Best for
Companies of all sizes and low to moderate risk, looking to streamline their payment processing solutions with integrated hardware and software.
Specializes in
Providing a wide variety of terminals to suit individual merchant needs. They are a subsidiary of the US Alliance Group, which provides credit card payment processing from the transaction to the bank.
Pricing Summary
Setup Fee: $0
Monthly Fee: $9.50 Per Month
Swipe Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%
Keyed-in Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%
Early Termination Fee : $100 - $4,000+
Contract Terms:
Established in 1997.
The CEO is Fadi Cheikha.
The home office is located in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA.
Founded back in 1997, Electronic Cash Systems started as a terminal provider and expanded from there. A decade later, with their company greatly diversified, Fadi Cheikha created the US Alliance Group and dropped Electronic Cash Systems to being a subsidiary.
The company has continued to expand and now works with merchants across the country, as well as involving themselves with several non-profit groups through Aiden’s Whisper. Through this branch of the company they support Vera’s Sanctuary, Joy to Kids, The Priority Center, and countless other groups.
Electronic Cash Systems continues to specialize in terminals as they work with Clover, DejaVoo, and First Data. They offer multiple devices from each company.
The company seems to have moderate complaints over their twenty-plus years of existence, although there are no recent complaints on the Better Business Bureau website for the past three years. There are two lawsuits in progress at the time of this article.
Head Quarters
Rancho Santa Margarita, California
Year Founded
1997
CEO
Fadi Cheikha
Employees
10
Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance
Hardware and Software
Payment terminals are the focal point of Electronic Cash Systems. For any service beyond the sale of terminals, they refer a merchant to one of their associated businesses.
They work with DejaVoo, Clover, and First Data. Electronic Cash Systems offers multiple devices from these three companies and a single device from Verifone and Miura.
The first three companies offer a range of devices including register terminals, mobile terminals, phone jack terminals, and credit card processors that are compatible with existing hardware.
It appears their software is limited to the system loaded on individual terminals and apps for phone payments.
Value-Added Services
Electronic Cash Systems offers a wide variety of services aimed at building a merchant’s business.
Gift and loyalty cards
Remote Deposit Capture
Cash advances
ATM’s
The Payment Connection
Supported Payment Types and Services
Electronic Cash Systems accepts most major payment types available at this time.
Visa
Mastercard
Discover
American Express
Debit Cards
Touchless Payment
Gift Cards
Loyalty Cards
ACH Payments
Electronic Checks
Discloses All Important Terms
No
Public Pricing Available
No
There is no disclosure of cost for the terminals to be found on their website. An interested party would have to proceed with the contact forms before that information is revealed.
It is also not disclosed if the hardware can be purchased or if leasing is the only option. Based on complaints about early termination fees it can be deduced that leasing is the main way a merchant secures a terminal.
Early termination fees are the root of most complaints.
There is no mention in their literature of any other fees. However, it is safe to assume that there are fees involved with the leasing of the terminals.
Pricing Model
Tiered Pricing
Swiped Rate
1.00% - 4.99%
Keyed-in Rate
1.00% - 4.99%
Mobile Payment Rate
Virtual Terminal Rate
1.00% - 4.99%
Monthly Fee
$9.50 Per Month
Payment Gateway Fee
Undisclosed
Batch Fee
Undisclosed
Early Termination Fee
$100 - $4,000+
PCI Compliance Fee
Undisclosed
Equipment Lease Terms
48 Month (locked)
Address Verification Service (AVS)
Application Fee
Account Setup Fee
$0
Gateway Setup Fee
Annual Fee
Monthly Minimum
Undisclosed
Statement Fee
Undisclosed
There is no discussion of contracts. Based on the mention of leases in reviews it is evident that there are contracts. Furthermore, based on simple math it can be deduced that they offer a 48-month lease.
It is unknown whether this is the only term of the lease or if they offer different packages.
Contract Length
3 Years
Early Termination Fee
$100 - $4,000+
It appears that setup time varies. Mobile payment processors can be set up as quickly as a merchant can download the app on their phone and enter the proper information.
Ordering terminals can take up to 14 days to arrive. It appears that they come fully loaded with the software, so the setup looks to be relatively fast once the terminal plugs into the POS system and boots.
There are two telephone numbers with clear directions for what type of support a merchant is seeking. There are no set hours on the contact page, so it may be possible that they have a 24-hour helpline available for customers.
BBB Rating
A+
There are no complaints filed within the past three years.
Other Online Reviews
There are multiple negative reviews to be found online, however, they seem to be sprinkled out over the company’s twenty-four-year history. Most of the reviews seem to revolve around the company’s early termination fees. These fees can be in the thousands of dollars.
BBB
A+ and has been Accredited since 2019.
No Reviews
No Recommendations Yet
Yelp
No Reviews
Total Online Reviews
50+
Total Online Complaints
35+
Lawsuits
None
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