Best for
Merchants in virtually any industry and of any size that are in need of payment processing services.
Specializes in
CardConnectDirect specializes in POS solutions for merchants in the retail space as well as in ecommerce and MOTO orders. This company also has mobile solutions for merchants who need to accept payments on the go.
Pricing Summary
Setup Fee: N/A
Monthly Fee: $19.95.
Swipe Rate: 2.32% + 0.25% + $0.07
Keyed-in Rate: 2.32% + 0.25% + $0.07
Early Termination Fee : variable
Contract Terms:
CardConnectDirect has been in business since 2010, and is a merchant account provider located in Fishers, Indiana.
This company previously operated under the names, Advocate Merchant Solutions and AdvoPay. It appears that it was rebranded to CardConnectDirect in 2016.
CardConnectDirect is a registered ISO of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Walnut Creek, CA and Deutsche Bank, New York, NY.
CardConnectDirect is a reseller for CardConnect, which is a large subsidiary of First Data, which is now known as Fiserv. This company is located in Fishers, Indiana, and William Wise is the founder and CEO.
This company has operated under several different DBAs in the past, including Wise Payment Systems, AdvoPay, and Advocate Merchant Solutions. In 2013, AdvoPay was honored on the Inc. 500 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies after having achieved 2,178% growth.
This company currently processes more than $1 billion in transactions every year. The CEO believes that transparency is the key to having a successful business, and according to the company’s About page on its website, it strives to ensure its merchant customers are always getting the best value for their money.
Head Quarters
11140 East 106th Street Fishers, IN 46037
Year Founded
2010
CEO
William Wise
Employees
Unknown
Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance
Works with all business types regardless of risk.
They have been in business for over twenty years.
Processes more than $1 billion each year.
Options for payment processing.
Half a dozen value-added services.
They use independent sales contractors with a reputation for deceptive sales tactics.
Five-year contract length.
Potential $1000 plus early termination fees.
Long waiting period for setup and business function.
D- rating on the Better Business Bureau website.
Hardware & Software
CardConnectDirect offers payment processing services through many different channels. Merchant customers can choose:
Mobile payment acceptance
POS systems
A virtual terminal
Integration with many ecommerce platforms
CardConnectDirect also offers SmartPay invoicing, which is its own proprietary invoicing software.
Value Added Services
CardConnectDirect provides several value added services for its merchant customers:
Next day loans
Online billing
Fraud management
Gift card program
CardConnect Vault for increased security and PCI compliance
Supported Payment Types & Services
CardConnectDirect offers support and payment processing services for virtually all major payment types, including:
Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express
ACH payments
Electronic checks
JCB
PIN-less debit cards
Gift cards
MOTO payments
Recurring billing services are also available through CardConnectDirect, and this is fully customizable.
Discloses All Important Terms
No
Public Pricing Available
No
CardConnectDirect offers a tiered pricing structure with the following rates:
Swiped and keyed-in rate: 2.32% + 0.25% + $0.07
Virtual terminal rate: 1.89% + $0.23 to 2.90% +$0.30
Gateway fee: $0
Payeezy Pro Plan fee: $19.95
Annual fee: $100 or more
Statement fee: $19 or more per month
PCI Compliance fee: $8.25 per month
Pricing Model
Tiered Pricing
Swiped Rate
2.32% + 0.25% + $0.07
Keyed-in Rate
2.32% + 0.25% + $0.07
Mobile Payment Rate
0
Virtual Terminal Rate
1.89% + $0.23 - 2.90% + $0.30
Monthly Fee
$19.95.
Payment Gateway Fee
0
Batch Fee
N/A
Early Termination Fee
variable
PCI Compliance Fee
$8.25 per month
Equipment Lease Terms
48 Month (locked)
Address Verification Service (AVS)
Unknown
Application Fee
N/A
Account Setup Fee
N/A
Gateway Setup Fee
N/A
Annual Fee
$100+
Monthly Minimum
$19.95.
Statement Fee
$7.50
Because CardConnectDirect is a reseller of CardConnect, its contract terms are likely to be quite similar.
Online reviews suggest that CardConnectDirect requires a five-year contract term that has cancellation fees that can exceed $1000. Equipment lease terms are locked for 48 months.
Contract Length
Unknown
Early Termination Fee
variable
The CardConnectDirect website has a page for its POS division that allows merchants to self-install their software. Merchants with their own existing systems should be able to integrate with this company for payment processing services relatively quickly.
Merchants who need to obtain new POS systems or hardware may have a 10-14-day waiting period until it arrives. Those who want to use a virtual gateway for payment processing will also have the option of almost immediate integration with the company’s API.
The CardConnectDirect website has customer support options that include dedicated email addresses and phone numbers for customer service. However, these lines of communication may be operated by First Data. The website’s Contact page also has a form merchants can fill out and send in.
BBB Rating
CardConnectDirect has a profile with the Better Business Bureau, but it is not an accredited business. The BBB website gives the company a rating of D- and it states that there have been 2 complaints closed in the last three years.
The two complaints that are listed on the website at the time of this writing are from former merchant customers. One described a sales agent that presented a 2-year contract option with a month-to-month contract after that. When the merchant decided to retire and canceled their contract, they were charged $750, which was not refunded.
The other complaint is regarding contract discrepancies and the company has refused to return any of the merchant’s calls.
Both of these reviews were not answered by the company on the BBB website.
Other Online Reviews
There are currently more than 10 negative reviews online for CardConnectDirect. These reviews cite problems canceling the service, high fees, long contracts, and non-cancelable equipment leases. There are also some reviews that accuse the company of being a scam.
BBB
D- and This Business is not BBB Accredited. (0 Reviews; 2 Complaints)
N/A
No Reviews
Yelp
N/A
Total Online Reviews
Unknown
Total Online Complaints
2+
Lawsuits
No
If you're in the market for a merchant account provider, be sure to check out our user reviews, our merchant accounts guide and our top popular merchant provider picks