Merchant Account Solutions Review

Rates and Fees
75/100
Truth in Advertising
70/100
Consumer Reviews
65/100
Customer Support
70/100
2.8

Best for

Retail stores, restaurants, and service providers looking for POS hardware

Specializes in

POS solutions, payment gateways, virtual terminals, credit card terminals, mobile payment solutions, business management software

Pricing Summary

Setup Fee: $0

Monthly Fee: Undisclosed

Swipe Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%

Keyed-in Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%

Early Termination Fee : $625

Contract Terms:

No Contract Required Month-to-month 3 Years
Visit Merchant Account Solutions

Merchant Account Solutions is a DBA of Integrated Card Service and International Card Services. The company provides POS and payment processing solutions to merchants, as well as several types of business software. However, Merchant Account Solutions has received numerous complaints and poor reviews.

Merchant Account Solutions Overview

 

Merchant Account Solutions is a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank. The company was founded in 2007 and is based out of Thousand Oaks, California.

Merchant Account Solutions offers merchants a wide variety of POS hardware, credit card terminals, and mobile swipers to choose from. It also provides virtual terminals and payment gateways through a partnership with Authorize.Net.

The company provides targeted solutions for merchants operating in the following sectors:


  • Retail

  • Restaurants

  • Hospitality

  • Service

  • Health


However, Merchant Account Solutions has received numerous complaints about its poor customer service, deceptive sales tactics, and nondisclosure of rates. Merchants who insist on partnering with the company will need to be careful when signing their contract to ensure that the rates that they were promised are actually being delivered.

Quick Facts

Head Quarters

Thousand Oaks, California

Year Founded

2007

CEO

John Kennedy

Employees

25

Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance

Low Risk Businesses

What We Like

What We Don't Like

Industries Served

  • Clothing & Apparel
  • Convenience Store
  • Education
  • Electronics
  • Gas Station
  • Healthcare
  • Marketing Agency
  • Medical
  • Moving Companies
  • Personal Service
  • Property Management
  • Restaurant / Bar
  • SAAS
  • Thrift Store

Business Types Served

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

Merchant Account Solutions Products & Services

 

Virtual Terminals and Payment Gateways


Merchant Account Solutions offers virtual terminals and payment gateways through Authorize.Net. The company doesn’t advertise these services heavily and it provides no information about how much it charges for them.

However, we do know what Authorize.Net charges for its virtual terminals and payment gateways. We can assume that Merchant Account Solutions’ prices are similar. Authorize.Net charges a rate of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, along with a monthly gateway fee of $25 and a batch fee of $0.10.

Point of Sale Hardware and Integrated Software


Most of Merchant Account Solutions’ marketing focuses on its POS hardware. The company offers merchants a wide variety of options to choose from, including:

  • Clover tablet-based retail & restaurant POS systems

  • SmartSwipe iOS & Android-based systems

  • LightSpeed Mac & iOS restaurant and bar POS systems

  • PC America PC-based systems

  • Verifone Ruby PC-based systems


With this many options to choose from, it becomes easy for most merchants to find a product that fits their needs.

Business Management Software


Merchants can also purchase several types of business management software through Merchant Account Solutions. The company is a reseller of QuickBooks products, which can help with data management. Merchant Account Solutions also offers software for property management, gym management, and marina management.

Merchant Account Solutions Payment Processing

  • Check Services
  • Contactless NFC
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Credit Card Terminals
  • Debit Card Processing
  • eCheck & ACH Processing
  • EMV Processing
  • Gift & Loyalty Program
  • Merchant Cash Advance
  • Mobile Payments App
  • Online Payments
  • Online Shopping Cart Integration
  • Payment Gateway
  • POS Equipment
  • Recurring Billing
  • Shopping Cart Provided
  • Virtual Terminal

Merchant Account Solutions Billing & Invoicing

  • Mobile Payments
  • Online Invoicing
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Processing
  • Recurring/Subscription Billing

Merchant Account Solutions Advertising & Sales

 
Merchant Account Solutions’ advertising and sales practices leave something to be desired. The company uses incomplete rate quotes, which only advertise starting rates. The actual rate that a merchant will be charged by Merchant Account Solutions is usually much higher than what’s advertised.

Additionally, the company hires independent sales agents to sell its products. This is a practice that is consistently tied to poor outcomes for merchants. Indeed, there have been a number of complaints filed against Merchant Account Solutions, which reference deceptive selling tactics and non-disclosed fees.

Truth in Marketing

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Public Pricing Available

Yes

Merchant Account Solutions Pricing, Rates & Fees

 

Merchant Account Solutions isn’t very forthcoming about its pricing or fees. This makes it difficult for merchants to determine whether the provider is an option that will fit into their budget.

However, we were able to discover some pricing information while researching Merchant Account Solutions. The company charges roughly 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction and has a payment gateway fee of $25 per month.

For more detailed pricing information, a merchant would need to go through the early stages of the onboarding process. Keep in mind, Merchant Account Solutions has received numerous complaints about deceptive quoting practices. That means when you’re given a rate, you should take it with a grain of salt until you see it on a contract.

Pricing at a Glance

Pricing Model

Tiered Pricing

Swiped Rate

1.00% - 4.99%

Keyed-in Rate

1.00% - 4.99%

Mobile Payment Rate

Unknown

Virtual Terminal Rate

2.90% + $0.30

Monthly Fee

Undisclosed

Payment Gateway Fee

$25 Per Month

Batch Fee

$0.10

Early Termination Fee

$625

PCI Compliance Fee

Undisclosed

Equipment Lease Terms

None

Address Verification Service (AVS)

Unknown

Application Fee

Unknown

Account Setup Fee

$0

Gateway Setup Fee

Unknown

Annual Fee

$99

Monthly Minimum

$25

Statement Fee

Unknown

Merchant Account Solutions Contract & Terms

Merchant Account Solutions appears to offer two different plan options to choose from. Historically, the company has favored a three-year agreement. This contract comes with a monthly minimum fee of $25 and an annual fee of $99.

However, the company has recently started to advertise month-to-month plans on its website. This may be a better option for merchants who are looking for some flexibility with their payment processing plan.

The good news is that Merchant Account Solutions doesn’t appear to charge any early termination fees at this time.

Contract Length

No Contract RequiredMonth-to-month3 Years

Early Termination Fee

$625

Merchant Account Solutions Setup & Support

 

Setup Highlights

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

Support Highlights

  • Domestic Phone Support (Business Hours)

Merchant Account Solutions Complaints, Ratings & Reviews

Merchant Account Solutions currently has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. However, the company has also received a large number of complaints about its business practices. Most of these complaints reference the nondisclosure of fees, misrepresented rates, and poor customer service.

Ratings

BBB

A+ and has been Accredited since 2015. (66 Reviews; 11 Complaints)

Google

3.7 Stars / 9 Reviews

Facebook

N/A

Yelp

No Reviews

Reviews

Total Online Reviews

100+

Total Online Complaints

50+

Lawsuits

No

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