interchange-plus
|
Monthly fee
| $5.95
|
Online transaction fee
| 0.3% plus $0.10
|
Swiped/chipped transaction fee
| 0.3% plus $0.10
|
Keyed transaction fee
| 0.6% plus $0.10
|
Chargeback fee
| $25.00
|
Free equipment
| Yes
|
High-risk merchant
| Yes
|
ProMerchant credit card processing
ProMerchant’s credit card processing service lets you accept payments from major credit cards, such as Visa and Mastercard. Customers can use their card in person, over the phone or via mail, fax, text or email. They can also use digital wallets to pay in person.
ProMerchant offers quick access to payments made. Users receive next-day deposits for credit card transactions that clear before 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.
Transaction fees and pricing structure
Under the company’s interchange pricing model, ProMerchant users pay an interchange rate (what Visa or Mastercard charges), a fixed percentage rate and a transaction fee, plus a flat rate of $5.95 per month. Interchange pricing is available to all customers. The credit card processor offers month-to-month agreements with no cancellation or early termination fees. It does not offer a free plan or free trial.
Retail or restaurant businesses can also opt for Zero Cost Processing. Under this model, the fixed percentage rate gets passed on to your customers, saving you money in per-transaction fees.
With no pricing listed on its website, our team called ProMerchant for a quote. Here are the numbers we were quoted:
- Online transaction: 0.30% + $0.10
- Keyed transaction: 0.60% + $0.10
- Swiped or chipped transaction: 0.30% + $0.10
- Chargeback fees: $25 per chargeback.
ProMerchant is among the most affordable payment processing companies. For example, Intuit Payments’ per-transaction fees are considerably higher at 2.4% to 3.4% plus $0.25 per transaction, depending on payment type. In addition, ProMerchant’s monthly rate is one of the cheapest among competitors with monthly fees. For example, while ProMerchant charges $5.95 per month, Paysafe charges $7.95 per month, although with lower per-transaction rates.
Payment processing equipment
Notably, the company provides each merchant with free and custom processing solutions and overnights them to the merchant’s business, allowing them to begin processing credit cards within one to two business days.
Its equipment is suited to each business type, including custom solutions for restaurant, retail, phone/mail order, ecommerce, field-service, brick-and-mortar and high-risk merchants. Its equipment selection includes mobile readers, credit card terminals, smart terminals, virtual terminals, Clover point of sale (POS) systems and more.
For example, its restaurant hardware includes a credit card terminal and a smart terminal equipped to process digital wallets, chipped and swipe credit cards, debit cards with pin numbers and gift cards. It also offers printing, signature capture and tipping capabilities.
In addition, for field work companies, its mobile payments solution allows merchants to accept payments even when not connected to WiFi, process digital wallet payments from customers’ smartphones and collect e-signatures.
Features
ProMerchant offers free hardware, industry-specific solutions, low monthly fees and transaction rates, and low monthly fees and transaction rates. It also offers features some competitors do not. PayPal, for example, does not offer an extensive suite of POS systems and handheld readers, a feature ProMerchant does.
However, ProMerchant doesn’t provide some features competitors do, such as marketing tools, payroll processing or extensive accounting and bookkeeping tools. If such complementary features are important to you, consider Square, which offers marketing and payroll management tools, or Intuit Payments, which offers accounting and bookkeeping tools.
Who it’s best for
ProMerchant is best for companies needing personalized 24/7 customer service. User reviews consistently cite high satisfaction with ongoing customer service, stating that its support representatives are responsive, knowledgeable, patient and friendly when problems arise even after setup.
In addition, at $5.95 per month and online transaction rates of 0.30% plus $0.10, ProMerchant has a middle-line pricing structure that fits mid-sized businesses with moderate transaction volumes looking for low per-transaction fees to offset the cost of monthly fees.
ProMerchant customer support and experience
ProMerchant offers 24/7 customer support by phone. When you call to learn about its services, its sales representatives learn about your business and offer a customized solution, complete with free hardware. From there, you are assigned to a dedicated customer support team with a direct line to call with questions or issues. With very few exceptions, user reviews say this team is very personable, understanding, knowledgeable and responsive.
