ProMerchant: Transforming Payments For Expanding Businesses

Is ProMerchant Still in Business?

It has been reported that ProMerchant closed their doors on April 1st, 2024. In 2021, they were acquired by Waitr, Inc., a food ordering and delivery business; Waitr has since rebranded as ASAP Inc. in a bid to diversify its service image. That company has now filed for bankruptcy to liquidate its holdings and ceased all operations. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the company prior to its closing, our original review is below.

ProMerchant at a Glance

ProMerchant is a credit card processing solution known for its fast and easy application approval. They offer many merchant service tools that cater to different types and sizes of businesses. They have specially tailored solutions for retail, e-commerce, mail and phone orders, and restaurants. They strive to offer you payment flexibility by processing in-store, phone, mail, and online transactions.

The company aims to provide fast and reliable processing, 24/7 customer support, affordable rates, and up-to-date technology. ProMerchant provides month-to-month service with no setup, application, or cancellation fees, offering flexibility for small businesses. It caters to nontraditional businesses with robust processing solutions and transparent pricing, making it suitable for high-risk industries such as vape shops or gambling venues. ProMerchant's offerings focus on providing industry-specific payment solutions with fast account approvals and quick payment access. While ProMerchant is a relatively new company, it has established a reputation for safe and secure transactions, offering fraud protection, end-to-end encryption, and NFC technology.

ProMerchant is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has an A+ rating. They are recognized by some of their industry peers and were named the best credit card processor for three years by paymentprocessing.com.

ProMerchant's Features & Offerings

This company provides targeted solutions to suit different types of businesses. Some of these solutions may be the same, such as those for retail and restaurant merchant accounts, which all surround the card terminal functionalities. They may also differ in significant ways, such as in the case of e-commerce, mobile businesses, and phone and mail-order companies. That being said, they generally offer a suite of merchant services to comprehensively address all your payment processing and management needs. They are as follows:

• Mobile functionality: If you run your business on the go, they will allow you to accept payments using a mobile device even if you don't have internet access with a Bluetooth card reader. In addition, you may use the PayAnywhere app to accept mobile payments and manage account activity and monthly statements. The app can also send electronic receipts, display transaction history, and create sales prompts that include sales tax and tip amounts
• Virtual terminal: By partnering with Authorize.Net or Payments Hub, ProMerchant allows you to take keyed-in transactions by any method— email, phone, mail, or text message. It also allows for automatic billing, automated invoicing, and valuable integrations
• Hardware: They have two categories of free portable hardware tools: those that suit restaurants or retail stores and those made for mobile sales. The former gives you a choice between a standard and a smart touch-screen terminal, which promises super-fast, easy, and secure transactions with NFC and e-signature capabilities. As for mobile, they provide a smaller Bluetooth card reader that works in conjunction with the mobile app, which offers much of the same capabilities as the larger terminals. ProMerchant also offers POS products from Clover that integrate seamlessly with ProMerchant's system and which have all the functionality of the card terminals on top of QR code scanning, accepting cash transactions, comprehensive employee management functions, marketing and productivity app functionality, and detailed cloud analytics in a larger and higher resolution interface
• Analytics and reporting: Their platform, as provided by such partners as Authorize.Net, allows you to keep track of all transaction information, including payment, shipping, refund, and billing info, and so on. You can also sync your data to Quickbooks to process it for accounting purposes
• Integrations: ProMerchant integrates with POS software, such as that from Clover, and some accounting software and payment gateways, including Intuit QuickBooks Online, Authorize.Net, and Payments Hub

ProMerchant Credit Card Processor Top Perks

The solutions presented by ProMerchant are designed to bring the best value to many merchant industries. They do so in the following ways:

• Hardware options: Not only do they supply you with a free terminal from the get-go, but they also can provide you with a variety of Clover POS products that seamlessly integrate into their system
• Easy setup and no cancelation fees: The company can approve your account within 2 to 24 hours. Additionally, credit card acceptance can be done within 48 hours without compromising the integrity of the setup process
• Accept high-risk businesses: It can be challenging for high-risk industries, particularly those in untested fields, to find a dependable credit card processor to safeguard payment processing. ProMerchant seems to understand the inherent difficulties and offers robust solutions with fraud mitigation tools to high-risk merchants such as airlines, bitcoin merchants, credit repair, charities, employment agencies, and insurance companies, among many others
• Month-to-month agreements: ProMerchant is transparent when it comes to the pricing options, and according to the company, the credit card processor plans don't require any long commitment or cancelation fees, in case you've changed your mind
• Dedicated support: They offer their customer service through various methods and even assign you an account director that can answer any query you may have

Why You Might Not Choose ProMerchant

While there is much to recommend ProMerchant's services, they may not suit everyone. Here are a few reasons why you may not choose them as your payment processor:

• Lack of pricing transparency: Although they name their pricing models, they don't share specific percentages or rates. You have to get in touch with them to inquire. Also, there are reports that rates may change without sufficient warning, which may not be the case if they were better documented
• Do not list all integrations: Aside from the two payment gateways and syncing with Quickbooks, this company does not specify all possible integrations with their system. This may lead to workflow issues with your existing POS product or productivity software
• Lack of proprietary hardware and analytics: Much like integrations, they do not detail their analytics and reporting features. This is likely because those features come bundled with third-party hardware tools, meaning that they have less control over their offerings-- aside from apps that can be loaded on them. However, even the PayAnywhere app comes from a third-party

