United Merchant Services Review

Rates and Fees
70/100
Truth in Advertising
70/100
Consumer Reviews
70/100
Customer Support
60/100
3

Best for

Online and POS-based businesses in the United States.

Specializes in

ACH processing, gift and loyalty programs, debit and credit card processing, mobile and online payment solutions, online processing, as well as POS equipment.

Pricing Summary

Setup Fee: $0

Monthly Fee: Undisclosed

Swipe Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%

Keyed-in Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%

Early Termination Fee : $395+

Contract Terms:

3 Years
Visit United Merchant Services

United Merchant Services is a privately-owned merchant account provider that serves customers in the United States only. Founded in 1994, United Merchant Services is headquartered in Hackensack, New Jersey, with two other offices in Los Angeles, CA, and Duluth, GA.

The firm is a registered ISO/MSP of Merrick Bank, South Jordan, Utah, and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Concord, California.

United Merchant Services Overview

 

United Merchant Services boasts over 25 years of experience as a “one-stop full-service provider offering the security, support, and technology that few companies can compete with.” The company claims to take innovative approaches to continuously develop its products and services to be one of the top, privately-owned payment processors in the nation.

United Merchant Services offers a three-year contract with an early termination fee of $395. Customers have mentioned a monthly minimum fee of $25, but it is unknown with which programs these fees are associated with. Also, there is a 48-month equipment lease, which cannot be canceled. 

It's worth mentioning again that United Merchant Services only serves clients located in the United States so international customers should look for payment services with a different merchant provider.

Quick Facts

Head Quarters

Hackensack, NJ

Year Founded

1994

CEO

Jay Yoon

Employees

72

Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance

What We Like

No setup fee.

Best for online and point of sale businesses in the United States.

Domestic telephone support is available.

The company's website is user friendly and displays the company's products and services.

Offers next day funding.

What We Don't Like

Early termination fee.

Long term contract.

Equipment lease of 48 months cannot be canceled.

Does not accept international customers.

Software pricing is not disclosed.

Industries Served

  • Clothing & Apparel
  • Convenience Store
  • Electronics
  • Gas Station
  • Moving Companies
  • Personal Service
  • Restaurant / Bar
  • SAAS
  • SEO & SEM Services
  • Thrift Store
  • Web Design Services

Business Types Served

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

United Merchant Services Products & Services

 

Software


According to its website, United Merchant Services offer a proprietary family of products under the UP Solution ® POS software to include U Charge ®, U PAYm ™, U PAYv ™, U PAYr ™, and U PAYE ™. The U PAY software programs are used for mobile payments, virtual terminal, recurring billing, and e-commerce. Pricing for these services is not disclosed. Additional fees are more than likely to accompany the e-commerce portion of the business.

Financing


United Merchant Services offers competitive pricing, next day funding, multilingual services, and chargeback assistance. Their equipment and services are designed to securely process multiple different payment types, including American Express, Debit cards, Diners Club, Discover, EBT, Japanese Credit Bank (JCB), MasterCard, and VISA.  

Hardware


There are four credit card terminal systems currently listed on United Merchant's website; The Verifone VX520 Terminal, Verifone VX 805 PIN Pad, PAX S80 Terminal, and PAX SP20 PIN Pad. Each system provides a bulleted list of criteria to determine the proper hardware for each business's needs.

United Merchant Services Payment Processing

  • Credit Card Processing
  • Debit Card Processing
  • eCheck & ACH Processing
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Gateway
  • POS Equipment
  • Virtual Terminal

United Merchant Services Billing & Invoicing

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

United Merchant Services Advertising & Sales

 
United Merchant's website appears to have a friendly user-interface that showcases the company's current product and service offers. The firm appears to conduct its advertising through sub-ISO's and independent sales agents. Both of these sales tactics tend to result in generally higher complaint volumes and this upholds with United Merchant Services. 

We were able to locate several complaints that criticized the company for not disclosing contract terms clearly and for misrepresenting fees.

Truth in Marketing

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Public Pricing Available

No

United Merchant Services Pricing, Rates & Fees

 

United Merchant Services pricing structure is not advertised on their website. Interested parties should submit a request for a price quote on the company's website to be contacted directly by an account representative.  

Review sites indicate a potential three-year contract with an Early Termination Fee (ETF) of $395+, a Monthly Minimum Fee of $25, and a 48-month locked equipment lease.

United Merchant Services pricing offers a swiped rate, keyed-in rate, and virtual terminal rate of 1.00%-4.99%.

Pricing at a Glance

Pricing Model

Flat Rate

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

Undisclosed

Early Termination Fee

$395+

PCI Compliance Fee

Undisclosed

Equipment Lease Terms

48 Month (locked)

Address Verification Service (AVS)

Application Fee

Account Setup Fee

$0

Gateway Setup Fee

Undisclosed

Annual Fee

Monthly Minimum

$25

Statement Fee

United Merchant Services Contract & Terms

United Merchant Services does not disclose specific details for its standard contracts, however, other websites mention a locked 48-month equipment lease, a Monthly Minimum Fee of $25, and an Early Termination Fee of $395+.

Contract Length

3 Years

Early Termination Fee

$395+

United Merchant Services Setup & Support

 

Setup Highlights

  • Documentation / Knowledge Base

Support Highlights

  • Domestic Phone Support (Business Hours)

United Merchant Services Complaints, Ratings & Reviews

United Merchant Services has an "A" rating on its profile with the BBB. The firm has a total of 2 complaints over the last year, neither of which were resolved (to date.) The complaints were regarding issues with billing and the firm's products/services.

Other review sites show multiple complaints that accuse the company for having "scam policies," unauthorized billing, unavailable company representatives, undesirable equipment lease terms, and undisclosed or misrepresented contract terms. The most common complaint appears to be hidden fees.

Ratings

BBB

A(2 complaints)

Google

2.2 Stars / 42 Reviews

Facebook

No Reviews yet

Yelp

1 Star / 3 Reviews

Reviews

Total Online Reviews

85+

Total Online Complaints

15+

Lawsuits

None

United Merchant Services Alternatives

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