PaymentCloud Overview
Established in 2015, PaymentCloud is a merchant services company that specializes in offering POS and credit card processing systems to high-risk businesses. If you’re looking towards expanding your business, PaymentCloud has several notable features that you can take advantage of. There are payment terminals for both retail and e-commerce businesses, integrations, chargeback protection, and fraud prevention systems. Other essential features that we will discuss in this review include their pricing, customer support, and other hardware that you as a merchant should be aware of. So, is PaymentCloud the right choice for your business? Here’s what we gathered when doing our research.
PaymentCloud Products & Services
PaymentCloud is best known for catering to high-risk industries. Examples of high-risk businesses include Gambling, travel and hospitality, legal services, firearms dealing, and online dating. These types of businesses have high cases of fraud as well as a swelling number of chargebacks that may ward off merchant account providers.
Fortunately, with some of the below-mentioned services and features, we are sure that your business will be up and running in no time.
Card-Present Transactions
During a card-present transaction, the customer physically interacts with the payment device or machinery using his or her card. This usually occurs at a brick-and-mortar store where customers swipe their credit card, insert their card via EMV terminals, or use a mobile card reader to pay for their goods.
Credit Card Terminals
A credit card terminal is a small electrical device that typically consists of a keypad, screen, and network connection. To pay, your customer will have to swipe, insert or hold their card near the device then enter the amount of money being paid. Payment processing begins after they key in their PINs.
POS System
The modern digital POS system works by calculating the price of the item and printing a receipt once the payment goes through. Your customers can make payments via cash, gift cards, credit cards, debit cards, and loyalty cards/points. There may also be a cash drawer and a bar code scanner available.
Mobile Payments
PaymentCloud merchants can also accept card payments via smartphones. This can be achieved by using a mobile credit card reader or a wireless terminal. Any smartphone or tablet can be fitted with the card reader and this provides all the processing power of a retail POS system. Additionally, mobile payment processing is cheaper and works wonderfully for any low-risk small business.
Card-Not-Present Transactions
As a PaymentCloud merchant, you can accept card-not-present transactions in a quick and safe environment without constantly worrying about incidents of fraud. A card-not-present transaction is one where customers cannot physically present their card during a purchase. It’s usually used in e-commerce and other small businesses that accept orders through mail and telephone.
Payment Gateway
PaymentCloud offers merchants a unique payment gateway that is fast, secure, and affordable. Their payment gateway accepts debit/credit cards, e-checks, and mail/telephone orders. Their payment gateway is also PCI compliant which means it has been tested to the highest security measures to protect both you and your business from fraud.
Virtual Terminal
With PaymentCloud’s virtual payment terminal, you can accept credit card payments directly from your website and into your merchant account. You will only need a stable internet connection that will help you input your customer’s credit card information, thereafter, payment processing takes just a few minutes. The terminal will also allow you to send receipts and invoices to your clients as well as provide an Automated Recurring Billing (ARB) service.
Shopping Cart Integration
PaymentCloud allows you to begin accepting payments with your shopping cart as soon as you create a merchant account. You can also request a custom-designed cart that will better suit your business and clients. Additionally, this service is compatible with all businesses whether small or large and it provides fast, reliable, and secure payment processing.
eCheck & ACH Processing
After creating a PaymentCloud merchant account, you can start receiving payments in the form of electronic checks. Unlike paper checks that will require you to take a long trip to the bank, e-check payment processing is instant and affordable. Payment Cloud also offers an adept Automated Clearing House (ACH) service. This all-in-one service allows merchants to send and receive payments via several ways including e-checks, credit cards, and mobile transactions.
Services For High-Risk Industries
As mentioned before, PaymentCloud stands out among other merchant services due to its unique features that cater to high-risk businesses. As such, there are specific services that only high-risk business owners can enjoy. For instance, Payment Cloud offers lower rates for high-risk industries than other small businesses. Credit card processing is also made easier through numerous integrations that other providers don’t have.
Additionally, high-risk industries are protected from chargeback disputes and fraud in various ways. There is also a dedicated account manager available who’ll help you set up your account and deal with any problem that you’ll encounter in the future. Overall, we can say that PaymentCloud offers excellent services for high-risk industries and we are hopeful for more features in the future.
