PayKings Review

Rates and Fees
75/100
Truth in Advertising
50/100
Consumer Reviews
70/100
Customer Support
70/100
3.5

Best for

High-risk B2B, eCommerce, and retail businesses.

Specializes in

Online gateways, on-site terminals, mobile SDKs, and customized eCommerce payment services for high-risk merchants.

Pricing Summary

Setup Fee: Free

Monthly Fee: Undisclosed

Swipe Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%+

Keyed-in Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%+

Early Termination Fee : Undisclosed

Contract Terms:

Variable
Visit PayKings

PayKings is a registered ISO of WestAmerica Bank that specializes in providing payment solutions for high-risk merchants. The company was purchased by Signature Payments in 2022. It is based out of St. Petersburg, Florida, and was founded in 2011. The company offers credit card processing, mobile payment processing, retail & swipe terminals, and related services with rates that vary according to the risk profile of each client.

PayKings Overview

 

PayKings is a medium-sized merchant account provider that specializes in servicing the unique needs of high-risk clients. It markets its service as a solution for merchants working in industries like:


  • Adult

  • CBD

  • Dating

  • Debt collection

  • Firearm


  • PayKings was purchased by Signature Payments in 2022.
  • Vape

  • Pawnshop


PayKings follows a variable pricing model. Its rates vary based on the risk profile of your business. It may also ask you to leave a cash reserve on-hand with them if your payments are especially risky. Given the variable pricing structure employed by PayKings, it can be difficult to ascertain exactly what your fees will look like without contacting them directly.

The few reviews that are available for PayKings are a mixed bag. Clients who were approved by the company's bank underwriters seem to enjoy their interactions with PayKings. Those who weren't approved have complained about the excessive demands and delays they experienced during the application process.

Quick Facts

Head Quarters

St. Petersburg, Florida

Year Founded

2011

CEO

Paul Krueger (Founder); Kyle Hall (President)

Employees

Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance

What We Like

Specializes in high risk, B2B, retail and e-commerce businesses.

No setup fee.

Serves high risk clients.

Mobile Processing payment service is highly accurate.

Real time reporting features are provided.

What We Don't Like

Variable contract terms.

Monthly fee is not disclosed.

Early termination fee is not readily available.

Pricing depends on the risk profile of your business.

May be required to leave a cash reserve on hand with PayKings.

Industries Served

  • Adult
  • Airlines
  • CBD & Hemp
  • Cigars & Tobacco
  • Credit Repair
  • Dating
  • E-Cigarettes / Vape
  • Gaming
  • Guns & Firearms
  • Healthcare
  • Hosting
  • Marijuana / Cannabis
  • Marketing Agency
  • Nutraceuticals & Supplement
  • Personal Service
  • Property Management
  • Restaurant / Bar
  • SAAS
  • SEO & SEM Services
  • Smoking Accessories
  • Sports Betting Advice
  • Travel
  • Web Design Services

Business Types Served

  • B2B
  • International
  • Document Preparation
  • Ecommerce
  • High Risk
  • Low Risk
  • Mobile
  • MOTO
  • Retail / Card Present
  • Small Business
  • Subscription / Continuity

PayKings Products & Services

 

eCommerce Credit and Debit Card Processing


PayKings offers credit and debit card processing with multiple options for payment gateways. It claims to provide support for all types of shopping carts as well as free payment plugin modules. With this, the company also provides its clients with payment management and oversight features such as:

  • Chargeback alerts

  • Payment monitoring

  • Reporting

  • Fraud-scrubbing


Mobile Payment Processing


Merchants who accept mobile payments shouldn’t have much of a problem with PayKings. The company markets its mobile payment processing service as one that’s capable of seamless transfers between consumer and merchant accounts. There no have been complaints made about PayKing’s mobile payment processing, so its claims appear to be fairly accurate.

Retail, Swipe, and Terminals


PayKings will also set your company up with terminals and the functionality to perform retail brick-and-mortar transactions. Its terminals accept all major credit and debit cards, as well as ApplePay, ACH, and checks. The company also offers real-time reporting features, chargeback management tools, POS equipment leases, and free terminal solutions.