ProMerchant Credit Card Processor Costs

ProMerchant doesn't advertise clear plans or costs on their website. However, they list two pricing plans that use different billing models, one of which may appeal more to you than the other based on your business type and level of revenue. Those are:

• Interchange plus fixed rate: This works out to a fixed percentage rate for each transaction, along with a transaction fee. The interchange plus fixed percentage is suitable for small businesses because the rates remain stable, allowing for predictable expenses. It aims to simplify pricing models by using a flat rate for all cards, avoiding confusion between standard and debit cards
• Zero cost processing: With this option, you can pass on the processing fees to your customers as a surcharge. You would still have to pay a monthly fee, however. This is recommended for restaurants and retail businesses

Both options are taken on a month-to-month basis, which they promise to come with no hidden fees, but the actual costs will only be revealed if you request a quote.

Security & Compliance

ProMerchant prioritizes data security and compliance in all its services and hardware. Its offerings are fully compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the highest data security standard for the payment card industry. ProMerchant's software and hardware solutions provide end-to-end encryption, fraud protection services, and NFC technology to ensure secure payment information and mitigate security issues. Here is how their software partnerships and hardware ensure compliance with security standards:

• Authorize.Net and Payments Hub: Their solutions take the security of customer information very seriously. To ensure the safety of customer data, we use an incredibly high level of encryption and security protocols that meet and exceed the PCI DSS compliance standards
• Ingenico Desk 3500: This credit card terminal is EMV-compliant and PCI-PTS 5.x certified. This means that it allows for chip-based credit card acceptance and uses the latest cryptographic schemes with future-proof key lengths to ensure the highest level of security possible
• PAX A920: Similar to the Desk 3500, this terminal is EMV-compliant, and its smart mobile device functionality allows it to store all transaction data on a secure cloud
• Clover POS products: These have similar compliance features as the above terminals, as well as fingerprint login and the ability to install apps

The company also requires its merchants to complete annual self-certification, demonstrating their commitment to maintaining PCI compliance. These features reflect ProMerchant's dedication to safeguarding customer data and reducing liability for businesses. Despite being a relatively new company, ProMerchant's emphasis on PCI compliance, fraud protection, and encryption highlights its commitment to data security and integrity.

User Experience

This company seems to enjoy an excellent reputation among its customers. It garners a very high 4.8 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot. On the other hand, there are no other online forums with customer reviews besides the two found on BBB's page for the company.

The consensus is that ProMerchent's customer service and sales representatives are highly responsive, patient, and helpful and may even advocate for you in case of disputes. Customers reported being given a lot of information and walked through setup and any issues they had. One customer specifically praised their account director for the thorough education they gave the client about processing fees. Many customers found the setup process itself to be quick and painless as a result.

Higher-risk customers who had difficulty getting their extremely new or high-risk businesses a credit card processing account elsewhere loved that ProMerchant patiently accepted them and guided them through everything.

A few reviewers also praised the system's general ease of use, customizability, data security, and ability to accept most cards and send invoices. A few customers even found that they saved money on rates.

Critical feedback

Not all feedback is good, however. One reviewer reported being given a POS system that did not work well with the rest of their system or mobile devices, and a few complained about receiving inadequate support with this issue. As for pricing, one reviewer did complain about the company not being transparent with their costs and having a good amount of hidden fees, while another said that they changed their rates without prior warning.

On rare occasions, reviewers reported significant issues. One customer said their bank account was put on hold due to a mismatch in the details and, despite submitting the necessary paperwork multiple times, was unable to retrieve their money and close the account. Another stated that their sales rep stopped being available after the contract was signed, and their rates ended up being much higher than promised (effectively 30%). When that client escalated the issue and tried to cancel, customer service promised an explanation and to waive fees— but to no follow through.

No complaints are lobbied against ProMerchant on BBB, so we cannot comment on their responsiveness to those. That said, they do not reply to negative reviews, as other companies might.

ProMerchant Customer Support

ProMerchant has many customer support options. You can reach them by calling 1-888-712-3316 or filling out a contact request form on their website. Once you sign up, they set you up with a dedicated account director whom you would contact directly.

There's also an FAQ page full of helpful information that you may consult.

Final Verdict

ProMerchant is a versatile credit card processing solution that offers two fee rating options that fit different types of merchant businesses. Their services are suitable for a wide range of industries and companies of all sizes, including many thought to be of higher risk, and often come with free card terminals. They do not require any upfront fees or long-term commitments or incur cancellation fees.

There's certainly a lot to recommend them, but their products also have drawbacks. For example, like many other providers in the market, ProMerchant does not disclose its pricing criteria on its website, making it difficult to estimate the overall cost. You'll need to contact their customer support team to discuss the right solution for your business. Also, their analytics, reporting, and tool integration capabilities may not be as robust as their competitors, perhaps owing to their relatively young age as a company.

We recommend you do your due diligence when deciding between the various merchant account providers. Read our credit card processor reviews to learn more about them. Then, compare your favorites, pressure-free, before contacting them for quotes. With so many great options, we're confident you'll find one that perfectly complements your business.

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