Best for
Businesses of all sizes and low to medium risk looking for all-encompassing merchant accounts.
Specializes in
Five Star Merchant Services specializes in full-service merchant accounts. With a wide variety of Clover terminals and equipment options and a direct line to Fiserv, they can offer businesses of any size the full range of support specifically tailored to each merchant.
Pricing Summary
Setup Fee: Undisclosed
Monthly Fee: Undisclosed
Swipe Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%
Keyed-in Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%
Early Termination Fee : Variable
Contract Terms:
Five Star Merchant Services is located in Houston, TX.
Tahir Bhatti is listed as the Principal.
The company was founded in 2002.
Five Star Merchant Services was founded as a full-service processing solutions company. They are a proud seller of Clover products and Trans POS systems. They also offer a wide range of value-added services.
The company states that they craft a merchant account for each merchant. This individual attention is a unique approach to an industry that usually reduces merchants to nothing more than a number.
Five Star Merchant Services is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, although it does have a profile. There are no complaints or reviews there. However, complaints may be diverted to the holder of the merchant accounts, Fiserv.
Head Quarters
Houston, Texas
Year Founded
2002
CEO
Tahir Bhatti
Employees
30
Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance
Hardware and Software
The company offers Clover and Trans systems. It appears they offer a single full register from each POS system provider.
There is also a selection of Verifone portable terminals to be integrated with existing POS systems.
For mobile charges, the company offers a single FS Mobile model to work with a phone.
According to the company website, they have an eCommerce gateway to integrate with an existing website for merchants to accept credit cards via their online stores. This gateway comes with its shopping cart and offers top-end analytics software.
Value-Added Services
There are several options available for extra services.
Gift and Loyalty Cards - allow brand-specific cards to pull in new customers and give existing customers incentive to continue using your business.
Business Funding - having the option for cash advances can be the difference between a successful business and one that never quite makes it. With repayment tied to future transactions, it is easy to not fall behind on payments.
Petroleum Payments - Five Star Merchant Services provides links to existing fleet cards to give customers a streamlined pay at the pump option.
Mail Out Program - build a customer base through mailed coupons and loyalty cards.
PCI Security - maintain PCI compliance with an annual account review to help merchants maintain proper requirement levels.
ACH Services - checks are still a payment source. With ACH check payments can be processed quickly, just like credit cards.
Supported Payment Types and Services
Visa
Mastercard
Discover
American Express
Diner’s Club
Debit
Apple Pay
Google Pay
ACH Payments
Voyager
Wright Express
Fuel Man
Discloses All Important Terms
No
Public Pricing Available
No
There are no prices listed on the company website, but with the knowledge that the company is a reseller of Fiserv merchant accounts, we can deduce that they offer flat rates or interchange-plus rates.
The flat rates range from 2.29% - 3.69% plus a $0.09 - $0.19 transaction charge.
The interchange-plus rates are variable, depending on the business type, risk, and volume.
There are mentions of charges, including equipment leases, monthly and annual fees, and early termination fees. There are no specifics on those numbers, but they are referenced in online reviews.
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
Undisclosed
Payment Gateway Fee
Undisclosed
Batch Fee
Early Termination Fee
Variable
PCI Compliance Fee
Undisclosed
Equipment Lease Terms
Undisclosed
Address Verification Service (AVS)
Application Fee
Account Setup Fee
Undisclosed
Gateway Setup Fee
Annual Fee
Monthly Minimum
Undisclosed
Statement Fee
Undisclosed
Once again, there are no hard numbers available on the company website. This may be purposefully done to let the merchant applicants know that contract length and terms are negotiable.
Some reviews mention a three-year contract. This is a reasonable assumption and falls within the industry standards.
There are also mentions of equipment leases. The terms of these leases are undisclosed, as is the possibility of equipment purchase.
Contract Length
Variable
Early Termination Fee
Variable
General underwriting for a merchant account depends on the company and the risk of the business. This puts the actual time frame at anywhere from 24 hours to seven days. This setup period can also be prolonged by the delivery time for equipment.
As for support, Five Star Merchant Services provides the industry standard. They have an email and a contact form. In addition, they have multiple contact numbers.
BBB Rating
NR
Five Star Merchant Services does have a Better Business Bureau profile. The profile appears to be incomplete. Plus, there are no reviews or complaints available.
Other Online Reviews
There are very few reviews to be found online. They appear to be predominantly good. Out of less than ten reviews, there is only one negative. That paints the company in a good light, and the negative review appears to be an outlier.
The negative comment references undisclosed fees being withdrawn from the merchant account.
BBB
3.7 Stars / 3 Reviews
3.7 Stars / 3 Reviews
5 Stars. Based on the opinion of 3 people
Yelp
None
Total Online Reviews
10+
Total Online Complaints
Lawsuits
None
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