Forte Payment Systems Review

Rates and Fees
80/100
Truth in Advertising
85/100
Consumer Reviews
80/100
Customer Support
90/100
4

Best for

Merchants that are interested in finding straightforward payment processing services for all types of payments.

Specializes in

Forte Payment Systems specializes in providing straightforward payment processing services through an integrative platform that is designed to scale with merchants as their businesses grow.

Pricing Summary

Setup Fee: N/A

Monthly Fee: N/A

Swipe Rate: Unknown

Keyed-in Rate: Unknown

Early Termination Fee : $99

Contract Terms:

1 Year
Visit Forte Payment Systems

Forte Payment Systems was once known as ACH Direct, and the company was founded in 1998.

In 2013, ACH Direct became Forte Payment Systems as a part of a new marketing direction with new services.

This company also did business as Federal Payments at one point in time, and the company uses the word “omnichannel” to describe its multi-faceted approach to payment processing.

Forte Payment Systems Overview

 

Forte Payment Systems is headquartered in Allen, Texas, and has done business under the names Federal Payments and ACH Direct in the past. The company offers omnichannel payments, which means that it can accept all types of payments via every channel, including ACH payments with mobile processing.

This company’s website lists its name as CSG Forte. Its About Us page mentions utilizing a unified payments platform to assist customers in growing their businesses quickly through smart payment scaling.

Forte Payment Systems has partnered with some of the leading software providers in multiple industries to deliver various services to their merchant customers. These services include payment processing, business automation and more.

Quick Facts

Head Quarters

500 W Bethany Dr Suite 500, Allen, TX 75013, United States

Year Founded

1998

CEO

Jeff Thorness

Employees

Unknown

Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance

Low Risk Businesses

What We Like

Live, easily-reachable customer service.

A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau website.

Bill presentment services.

What We Don't Like

Charges an early termination fee.

Does not properly disclose monthly fees and surcharges on their website.

Industries Served

  • Online Sellers

Business Types Served

  • Ecommerce
  • Online

Forte Payment Systems Products & Services

 

Hardware & Software

Forte Payment Systems utilizes a cloud-based uniform payment platform called Dex. Dex increases operational efficiency and streamlines payment management. It also can aid in monitoring transactions, disputes, reports and analytics.

Forte Payment Systems offers the following:

A payment gateway
Mobile payment capability
Shopping cart checkout
Check verification
NSF check recovery
Bill presentment
POS systems
Credit/debit card terminals
Printers
Cables

Value Added Services

Bill presentment is a service that not many payment processing services offer, but Forte Payment Systems advertises it as “The Future of Billing.”

BillPay is a portal that allows merchants to manage each transaction in a secure, hosted area. It provides self-service capabilities for customers that allows merchants to accept online bill payments.

Forte Payment Systems can also assist merchants with optimizing their revenue and payment and identity validation.

Supported Payment Types & Services

Forte Payment Systems payment gateways can allow merchants to have the ability to accept all types of payments, including:

All four major credit cards
Debit cards
ACH payments
Electronic check payments
Mobile payments
Online payments
MOTO payments
Bill payments

Through Forte Payment Systems, merchants can process EMV chip card payments, magstripe card payments and contactless payments.

Forte Payment Systems Payment Processing

  • Credit Card Processing
  • Credit Card Terminals
  • Debit Card Processing
  • Mobile Commerce
  • Mobile Payments App
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Gateway

Forte Payment Systems Billing & Invoicing

  • Mobile Payments
  • Online Invoicing
  • Online Payments

Forte Payment Systems Advertising & Sales

 
Forte Payment Systems does use some mildly deceptive marketing tactics on its website. The company uses a chart that compares its services to PayAnywhere, PayPal, Square and Intuit Payments, but it leaves out information about certain aspects of the pricing, including monthly fees and surcharges.

The company does not appear to work with independent resellers or sales agents and has listings on its website for sales positions that are currently open.

Forte Payment Systems is not completely upfront about marketing, which seems to be done mostly through referrals and through the company website, but its FAQ section lists information about pricing.

Truth in Marketing

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Public Pricing Available

No

Forte Payment Systems Pricing, Rates & Fees

 

Forte Payment Systems offers interchange-plus pricing, which the company refers to as the Select+ package, for merchants with larger volumes. Small businesses have access to flat rate pricing, or their standard package.

For the standard plan, the rate for Visa, Mastercard and Discover payments is 2.75% + $0.25. The rate for American Express transactions is 3.5% + $0.25 per transaction. These rates apply to both card-present and card-not-present transactions.

Other fees include:

Application fee - $75
Chargeback fee - $25
PCI compliance fee - $8 per month
PCI non-compliance fee - $30 per month

Pricing at a Glance

Pricing Model

Interchange Plus

Swiped Rate

Unknown

Keyed-in Rate

Unknown

Mobile Payment Rate

Unknown

Virtual Terminal Rate

N/A

Monthly Fee

N/A

Payment Gateway Fee

N/A

Batch Fee

N/A

Early Termination Fee

$99

PCI Compliance Fee

Unknown

Equipment Lease Terms

Unknown

Address Verification Service (AVS)

Unknown

Application Fee

$75

Account Setup Fee

N/A

Gateway Setup Fee

N/A

Annual Fee

N/A

Monthly Minimum

Unknown

Statement Fee

N/A

Forte Payment Systems Contract & Terms

Forte Payment Systems advertises 1-year contracts with all of its merchant customers. If a merchant decides to cancel their account before the year is over, a $99 early termination fee will be assessed at that time.

There is no additional information available on the Forte Payment Systems website regarding contracts and terms.

Contract Length

1 Year

Early Termination Fee

$99

Forte Payment Systems Setup & Support

 

The Forte Payment Systems website has a section that is dedicated to developers. While there is no indication on the site about how long the underwriting process may take, some merchants may be able to start accepting payments very quickly when they choose this company for payment processing.

Forte Payment Systems appears to be very conscientious about attending to their merchant customers’ needs. The company offers live customer service, which is available by email, phone or chat. This company is also very active on social media and often addresses merchant questions on Facebook and Twitter.

Setup Highlights

  • Documentation / Knowledge Base

Support Highlights

  • Domestic Phone Support (Business Hours)
  • Email Support

Forte Payment Systems Complaints, Ratings & Reviews

BBB Rating

Forte Payment Systems has an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau website. The company’s accreditation dates back to 2014. Its profile has had seven complaints and one negative review on the BBB website. There are no positive reviews.

The negative reviews indicated that the company attempted to collect funds that were not owed, unauthorized withdrawals and accounts that were canceled without warning.

Other Online Reviews

Forte Payment Systems has other reviews online, including 10 Google reviews. The company has received 2.8 out of 5 stars on Google, and it does have one complaint on the Ripoff Report website that mentions contract terms that were not upheld.

Ratings

BBB

A+ and has been Accredited since 2014. (0 Reviews; 17 Complaints)

Google

2.4 Stars / 34 Reviews

Facebook

No Reviews

Yelp

N/A

Reviews

Total Online Reviews

Unknown

Total Online Complaints

17+

Lawsuits

No

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