PaymentCloud Pricing and Fees
There’s no general pricing listed on the website. Therefore, to know the amount of money you’ll pay, you must first submit an application. It will take a few days to get your account approved after which you will be allowed to accept card payments at a custom rate. This means that you can negotiate the number of fees you pay and also choose the credit card processing option that you’re most comfortable with. PaymentCloud offers several pricing models such as flat-rate pricing, interchange pricing, and tiered pricing. You can also apply for bundled pricing and membership-based pricing if the other models aren’t compatible with your business.
Flat-Rate Processing Fees
If you choose the flat-rate pricing model, you’ll be charged one fee regardless of the purchase being made. A small transaction fee will then be added before payment concludes. So, for example, to process all credit cards, you will be charged 2.3% of the sale plus $0.10 (transaction fee). Flat-rate pricing is simple and easy to understand. However, it is not ideal for mobile businesses or small, seasonal stores that have low sales.
Custom Rates
Payment Cloud allows merchants to design a custom payment package for their business. You can customize your payment package depending on your country of residence, the number of sales, and the type of goods you’re selling. Your custom rate may also be designed to fit all payment methods and currencies.
Account Maintenance Fees
To maintain your account, PaymentCloud will charge a small number of fees. This may occur monthly or annually depending on how you conduct business. There’s no detailed explanation regarding account maintenance fees on the company’s website. Nevertheless, we are sure that whatever they are offering is fair for both large and small industries.
Optional Fees
Similar to the account maintenance fees, PaymentCloud doesn’t list the number of optional fees charged. Fortunately, optional fees or incidental fees are rare and usually occur due to unavoidable circumstances such as when a merchant calls to manually authorize a transaction or verify the customer’s address after a POS system crashes.
Early Termination Fee
An early termination fee is charged when a merchant closes their account before the agreed-upon date. It is common for a merchant service provider to charge an early termination fee. However, this can come as a nasty surprise if you never read the contract before creating your account. To avoid this, ensure you read the contract and contact PaymentCloud’s wonderful customer support if you have more questions.
High Risk Pricing
High risk businesses face certain restrictions such as high rates and fees. Luckily, when faced with such a risk business owners can rest assured that credit card processing is made cheaper and more customer-friendly when using PaymentCloud.
What this means is that business owners get to enjoy several different pricing models depending on their type of business or industry. For example, a gambling business can receive a flat-rate pricing of 2.4% and tiered pricing of 2.35% while an Airline company receives a flat-rate pricing of 2.5% and tiered pricing of 2.45%. This small difference in pricing may seem insignificant but it is essential in ensuring both the merchant and the provider are protected from making huge losses.
PaymentCloud Add-On Services
PaymentCloud works together with hundreds of other services to ensure seamless money transactions. They have partnered with several online shopping websites which allow merchants to have a direct link to their PaymentCloud account. There are also numerous platforms available that you can use for credit repair and marketing as well as enhancing customer relations. Additionally, PaymentCloud has partnered with several accounting and bookkeeping companies that are ready to assist you to manage your bankroll in the simplest ways possible.
PaymentCloud Technical Support & Customer Service
Like many other PaymentCloud reviews, we believe that the company has an efficient and friendly support team that we rarely see in Merchant services providers. If in need of assistance, you can contact the support agents via phone or email from Monday to Friday between 7 am – 6 pm. There’s also a FAQ section available on the website that can help you better understand how the company works. The support agents are knowledgeable and will also walk you through setting up your account. You will also get a personal account manager who will help resolve small technical and financial disputes.
Is PaymentCloud A Good Fit For Your Business?
It depends on the type of business you have or you plan to establish. PaymentCloud has a wide array of services that all businesses whether small or high-risk can utilize. However, we truly believe that the operator is best suited for high-risk businesses. We have made this conclusion after extensive research on the number of fees that the company charges. As there was no pricing available on the website, we had to dig through the internet and come up with rough estimates that ultimately favored high-risk businesses.
Our Verdict
PaymentCloud is one of the best merchant service providers we’ve ever reviewed. The processor offers fast POS systems and helpful customer support. Merchants can also receive protection against fraud and chargebacks as well as several integrations. On the other hand, we hope to see a 24/7 customer support service in the future. We also think there should be a pricing list available on the website. Either way, we are confident that PaymentCloud achieves the industry’s standards and we highly recommend it to our readers.