PayAnywhere Review

Rates and Fees
70/100
Truth in Advertising
65/100
Consumer Reviews
65/100
Customer Support
65/100
3

Best for

Growing small and medium-sized businesses that process less than $100,000 in transactions annually.

Specializes in

Payanywhere offers payments processor services through Global Payments. The company provides a suite of mobile products to small and mid-sized retail and mobile businesses. Payanywhere offers mobile payment processing, mobile Point-of-Sale hardware, and reporting/ analytics functionality.

Pricing Summary

Setup Fee: $0

Monthly Fee: $0

Swipe Rate: 2.69%

Keyed-in Rate:  3.49% + $0.19

Early Termination Fee : $0

Contract Terms:

Month-to-month
Visit PayAnywhere

Payanywhere caters to many kinds of industries including, restaurant and hospitality, retail, and mobile businesses. Payanywhere outsources backend payment processing to Global Payments. For smaller merchants, the rates are competitively priced but not cheap. Payanywhere charges tiered pricing for larger merchants.

PayAnywhere Overview

 

Payanywhere was founded in 2010 by North American Bancard, with headquarters in Troy, Michigan. With the company's integrated mobile processing services and devices, the company is mired by borderline-deceptive contract terms, poor customer service, and larger and better-known competition.

The company does have a competitively priced standard plan with great app functionality and a free mobile card reader. However, that contract has a hidden second contract that businesses need to be aware of, which automatically converts merchants over to a 3-year agreement with a sizable early-termination fee. The conversion is triggered once merchants cross $100,000 in processed transactions in a rolling 12-month period.

There are hidden charges that are not disclosed on the company's website, nor in Payanywhere's contracts. Merchants are also vocal about Payanywhere's poor customer service experiences, and there is a class-action lawsuit filed against the company for intentional misrepresentation, among others.

Quick Facts

Head Quarters

Troy, MI

Year Founded

2011

CEO

Marc Gardner

Employees

500

Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance

What We Like

Zero setup fee.

No monthly fee.

No early termination fee.

Month to month contract.

Good for low volume merchants.

What We Don't Like

Does not disclose all important terms.

Outsources backend payment processing.

Poor customer service.

Deceptive contract terms.

Gateway set up fee.

Industries Served

  • Clothing & Apparel
  • Convenience Store
  • Education
  • Educational Seminars
  • Electronics
  • Gas Station
  • Hosting
  • Personal Service
  • Restaurant / Bar
  • SAAS
  • Thrift Store

Business Types Served

  • Enterprise Merchant Accounts
  • High Volume
  • Information
  • Low Risk
  • Mobile
  • Mom & Pop
  • MOTO
  • Online
  • Retail / Card Present
  • Small Business
  • Wholesale

PayAnywhere Products & Services

 

Payanywhere offers mobile payment processing and hardware solutions for retail and on-the-go businesses. Their offerings include;

PAY AS YOU GO Plan– Payment processing service at a competitive rate with a free mobile card reader. Payanywhere recommends the plan for merchants with transaction volumes less than $10,000/ month.

CUSTOM Plan – A tiered pricing plan with a 3-year agreement and a $295 early-termination fee.

PAYANYWHERE APP – Mobile payment process app used from a smartphone or tablet to process debit/credit card transactions.

PAYANYWHERE SDK – Payanywhere's software development kit allows businesses to integrate the company's mobile payment processing service into the merchant's app.

Payments HUB: A web-based merchant portal to access reporting and analytics.

Payanywhere offers numerous mobile hardware options such as 2-in-1 Reader, 3-in-1 Reader, Smart Terminal Mini, Smart Terminal, Smart Flex, and Smart Point of Sale+.

PayAnywhere Payment Processing

  • Cash Transactions
  • Contactless NFC
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Credit Card Terminals
  • Debit Card Processing
  • Gift & Loyalty Program
  • Mobile Card Reader
  • Mobile Payments App
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Gateway
  • POS Equipment
  • Receipt Printing
  • Recurring Billing
  • Signature Capture
  • Virtual Terminal

PayAnywhere Billing & Invoicing

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

PayAnywhere Advertising & Sales

 
Sales and advertising practices of Payanywhere are borderline deceptive. There is no mention that it will automatically convert merchants to its Direct Merchant account service agreement on the company's website, locking merchants in for three years and imposing a hefty termination fee of $295. This language is tucked away in Section 8 of the company's contract.

One saving grace for the company discloses that an inactivity fee of $3.99/ month charged from the 13th month onwards if now transactions have taken place in the last 12 months.

