1st Americard Review

Rates and Fees
50/100
Truth in Advertising
50/100
Consumer Reviews
50/100
Customer Support
50/100
3

Best for

High-risk businesses in need of merchant services, although rates and fees may be higher for these companies.

Specializes in

Providing credit card processing and cash advances to high-risk businesses, including those that operate from home rather than a brick and mortar location.

Pricing Summary

Setup Fee: $0

Monthly Fee: Undisclosed

Swipe Rate: Variable

Keyed-in Rate: Variable

Early Termination Fee : Variable

Contract Terms:

Variable
Visit 1st Americard

1st Americard is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was founded in 1999.

They offer credit card processing services for merchants as well as cash advances.

1st Americard works with high-risk merchants, including those who have only been in business for a short time and those that are at-home businesses.

1st Americard Overview

 

1st Americard was founded in 1999, and it is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They offer merchant services including credit card processing and cash advances. 1st Americard is a registered ISO of Wells Fargo Bank.

There is very little information available on 1st Americard online. Their contract terms are variable, and they are a relatively small company with only 8 employees. They serve several industries, including:

Clothing and apparel
Convenience stores
Electronics
Gas stations
Healthcare organizations
Moving companies
Personal services
Restaurants and bars
Travel

They work with customers who want to accept mobile payments, online payments and other types of payment processing.

1st Americard has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, but they are not an accredited business through the BBB. They have few reviews online, and many of them are negative. They mention undisclosed cancelation terms and unauthorized debiting due to penalties for low sales volumes.

It is possible that 1st Americard has been acquired by iPayment, although merchant cash advances are still available through their services.

Quick Facts

Head Quarters

Charlotte, North Carolina

Year Founded

1999

CEO

Greg Grainger

Employees

8

Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance

Low Risk Businesses

What We Like

Caters to high risk businesses.

Provides cash advances.

No setup fee.

Works with businesses that work from home.

Provides domestic telephone support during normal business hours.

What We Don't Like

Public pricing is not available.

Does not disclose all important terms.

The company website is not active.

Variable contract terms.

Cancellation policy is subject to change without notice.

Industries Served

  • Clothing & Apparel
  • Convenience Store
  • Electronics
  • Gas Station
  • Healthcare
  • Moving Companies
  • Personal Service
  • Restaurant / Bar
  • Travel

Business Types Served

  • B2B
  • Ecommerce
  • Mobile
  • Mom & Pop
  • MOTO
  • Online
  • Retail / Card Present
  • Small Business

1st Americard Products & Services

 

Credit Card Processing for High-Risk Businesses

1st Americard specializes in working with high-risk businesses that might struggle to get credit card processing and other merchant services elsewhere. They work with new businesses as well as those that operate from home or online without brick and mortar locations. They also provide cash advances to businesses in need of additional funds.

Pricing Disclosed to Customers

1st Americard offers tiered pricing for its customers, but its website lacks any detailed, concrete information. Equipment lease terms, transaction fees, and PCI compliance fees are variable. Also, customers have indicated that their cancelation policy is subject to change without notice.
Supported Payment Types & Services

1st Americard can help with the following:

Cash transactions
Check services
Credit card processing
Credit card terminals
Debit card processing
eCheck and ACH processing
EMV processing
High-risk industries
Merchant cash advances
Mobile payments app
Online payments
Payment gateway
POS equipment
Retail payment processing
Virtual terminals

1st Americard makes it possible for their customers to set up the types of payment processing systems that work best for them and their business needs.

1st Americard Payment Processing

  • Cash Transactions
  • Check Services
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Credit Card Terminals
  • Debit Card Processing
  • eCheck & ACH Processing
  • EMV Processing
  • High-Risk Industries
  • Merchant Cash Advance
  • Mobile Payments App
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Gateway
  • POS Equipment
  • Retail Payment Processing
  • Virtual Terminal

1st Americard Billing & Invoicing

  • Mobile Payments
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Processing

1st Americard Advertising & Sales

 
1st Americard does not advertise their rates, nor do they disclose important terms. Pricing is not available to the public. This company appears to work with independent sales agents to market its services.

One customer complained and indicated that their contract indicated that they had 90 days prior to the end of the contract to cancel 1st Americard’s services. However, upon speaking with a manager, they were told they needed to cancel within 90 days. Subsequently, their contract was extended for another three years.

Other customers indicated similar issues with their contracts, including excessive fees and penalties for drops in sales volume over a period of time. There have also been reports of charge-backs that were never resolved by the company.

Truth in Marketing

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Public Pricing Available

No

1st Americard Pricing, Rates & Fees

 

1st Americard’s website is no longer online, so it was not possible to obtain information on pricing and fees.

Many reviews indicate that they are no longer in business for most merchant services, but they are still providing cash advances to businesses.

Pricing at a Glance

Pricing Model

Tiered Pricing

Swiped Rate

Variable

Keyed-in Rate

Variable

Mobile Payment Rate

Unknown

Virtual Terminal Rate

Variable

Monthly Fee

Undisclosed

Payment Gateway Fee

Undisclosed

Batch Fee

Undisclosed

Early Termination Fee

Variable

PCI Compliance Fee

Variable

Equipment Lease Terms

Variable

Address Verification Service (AVS)

Unknown

Application Fee

Unknown

Account Setup Fee

$0

Gateway Setup Fee

Unknown

Annual Fee

Unknown

Monthly Minimum

Undisclosed

Statement Fee

Unknown

1st Americard Contract & Terms

This information is not available.

Contract Length

Variable

Early Termination Fee

Variable

1st Americard Setup & Support

 

1st Americard requires physical documentation prior to opening an account with their company.

They offer domestic phone support during regular business hours.

Setup Highlights

  • Documentation / Knowledge Base

Support Highlights

  • Domestic Phone Support (Business Hours)

1st Americard Complaints, Ratings & Reviews

BBB Rating

1st Americard currently has an A+ rating through the Better Business Bureau, but with no accreditation. They received 4 complaints during the last 36 months:

1 complaint due to billing and collections.
1 complaint due to products and/or services.
2 complaints due to advertising and sales.

Most of these complaints included reports of unauthorized debits from merchant bank accounts. Only one complaint was resolved to the merchant’s satisfaction. The other three were either not resolved for the merchant or received no response from 1st Americard.

There have not been any lawsuits filed against 1st Americard.

Ratings

BBB

A+ but is not BBB Accredited. (0 Reviews; 0 Complaints)

Google

5 Stars / 1 Review

Facebook

N/A

Yelp

2.5 Stars / 3 Reviews

Reviews

Total Online Reviews

10+

Total Online Complaints

Lawsuits

No

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