Best Membership-Based Merchant Account Providers

By Phillip Parker

Last Updated: January 18, 2018

One of the nice things about running a membership- or subscription-based business is the relative predictability: x amount of revenues can be counted on each month to offset y amount of expenses. But this dependable payment stream comes with a specific set of payment processing needs, including customer relationship management, recurring billing, secure data storage, and multichannel payment acceptance. Of course, it’s also nice to keep costs as low as possible.

When it comes to these particular criteria, certain credit card processors are better options than others. That’s why we’ve put together the following list of the best merchant account providers for subscription and membership businesses. The providers on this list are able to provide recurring billing options, e-commerce solutions, secure customer data storage, and other useful services for a reasonable cost. More importantly, though, they all consistently receive positive feedback from merchants and third-party reviewers. In order to make sure you get the best deal, be sure to contact several providers on this list and compare their features and pricing.

About The Author

Phillip Parker

Phillip Parker is an independent card payment expert specializing U.S. and Canadian point-of-sale, e-commerce, and mobile payment acceptance. He has nearly two decades of experience in credit card processing as a journalist and consultant. Phillip is the creator of this website and has written over 1,500 articles covering numerous payment acceptance topics. He has also published critical reviews about most merchant services providers currently in operation.

Expert Guidance

Phillip has consulted businesses of all sizes from mom-and-pop shops processing $10K per month to enterprise level organizations processing in excess of $300MM annually. His specialties include:

– Merchant Account Statement Auditing
– Rate & Fee Negotiation
– Processor & POS Selection
– Software Integrations
– Risk Assessment
– Fraud Prevention
– General Processing Advice

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Phillip’s Top Picks

Phillip has researched and reviewed over 1,000 merchant services providers over the last 15 years. He also owns multiple businesses that accept credit card payments. If you are looking for an ethical credit card processor that doesn’t hide fees or lock you into expensive contracts, see Phillip’s merchant account picks here.

In The Media

In addition his contributions on CPO, Phillip has also been quoted in several major publications such as The Los Angeles Times, INC Magazine, Miami Herald, Computer World, and numerous others. If you would like to interview Phillip for your story or podcast, please reach out here.

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Reader Comments

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1 Responses

Omar Nieves

August 12, 2016

the information above is what I’ve been looking for as I have a startup ILS company in its infancy. Thank you!

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We are committed to ensuring the accountability of credit card processors by bringing transparency to their business practices. Our primary objective is to safeguard North American businesses from unscrupulous processors that impose substantial rate markups, unjustifiable fees, and exploitative contracts that result in annual losses of billions of dollars for small business owners.

We have been in operation since 2009, diligently conducting comprehensive research, publishing extensive reviews, and monitoring more than 1,000 payment processors. Our expertise in the merchant services industry has garnered recognition from esteemed publications such as the Los Angeles Times, INC Magazine, The Atlantic, and the Miami Herald, among others.