The company has used independent sales agents in the past and may still be doing so. Inside sales teams are preferred over independent ones as many claims arise from aggressive or unethical sales tactics used to close sales by independent sales teams. Although the company has taken many steps to rebrand itself as more customer-centric, Payanywhere still has a long way to go.

The company markets free equipment as part of the Custom Pricing Plan. But each "free" device carries a one-time setup fee and monthly device software fees. The hardware must be returned at the end of the contract.

There are no price disclosures about the Custom plan on Payanywhere's website and encourages merchants to "Let's chat." This indicates a lack of transparency and that businesses that come prepared with bids from competitors may get a fairer price than novice merchants.

Truth in Marketing

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Public Pricing Available

Yes

PayAnywhere Pricing, Rates & Fees

 

There are two price plans offered by Payanywhere:

"Pay as you go" and the "Custom" plan.

Pay as you go costs;


  • "Swiped, Dipped, or Tapped" – 2.69% per transaction.

  • Keyed, Virtual Terminal, Invoicing, & Recurring Payments – 3.49% + $0.19 per transaction.


Payanywhere also warns merchants about an inactivity fee of $3.99 that the company charges from the 13th month onwards for no transactions in a rolling 12 month period. The cycle resets if a transaction does occur.

Payanywhere does not disclose Custom Plan costs on the website, and merchants are encouraged to share their contact details to discuss details with a sales representative.

Payanywhere does not disclose what the chargeback fee is for the Pay as you Go plan on the website, nor in the contract. Since chargeback fees are an industry standard and Payanywhere is not disclosing them, it is a hidden cost. We believe that if there is one, there are bound to be more.

Additional fees apply to the Custom plan are disclosed in the User Agreement, including PCI compliance and non-compliance fees, chargeback fees, representment fees, retrieval fees, monthly minimum processing fees, and early termination fees.

The contract also alludes to a fee schedule merchants get upon signing up. Merchants don't know what these fees are in advance, and they learn about them at the very last minute without any opportunity to compare rates.

Pricing at a Glance

Pricing Model

Flat Rate

Swiped Rate

2.69%

Keyed-in Rate

3.49% + $0.19

Mobile Payment Rate

Virtual Terminal Rate

3.49% + $0.19

Monthly Fee

$0

Payment Gateway Fee

$0

Batch Fee

N/A

Early Termination Fee

$0

PCI Compliance Fee

Equipment Lease Terms

Equipment Cost

Address Verification Service (AVS)

Application Fee

Account Setup Fee

$0

Gateway Setup Fee

$10 – $30 per month

Annual Fee

Monthly Minimum

$79 for Storefront

Statement Fee

PayAnywhere Contract & Terms

Merchants have been very vigilant with Payanywhere's contract and terms. Although merchants may believe that they are signing up for the company's standard Pay As You Go plan, they are party to two agreements rolled into one.

The second contract takes effect as a Conversion to Direct Merchant, triggered once Payanywhere processes over $100,000 for Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, or Discover. The second contract can be found in Exhibit A at the end of the Pay As You Go User Agreement.

Once Conversion to Direct Merchant takes effect, merchants are part of the Payanywhere Custom plan, locked-in for a three-year term. The plan offers tiered pricing and carries a $295 early-termination fee. One relief from this conversion, merchants can cancel within 45 days of the conversion, at which point merchants return all free equipment to Payanywhere.

Contract Length

Month-to-month

Early Termination Fee

$0

PayAnywhere Setup & Support

 

Setup Highlights

  • Documentation / Knowledge Base
  • Recorded Video Training

Support Highlights

  • Domestic Phone Support (Business Hours)

PayAnywhere Complaints, Ratings & Reviews

Payanywhere is a large payment processor, so it is reasonable to have complaints given its size. Unfortunately, the company's complaints have a common and recurring theme; the poor customer service experience. Although Payanywhere does not use any fraudulent or deceptive marketing/ sales tactic, merchants' general sentiment is pessimistic about the company based on various online reviews and forums.

Reserve funds are a reasonably common industry practice in anticipation of possible chargebacks. However, Payanywhere's levies chargebacks suddenly and without any notice or clarification for the hold.

Payanywhere is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and the agency does not rate the company.

Ratings

BBB

NR

Google

N/A

Facebook

N/A

Yelp

1.5 Stars / ‎16 Reviews

Reviews

Total Online Reviews

300+

Total Online Complaints

100+

Lawsuits

1

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