PayKings Payment Processing

  • Chargeback & Fraud Prevention
  • Contactless NFC
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Credit Card Terminals
  • Debit Card Processing
  • eCheck & ACH Processing
  • EMV Processing
  • High-Risk Industries
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Gateway
  • POS Equipment
  • Recurring Billing
  • Shopping Cart Integration
  • Virtual Terminal

PayKings Billing & Invoicing

  • Mobile Payments
  • Payment Processing
  • Recurring/Subscription Billing

PayKings Advertising & Sales

 
PayKings uses independent sales agents to market its products to merchants. This is sometimes correlated with a high rate of consumer complaints. But, at least so far, that hasn’t been the case for PayKings.

However, the company’s advertising practices can be a bit deceptive. It run ads that say its rates begin at 1% for standard-risk merchants and 2.49% for high-risk merchants. But there’s no reason to believe that your rates will be anywhere near this number. That’s because PayKings employs a variable rate model, which means its fees can fluctuate significantly from one client to another.

Truth in Marketing

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Public Pricing Available

No

PayKings Pricing, Rates & Fees

 

PayKings uses something called a variable interchange-plus pricing model. Essentially, this means that your fees with them will be calculated on a per-transaction basis. This is generally a good model for merchants, as it makes it projected your costs a rather straightforward process.

But you’ll need more information from PayKings before you’re able to do that. You can’t know what your rate will be until you contact them directly and begin the application process. This can be a major annoyance for merchants who were hoping to quickly compare the fees they would incur at the providers they’re considering.

Ultimately, the price that PayKings charges you will depend on the risk profile of your business. This is determined by the company’s underwriters ad is based on factors like the industry that you operate in and your transaction history.

Pricing at a Glance

Pricing Model

Interchange Plus

Swiped Rate

1.00% - 4.99%+

Keyed-in Rate

1.00% - 4.99%+

Mobile Payment Rate

1.00% - 4.99%+

Virtual Terminal Rate

1.00% - 4.99%+

Monthly Fee

Undisclosed

Payment Gateway Fee

Undisclosed

Batch Fee

Undisclosed

Early Termination Fee

Undisclosed

PCI Compliance Fee

Undisclosed

Equipment Lease Terms

Undisclosed

Address Verification Service (AVS)

Application Fee

Free

Account Setup Fee

Free

Gateway Setup Fee

$0

Annual Fee

Monthly Minimum

Undisclosed

Statement Fee

PayKings Contract & Terms

PayKings offers prospective clients very little information as to what an average contract with the company looks like. Its messaging indicates contractual terms can fluctuate based on the unique profile of every merchant. So once again, you will need to contact them directly and go through the application process in order to figure out what your contract with PayKings might look like.

Keep in mind, merchants who have an especially high-risk profile will likely need to accept more restrictive contract terms than those with standard-risk levels. At PayKings, this will mean paying a higher fee per transaction, having to keep cash-on-hand with the company, or both of these limitations.

Contract Length

Variable

Early Termination Fee

Undisclosed

PayKings Setup & Support

 

Setup Highlights

  • Documentation / Knowledge Base

Support Highlights

  • Dedicated Account Manager
  • Domestic Phone Support (Business Hours)

PayKings Complaints, Ratings & Reviews

PayKings has received a total of 10 reviews through the Better Business Bureau. Seven of those reviews can be classified as positive while three are negative.

The company’s positive reviews cite pleasant account setup experiences and helpful customer service. But negative reviews criticize PayKing for its unclear application process and high fees.

Consumer opinion seems to be split on the basis of whether or not the merchant was approved by PayKing’s underwriter. Those who were approved seem to leave positive reviews, while those who weren’t seem to leave negative ones.

That being said, ultimately, there are currently too few reviews to say anything definitive about the quality of the company.

Ratings

BBB

NR, PayKings is not BBB Accredited. (10 customer reviews ; 0 customer complaints)

Google

4.5 Stars / 25 Reviews

Facebook

2.6 Stars. Based on the opinion of 5 people

Yelp

N/A

Reviews

Total Online Reviews

Total Online Complaints

Lawsuits

None

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