What to Know Before Getting Started
There’s nothing like a good massage to put your mind at ease, relax your body, and calm your nerves. And there’s nothing like a merchant account statement to confuse you, raise your blood pressure, and stress you out. If you’ve ever tried to find a credit card processor for your massage therapy business, then you’ve probably encountered the deceptive rate quotes, expensive contract terms, and non-cancellable equipment leases that are common within the industry. In order to keep yourself from getting ripped off, it’s necessary to do a little homework before signing up.
To help you with your research, we’ve compiled the following list of the best merchant accounts for massage therapists. The providers on this list offer point-of-sale solutions, customer loyalty programs, online marketing tools, and other useful tools for growing and maintaining your massage clinic. They are also known to provide low-commitment contracts with transparent pricing and quality customer service. To find the right provider for your massage parlor, be sure to research each processor’s products and features and compare pricing and terms.
Why We Chose These Merchant Account Providers
Fattmerchant
Active since early 2014, Fattmerchant is a merchant account provider leading the industry’s move toward flat-rate, subscription-style pricing. The company’s products and services include EMV-compatible countertop terminals, a virtual terminal, an online payment gateway, an online shopping cart, mobile phone processing, QuickBooks integration, online invoicing, and recurring billing. Fattmerchant is capable of serving all standard-risk massage therapists and offers a comprehensive dashboard for tracking all payments and customers.
Fattmerchant offers multiple pricing plans with different rates. Merchants can select either a plan that charges a flat fee on all transactions or a plan that charges a fixed monthly fee plus a fixed per-transaction dollar amount above interchange. In other words, merchants can choose whether or not they are charged a percentage markup on each transaction. Fattmerchant currently has an “A” rating on CPO and an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau.
For more information, visit the Fattmerchant website, or call (866) 397-9826.
Host Merchant Services
Host Merchant Services is a Newark, Delaware-based merchant account provider that is well-suited for massage therapy clinics. The company’s products and services include point-of-sale solutions, online marketing tools, an online payment gateway and virtual terminal, mobile credit card processing, gift and loyalty programs, and merchant cash advance. Host Merchant Services specializes in e-commerce businesses and provides a free website and email address to interested merchants. Host is an ideal option for massage therapists who would like to affordably accept payments online and in person.
Host Merchant Services has received only positive feedback on public forums, with most reviewers singling out the company’s customer service for praise. Host offers interchange-plus pricing with no early termination fees to all of its merchants, meaning that users will enjoy the most transparent pricing model and can cancel service without penalty. The BBB gives Host an “A+” rating, and CPO also gives the company an “A+.”
For more information, visit the Host Merchant Services website or call (888) 727-4538.
CDG Commerce
Located in Chesapeake, Virginia, CDG Commerce is another solid all-around option for any massage therapy business. CDG has been privately owned since 1998 and offers a proprietary payment gateway (as well as a discount on Authorize.Net’s payment gateway), a virtual terminal, QuickBooks integration, mobile phone processing, sales reporting, security breach protection, and vulnerability scanning. CDG Commerce is ideal for massage therapists who prefer a simple, low-cost, integrated method for accepting payments online or in person.
CDG Commerce only charges a low, fixed fee per transaction and offers competitive contractual terms, including no annual fees, monthly minimums, or termination fees. CDG also offers next day funding to most business types. CDG has earned an “A+” rating in our review as well as an “A+” rating with the BBB.
For more information, see the CDG Commerce website or call (888) 393-1079.
Why We Chose These Merchant Account Providers
Helcim
NXGEN Canada
Secondary Merchant Account Options
Innerfence
Inner Fence, a joint venture with the processor Merchant Focus, offers the widest platform compatibility among the providers in this list. Inner Fence can be used with both iPhone and Android devices as well as Windows and Mac computers, making it a versatile virtual terminal that can take payments on nearly any internet-connected device. The service is available to both U.S. and Canadian massage therapists and offers customer support via email and telephone. It’s well-suited for massage therapists who seek the convenience of taking card payments both on-site and at the office.
Unlike most of the other picks in this list, Inner Fence charges a monthly service fee ranging from $39 to $49 based on a user’s location and preferred payment schedule. It also charges 2.9% plus $0.30 for all transactions, which may be a drawback for low volume and micro-merchants. Additionally, the service requires an Authorize.net account that will likely result in additional monthly fees.
Learn more in our Inner Fence Review, or visit the Inner Fence website.
Payline Data
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Payline Data has consistently been reviewed as one of the best merchant account providers on CPO since we first started covering the company. Payline is capable of serving massage therapy clinics of all sizes and specialties. The company offers traditional retail credit card terminals, mobile phone credit card processing (via Flint), an online payment gateway and virtual terminal, QuickBooks integration, third-party shopping cart integration, API integration, and various point-of-sale solutions. Payline Data is a great all-purpose option for any massage business, from small, home-based clinics to brick-and-mortar locations.
In addition to its wide array of services, Payline Data offers interchange-plus pricing with month-to-month contracts and no early termination fees. As a result, the company enjoys a large number of positive testimonials from its clients on this website and in other consumer protection forums. The Better Business Bureau currently assigns Payline Data an “A+” rating, and CPO also gives Payline an “A+.”
Dharma Merchant Services
Based in San Francisco, California, Dharma Merchant Services is a highly rated merchant account provider that places a corporate emphasis on social consciousness and community outreach. The company’s products and services include countertop terminals, a tablet-based POS system (via a partnership with ShopKeep), mobile device payment processing, an online payment gateway and virtual terminal (Authorize.Net), QuickBooks integration, small business financing, and custom fundraising pages for non-profits. The company also extends special pricing to non-profit organizations and donates a percentage of its profits to non-profits of its choosing every year. Dharma is best suited to provide savings for massage clinics that process over $10,000 per month.
Dharma scores highly in our review and elsewhere due to its positively reviewed customer service, transparent marketing practices, competitive interchange-plus rates, and fair service agreements. The BBB currently assigns a rating of “A+” for Dharma Merchant Services, while CardPaymentOptions.com also gives the company an “A+.”
For more information, see the Dharma Merchant Services website or call (888) 404-1237.
If your business offers merchant services for massage professionals, please leave a comment in the comment section below or contact us through our contact page in order to get listed in this article.
About Phillip Parker
Phillip Parker is a former merchant services sales agent who believes the industry has been overrun by people who engage in fraud and deception in order to steal from hard working business owners. He created this website to help you avoid the bad players, save money on fees, and to get peace of mind with your merchant account. If you would like to help support his work, learn more about our cost reduction service. We can evaluate your statement, tell you exactly how much you're overpaying, and then help you dramatically reduce your fees with your current credit card processor. Looking to switch instead? See our list of the best merchant account providers.
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