Five Star Merchant Services Review

Rates and Fees
80/100
Truth in Advertising
75/100
Consumer Reviews
90/100
Customer Support
90/100
4

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:

Variable
Visit Five Star Merchant Services

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 Overview

 

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.

Quick Facts

Head Quarters

Houston, Texas

Year Founded

2002

CEO

Tahir Bhatti

Employees

30

Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance

What We Like

What We Don't Like

Industries Served

  • Automotive
  • Beauty & Wellness
  • Clothing & Apparel
  • Convenience Store
  • Contractors
  • Education
  • Electronics
  • Food & Beverage
  • Gas Station
  • Healthcare
  • Hunting & Outdoor Equipment
  • Legal
  • Medical
  • Moving Companies
  • Personal Service
  • Professional Services
  • Online Sellers
  • Restaurant / Bar
  • Retailers
  • SAAS
  • Thrift Store
  • Wholesalers

Business Types Served

  • B2B
  • Ecommerce
  • Enterprise Merchant Accounts
  • Mobile
  • Mom & Pop
  • MOTO
  • Non Profit
  • Online
  • Retail / Card Present
  • Small Business
  • Subscription / Continuity
  • Wholesale

Five Star Merchant Services Products & Services

 

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

Five Star Merchant Services Payment Processing

  • ACH Check Transactions
  • Cash Transactions
  • Chargeback & Fraud Prevention
  • Check Guarantee
  • Contactless NFC
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Credit Card Terminals
  • Debit Card Processing
  • eCheck & ACH Processing
  • EMV Processing
  • Gift & Loyalty Program
  • Merchant Cash Advance
  • Mobile Card Reader
  • Mobile Payments App
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Gateway
  • POS Equipment
  • Receipt Printing
  • Recurring Billing
  • Signature Capture
  • Virtual Terminal

Five Star Merchant Services Billing & Invoicing

  • Contingency Billing
  • Dunning Management
  • Mobile Payments
  • Online Invoicing
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Processing
  • Recurring/Subscription Billing

Five Star Merchant Services Advertising & Sales

 
Five Star Merchant Services employs independent contractors. There is no evidence that they use unethical sales tactics. This fits with the overall company persona of the merchant who comes first.

Truth in Marketing

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Public Pricing Available

No

Five Star Merchant Services Pricing, Rates & Fees

 

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 at a Glance

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

Five Star Merchant Services Contract & Terms

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

Five Star Merchant Services Setup & Support

 

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.

Setup Highlights

  • Documentation / Knowledge Base
  • Live Online (1-on-1)

Support Highlights

  • Domestic Phone Support (Business Hours)

Five Star Merchant Services Complaints, Ratings & Reviews

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.

Ratings

BBB

3.7 Stars / 3 Reviews

Google

3.7 Stars / 3 Reviews

Facebook

5 Stars. Based on the opinion of 3 people

Yelp

None

Reviews

Total Online Reviews

10+

Total Online Complaints

Lawsuits

None

Five Star Merchant Services Alternatives

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