Payleven Review

Payleven Logo
5
full star full star full star full star full star

How did they treat you? ▼

Updated 12/19/2018: Payleven appears to have been fully absorbed into the SumUp brand, and it appears that the company no longer boards new merchants under the name “Payleven.” As a result, we will no longer update this review. See our SumUp review for up-to-date information about this company.

Launched in 2012, Payleven (payleven.com) is an international mobile payment processor that allows merchants to accept debit and credit card payments via iPhone and Android-based smartphones and tablets using an app and free chip-and-PIN reader. The service is similar to U.S.-based services like Square and GoPayment and faces competition in Europe from apps like iZettle.

In April 2016, Payleven merged with its competitor SumUp, and both companies agreed to retain the SumUp name for their products. Currently, the transition to the SumUp brand has not been finalized in all markets, so we will assess Payleven as though it is a separate company. Merchants should expect, however, that “Payleven” will ultimately become SumUp in every meaningful way. Payleven's services are currently available in Brazil, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Konstatin Wolff is listed as the founder and CMO of Payleven, which is headquartered in London and Berlin.

Key Points

  • Sales & Marketing: Payleven does not appear to hire independent sales representatives and has not received any complaints about its sales practices.
  • Costs & Contract: Payleven offers a month-to-month contract with a flat per-transaction fee and no termination fee.
  • Complaints & Service: Payleven has received fewer than 10 public complaints.
  • BBB Rating: Payleven does not have a profile with the Better Business Bureau at this time.
  • Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Payleven

Payleven Customer Reviews

Here's What Their Clients Say

Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints <10
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint N/A

We are currently unable to locate any Payleven complaints that accuse the company of being a scam or a ripoff. In fact, there are very few recent Payleven reviews whatsoever on any of the usual consumer protection websites. The handful of available complaints cite a number of one-off issues, including billing errors, declined merchant types, and withheld funds. Most of the complaints focus on difficulty pairing the card reader with the merchant’s device via Bluetooth. This issue is probably device- or user-specific in most cases. The company lists a dedicated phone number and email address for customer service on its website.

Payleven Online Ratings

Here's How They Rate Online

As of this review, Payleven is not an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau and does not have a current BBB rating. This is due to the fact that it is headquartered in London. We will therefore not factor a BBB score into the company’s overall rating.

Payleven Fees, Rates & Costs

A Closer Look at The Contract

Cost & Fees Summary
EMV Rate 1.69%
Virtual Terminal Rate 2.95% + £0.25
Early Termination Fee None
PCI Compliance Fee None
Equipment Cost £59 + VAT

Payleven charges between 1.69% per transaction processed via its EMV card reader. The company’s chip-and-PIN reader also costs £59 plus VAT. The app itself is free, and there is no early termination fee or long-term service agreement required. The company’s terms and conditions state that Payleven can establish a cash reserve at its own discretion as a fraud prevention measure. This practice is common among mobile processors like Payleven, and in the case of some of these companies, this has been a problem for merchants. However, it does not appear to be an issue for Payleven at this time.

Payleven Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs

Should You Work For Them?

Jobs & Marketing Summary
Employs Independent Resellers No
Advertises Deceptive Rates No
Discloses All Important Terms Yes

Payleven appears to primarily market its services through its website and traditional advertising. There is no indication that Payleven employs independent sales agents, and we are currently unable to locate any negative Payleven reviews that mention the company’s sales tactics. The Peyleven website advertises a sliding scale for rates on all transactions, and there is no evidence that this rate quote is misleading. We will therefore award the company an “A” in this category for the time being.

Our Payleven Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts

Payleven rates as a reliable payment processor according to all available information. The company is showing very few complaints online and appears to offer competitive rates in comparison to its mobile processing competitors. We will likely stop updating this review once Payleven has been fully absorbed into the SumUp brand.

If you found this article helpful, please share it!

Which is Most Important for You?

If you had to pick one, which quality would you say will be the most important with your next credit card processor? Tap or click your selection to register your vote:

  1. Low Transaction Fees
  2. No Monthly Fees
  3. No Contract
  4. Reliable Customer Support
  5. Quick Signup

Testimonials & Complaints

How Did Payleven Treat You?

4 User Reviews

  • Forster

    Do not use this company. We have not received one payment that we have taken through their card machine. When we have rang the call centre they don’t even go through a security check, we’re missing payments from 5 months ago and like others we are a small business and this money is vital. They just keep saying two working days, but the money never appears.

  • Kevin Griffiths

    Applied to Payleven and completed the whole time consuming process of ID checks and bank account verification including purchasing the chip and pin machine only to then be told our trading sector (Travel) is not acceptable to them. Furious that it had taken 4 weeks for Peyleven to inform this, their reply was applications are not looked at by an ‘analyst’ until everything has been completed. Total waste of time, be aware of this organisation.

  • Paula owen

    Do not use this company unless you have a receipt machine. We did not as we were informed that it was a trusted company. We have a number of outstanding payments not received, logged at end of day and are now having to take legal proceedings to try to get any of our money back.
    Nightmare especially for a small business like ours. If it has happened to us -how many other people has it happened to???


    Are you with Payleven? Learn how to resolve this complaint.

  • Phil Elliott

    Having purchased the Payleven terminal from Jewsons Payleven turned down my application without any explanation after I had been chasing them fpr over a week (24 hour set-up?). As a result I was left with a useless bit of kit. I run a +£500k T/O printing business and was looking to replace a bank terminal and card service which we have run without any problems for over 15 years.

Tell Us How They Treated You

Sharing your experience influences our rating and helps other business owners make informed decisions. Please take a moment to tell us if they are serving you well. Your email address will never be published, shared or sold. We only use it to authenticate that you are a real person and, if you select the option for it, to let you know if someone replies to your comment. Required fields are marked *

Comments must contain details about your experience. Please do not use ALL CAPS. Self-promotion, marketing content, or contact information of any kind will not be published. By submitting a comment, you are agreeing to our Comment Policy

Copyright

Copyright © 2024 CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. (Digital Fingerprint: 0d38c6720f0d78a701b74d58653af608). Getting paid to re-write this page? Click here to earn a reward.

Any unauthorized copying and reproduction of the content of this page, including all meta data and computer code, is strictly prohibited. While the information in the above article is believed to be accurate as of its publish date, the author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which is provided “as is,” and without warranties. Any and all use of trade names and/or marks are for identification purposes only and shall not be construed as a claim of affiliation, or otherwise, with CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. ("CPO") in any form. The sole purpose of the material presented herein is to alert, educate, and inform readers. It is not intended as legal or financial advice. We may earn revenue if you obtain services from a provider that we recommend. See this page to learn how we support our operations.