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1st National Payment Solutions: Is It the Right Processor for You?

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All mentions of rate and fee costs are estimations based on publicly available information and client feedback. Actual costs may vary based on a variety of factors unique to your business.

1st National Payment Solutions

Rating
A
4.5/5
full starfull starfull starfull starempty star

Pros and Cons of 1st National Payment Solutions

Pros

Mobile payment options
Next-day deposits
Diverse payment solutions
Payroll processing services
A+ BBB rating

Cons

Potential cancellation fees
Possible hidden fees
No mobile app
No international services
Limited online presence

Overview

In this review of 1st National Payment Solutions, we take a closer look at the company’s payment services, including credit card processing, point-of-sale systems, and e-commerce options. We’ll review their pricing, contract terms, and customer feedback to give you a clear picture of what they offer. We’ll also examine fee transparency, the quality of customer support, and overall client satisfaction. By the end, you’ll know whether 1st National Payment Solutions is the right fit for your business’s payment needs.

About 1st National Payment Solutions

Screen Capture of 1st National Payment Solutions Homepage
1st National Payment Solutions Homepage

1st National Payment Solutions, established in 1998, is a family-owned merchant account provider headquartered in Syosset, New York. The company is a sub-ISO of 1st National Processing, which is either a DBA or an ISO of iPayment.

Products & Merchant Services

Payment Processing

1st National Payment Solutions processes payments for all major debit and credit cards.

EMV Swipers

1st National Payment Solutions offers EMV swipers, ensuring that businesses can process secure, chip-enabled transactions.

Virtual Terminals and POS Systems

The company also provides a range of terminals and POS systems designed to enhance the efficiency of in-store transactions.

Wireless and Mobile Payments

For businesses on the move, 1st National Payment Solutions offers mobile and wireless payment options. These solutions provide the flexibility to accept payments from any location, catering to businesses that operate outside traditional storefronts.

Payment Gateways

Payment gateways are another key service provided by 1st National Payment Solutions. These gateways enable secure online transactions.

Next Day Deposits

The company also offers next-day deposits, ensuring that businesses receive their funds quickly after transactions are processed.

Gift and Loyalty Programs

Gift and loyalty programs are available through 1st National Payment Solutions, allowing businesses to create and manage initiatives that encourage repeat customers and build brand loyalty.

Check and ACH Processing

Check and ACH processing services are provided to facilitate electronic payments directly from bank accounts.

EBT

For businesses that accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), 1st National Payment Solutions offers support for processing these payments, ensuring compliance with government regulations.

Payroll Processing

Payroll processing is another service offered by the company, streamlining the management of employee compensation.

Business Loans

In addition to payment processing, 1st National Payment Solutions provides business loans.

ATM Solutions

Finally, the company offers ATM solutions, enabling businesses to provide cash access to customers on-site.

Customer Reviews & Sentiment

Minimal Complaints Found

We’ve located a small number of negative reviews for 1st National Payment Solutions, with two of them accusing the company of scams or ripoffs. These complaints highlight challenges in canceling services, encountering poor customer service, fund-holds, and equipment issues. Notably, some of these complaints date back several years, indicating a potential improvement in recent operations. Feel free to share your own experience with 1st National Payment Solutions in the comment section below.

Handling of Complaints

The president of 1st National Payment Solutions has shown proactive engagement in addressing several complaints, successfully resolving issues albeit with some delay. He explained the delays were due to internal processes requiring multiple approvals for refunds. Additionally, he clarified misunderstandings in various reviews where his ISO was mistakenly identified as the responsible party.

Legal Actions

To date, there are no ongoing class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints against 1st National Payment Solutions. Unsatisfied merchants seeking resolution outside litigation can report concerns to relevant supervisory organizations.

Customer Support Channels

1st National Payment Solutions offers a dedicated customer support phone line and a customer support form on its website, demonstrating a commitment to assisting clients. Their service level aligns closely with that of our top-rated payment processor for customer service. Considering the context of older complaints, their resolution timelines, and the CEO’s efforts, we’ve assigned 1st National an “A” in this category.

Industry Scores & User Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
PaymentPop1.7
BBB RatingN/A
Google Maps4.3
Average Rating3

PaymentPop Rating for 1st National Payment Solutions

Negative Feedback

After 2 cancellation request, to date my account has not been closed and I’m still getting charge fees. I believe a class action lawsuit maybe the best avenue to deal with this company poor business practices.

Positive Feedback

We’ve had a solid experience with 1st National Processing so far. Getting started was quick, and they didn’t overpromise or oversell us. Everything from deposits to reporting has worked the way it should, and that reliability goes a long way.

1st National Payment Solutions BBB Rating

1st National Payment Solutions has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2006. As of this review, the company has an “A+” rating with the BBB and has had 1 complaint filed against it in the last 36 months. The 1 complaint was resolved to the satisfaction of the merchant.