We emailed ProMerchant with a few questions. When we didn’t receive a reply by the end of the next business day, we called ProMerchant and were put on a brief hold. The representative that came on the line was friendly and willing to answer our questions but very motivated to make a sale.
ProMerchant’s website is straightforward to navigate, but essential details, such as per-transaction rates, are missing. Its FAQ section is also limited and is not complemented by a knowledge base with more in-depth information. In addition, if you want to reach out for more details, the standard hours a non-customer can call aren’t listed. The company also doesn’t offer a mobile app or an online chat feature.
ProMerchant vs. Square
| ONLINE TRANSACTION FEE | IN-PERSON TRANSACTION FEE | MONTHLY FEE | FREE EQUIPMENT | HIGH-RISK MERCHANT | BEST FOR | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 ProMerchant | 0.30% plus $0.10 | 0.30% plus $0.10 | $5.95 | Yes | Yes | Personalized customer service | ||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
 Square | 2.9% plus $0.30 | 2.6% plus $0.10 | $0 for first-tier plan | Yes | No | New brick-and-mortar businesses | ||||||||
|
ProMerchant and Square have two different pricing structures. While Square offers a no-upfront-cost plan with a free card reader, its interchange-plus rates are 2.9% plus $0.30, significantly higher than ProMerchant’s. However, while ProMerchant does offer free equipment, it charges $5.95 per month for an account. Its interchange-plus pricing offsets this monthly cost with an extremely competitive rate of 0.30% plus $0.10 for each transaction.
ProMerchant’s offerings are far more focused than Square’s. While Square offers a plethora of solutions to complement payment processing, such as marketing, payroll services, customer relationship management, loyalty programs and website templates, ProMerchant is strictly focused on payment processing. As such, its features focus on offering industry-specific payment solutions with fast account approvals and fast shipping of free hardware to suit each industry.
With dedicated support, catered solutions and low per-transaction rates, ProMerchant is best for companies that need catered service and that process consistently-moderate transaction volumes to make ProMerchant’s monthly fee worth it. Square, on the other hand, is best for startups that need a no-upfront-cost solution with complementary features to help them get their businesses running smoothly.
ProMerchant vs. Clover
| ONLINE TRANSACTION FEE | IN-PERSON TRANSACTION FEE | MONTHLY FEE | FREE EQUIPMENT | HIGH-RISK MERCHANT | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ProMerchant | 0.30% plus $0.10 | 0.30% plus $0.10 | $5.95 | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| ||||||||||||
 Clover | 2.6% plus $0.10 | 2.6% plus $0.10 | $14.95 | No | No | |||||||
|
ProMerchant and Clover offer similar pricing structures, with a monthly fee and interchange-plus per-transaction rates. However, ProMerchant’s pricing is considerably lower than Clover’s. ProMerchant’s rates are 0.30% plus $0.10 per online and in-person transaction versus Clover’s 2.6% plus $0.10 per transaction. Moreover, Clover’s monthly fee is almost three times that of ProMerchant’s. ProMerchant also offers free hardware and Clover does not.
However, Clover offers far more features than ProMerchant, including tools to run your business like inventory management, robust tracking and reporting, employee management tools, cash flow management solutions and customer engagement tools. In contrast, ProMerchant’s offerings stick strictly to payment processing tools and solutions, such as finding the right hardware and pricing structure based on your industry and payment processing methods. It does, however, offer analytics and reporting tools around your transactions.
The two are also differentiated in their standout features. ProMerchant offers 24/7 dedicated support with customer representatives who are highly trained to be empathetic and knowledgeable. Its customer reviews reflect this training, with an overwhelming majority of user reviews on TrustPilot raving about ProMerchant’s personalized and helpful customer support. Clover, in contrast, offers superior solutions catered for restaurants, including solutions built for quick service and full-service restaurants with tools to map tables and online ordering capabilities.
Therefore, ProMerchant is best for companies needing only payment processing solutions with superior customer service. Clover is best for restaurants needing catered solutions for in-store and online ordering and those that are willing to pay more to access complementary tools to keep their whole operations running smoothly.