What Merchants Say

In addition to the 0 complaints posted to the company’s BBB profile, 1st National Payment Solutions has received 0 informal reviews in the last 36 months. Prior to that period, we documented 1 negative review that detailed difficulty closing the merchant account:

Run away as fast as you can. We just got hit with a brand new, unannounced $99 annual fee. The money has already been taken from our bank account and they refuse to return it. There was no letter, no email, no bank statement announcement notifying us of the new fee. They say they sent out a letter a month ago, and that’s the end of it. The fact that we never received such a letter means nothing. They say that they looked at their costs and decided that they needed to charge a fee, so they just did it. The guy was quite nasty about it, and told me there was nothing I could do about it, they have the money and they’re not giving it back. The service rep stated that they have received many calls of complaints about this and they will not be refunding these fees to any of the customers. When I called ********** Bank, whom they use, the bank transferred my call right back to 1st National’s office. I got the same jerk on the phone. In the past, I’ve never been treated this way by them, and their reps have behaved decently. This guy was over the top nasty. 1st National Processing targets artisans and microbusineses in their advertising, which is we how came to use them several years ago. They have since changed the “Processing” to “Payment Solutions”, but they’re still the same people. At the end of each year, we did cost comparisons of total annual charges, to see what we would have paid had we run cards through PayPal or Square. 1st National always came in higher, but with human customer service, we stayed with them. That changed this past January. It is now mid-November. We kept 1st Nat as a backup, but have not used them more than once or twice since January. There were just too many times when we had to call because there were unexpected and confusing charges. Those were generally resolved, but we got tired of it, and when they mistakenly charged us for one of their other customer’s fees, we were done. We saw that customer’s info on our statement. It’s a security breach. It’s cheaper to let our contract die off than pay their extortionate $295 kick-out fee.

Merchants in similar situations could benefit from researching how to cancel a merchant account without paying a fee.

An “A” Rating

1st National Payment Solutions also has not received any informal reviews, although it should be noted that these reviews are not subject to verification by the BBB. Given the company’s low complaint total, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.

Google Maps Rating for 1st National Payment Solutions

1st National Payment Solutions has a 4.3 out of 5 star rating based on 14 user reviews on Google Maps.

Positive Feedback

I could not believe all the money we saved just by switching to 1st National Payment Solutions for our credit card processing. I don’t do anything different. My money is deposited at midnight every night and we use the same terminal. The only difference is how much less we pay for processing. This is amazing!!!!

Processing Rates & Fees

Two Merchant Account Types

1st National Payment Solutions provides different merchant account options, detailed on their website along with contracts and equipment leases. Their agreements, lasting one to three years, are brokered through iPayment and Woodforest National Bank. The iPayment contract includes an early termination fee ranging from $250 to $350, an iAccess fee between $9.95 and $14.95, and a variable PCI Compliance fee. The Woodforest agreement is an auto-renewing contract with a Liquidated Damages early termination fee. The rates offered by 1st National Payment Solutions may differ depending on business size and type. Additionally, their standard lease agreement is non-cancellable.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

Beyond storefront processing, 1st National Payment Solutions also highlights their virtual terminal and payment gateway services on their website. Specific pricing for these services is not listed, but it’s likely that additional rates and fees such as gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and transaction rates are involved for these e-commerce services.

Liquidated Damages

The use of a Liquidated Damages clause in its contract with Woodforest Bank is a significant concern, stating that the early termination fee will be the greater of $250 per location or an amount based on the average monthly fees times remaining contract months. This could result in substantial charges. While 1st National’s transparency in providing these contracts is positive, the actual contract terms currently warrant a “C” rating and are less favorable compared to the most affordable merchant accounts.

1st National Payment Solutions Contract Terms

A representative from 1st National Payment Solutions mentioned that their early termination fee is applicable mainly to merchants receiving free equipment and could be waived for others. Furthermore, they stated that the Woodforest contract entails only a flat $5 monthly fee without additional monthly, annual, or PCI compliance fees.

1st National Payment Solutions payment gateway
Payment gateway access is a feature of 1st National Payment Solutions’ offerings

Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

Independent Sales Agents

1st National Payment Solutions appears to utilize a referral program, strategic partnerships, and independent sales entities to market its services. The use of independent sales agents is usually tied to high complaint rates for a company, but we are currently able to locate only one National Payment Solutions review that describes misrepresentation of pricing. This 1st National Payment Solutions review is found in the comment section below and could simply have been a misunderstanding.

No Deceptive Advertising

As an additional point in the company’s favor, it does not appear to engage in deceptive advertising strategies in its official materials. We will therefore assign 1st National Payment Solutions an “A” rating in this category for the time being.  If you suspect that 1st National Payment Solutions is charging you undisclosed fees, however, we recommend seeking a free third-party statement audit.

1st National Payment Solutions Competitors

Compare 1st National Payment Solutions to competitors that earned top marks.

Bottom Line

Despite being an ISO of 1st National Processing, 1st National Payment Solutions is rated as a better-than-average merchant services provider. The company maintains a low complaint rate despite potentially costly contract terms, and its president is proactive in addressing the rare complaints the company receives.

The company’s name is spelled “1st National Payment Solutions,” not “First National Payment Solutions.” Despite its favorable rating in this review, merchants should still carefully read all contract terms before signing any applications or agreements with this processor and compare its pricing to the best-rated merchant account providers to secure the best possible deal.

Read Actual User Reviews

All user reviews have been moved to our partner, PaymentPop.com

Contact 1st National Payment Solutions

Contact & Customer Support
President and CEOMichael DiGiovanni
New York Headquarters40 Underhill Blvd., Ste. LA1, Syosset, New York 11791
Michigan Headquarters9991 East Cherry Bend Rd, Traverse City, MI 49684
Toll-Free 24/7 Support(800) 228-0210
General Support(231) 941-4200
Sales(877) 964-1622
New York Fax(516) 921-9488
Michigan Fax(231) 941-4204
On-Call Tech #1(917) 577-6237
On-Call Tech #2(917) 577-3149
Website1nps.com