Is ProMerchant right for your business?
ProMerchant’s biggest draws are competitive pricing, 24/7 customer support and a positive user reputation. It also offers low monthly and per-transaction fees compared to competitors like Square and Clover.
On the other hand, it focuses quite heavily on payment processing without all the tools for running different aspects of your business that some other providers offer, such as robust payroll processing, customer relationship management, marketing, bookkeeping, accounting and employee management tools. For these extra features, consider Intuit Payments or Square.
By our rating, ProMerchant wins the “best for personalized customer support” category. Upon account approval, it immediately offers access to a dedicated support team that will help you choose the pricing model that best suits your company. Then they quickly set up your new credit card processing system. Plus, its representatives are always available to answer questions throughout your relationship with the provider. User reviews back up this accolade with praises around ProMerchant’s responsive, friendly, patient and knowledgeable customer support representatives.
ProMerchant is a good fit for companies needing strictly a credit card processing solution with low per-transaction and monthly fees and superior customer support. However, other providers offer more business tools such as bookkeeping and marketing tools. If this is the case for you, read our Best Credit Card Processing Companies guide to find the best fit for your business needs.
Methodology
We extensively research the key competitors within an industry to determine the best products and services for your business. Our experts identify the factors that matter most to business owners, including pricing, features and customer support, to ensure that our recommendations offer well-rounded products that will meet the needs of various small businesses.
We collect extensive data to narrow our best list to reputable, easy-to-use products with stand-out features at a reasonable price point. And we look at user reviews to ensure that business owners like you are satisfied with our top picks’ services. We use the same rubric to assess companies within a particular space so you can confidently follow our blueprint to the best credit card processing.
Featured credit card processing offers
Stax
Monthly fee
$99
Swiped transaction fee
7¢ to 10¢ + interchange rate
Merchant One
Monthly fee
$13.95
Swiped transaction fee
0.29% to 1.55% per transaction
Payment Depot
Free Trial
No
Offers
$0 Setup & No Cancellation Fees
Pricing
Customized Interchange+ Pricing – Rates as low as 0.2% – 1.95%
Clover
Monthly fee
$14.95
Swiped transaction fee
2.6% + 10¢
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
To set up ProMerchant, call the company. Its sales representatives will devise a custom solution and pricing model for your business. Once your application is approved (usually within two to 24 hours), you’ll receive detailed instructions to set up your account. In addition, your payment processing equipment will be shipped to you overnight. Once you receive it, you will also have access to a dedicated support team for assistance as you set it up. ProMerchant doesn’t charge any set-up fees.
ProMerchant doesn’t offer a free trial. However, only a small handful of credit card processing companies we reviewed offer a free trial, such as Clover and Intuit Payments.
ProMerchant doesn’t require a contract. Instead, the company charges on a month-to-month basis and customers are free to close their accounts at any time without paying early termination fees.
ProMerchant offers three different Clover point-of-sale (POS) systems: Station, Mini and Flex. The station looks like a cash register and is best suited for large brick-and-mortar establishments. The Mini is also a full-service POS system, but it’s in a smaller housing. Finally, the Flex is a mobile, hand-held POS system. ProMerchant also offers credit card terminals from Ingenico (Desk 3500) and PAX (A920) and a Bluetooth credit card reader from PayAnywhere.
Yes, ProMerchant is safe and secure. We spoke to a customer service representative who confirmed that all transactions are encrypted. ProMerchant is also Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant, which means it adheres to data security standards set by the PCI Security Standards Council.
ProMerchant does support some integrations. For example, you can connect your QuickBooks account through Authorize.net. You can also add a virtual terminal to your website. However, many competitors offer far more integration options, such as Stripe, which offers hundreds of integrations for handling all aspects of payment processing and business operation management.
ProMerchant doesn’t offer add-on services like bookkeeping or accounting tool suites or solutions. Instead, the company specializes in credit card processing. For a credit card processor with lots of additional features and add-ons, including bookkeeping, accounting, payroll and marketing solutions, consider Square or Intuit Payments.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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