Adyen Credit Card Processing 2023: Reviews & Complaints

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Adyen Rating
5/5
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Company Overview

Headquartered in Amsterdam, Adyen is a merchant account provider that offers online, mobile, and in-person international payment processing. The company prominently advertises interchange-plus pricing. The service claims that it was founded in 2006 and that it is a direct global processor with Visa and MasterCard that can process and settle payments in any country or currency. In December 2014, Adyen raised $250 million in venture capital to expand its payments platform. As of February 2017, it claimed to process more than $90 billion internationally per year resulting in revenues reaching $727 million. In February 2018, the online marketplace eBay announced plans to gradually replace its default payment processor PayPal with Adyen over the next three years, and the process is already underway. Adyen is partnered with numerous acquiring banks in order to process payments internationally and claims to be a direct processor.

Article Summary

Before we dive in, here’s a short summary of what we’ll cover:

  • Adyen’s various payment processing services.
  • Adyen’s fees and rates are fairly standard for the industry.
  • The company has received few complaints.

Adyen Payment Processing

Adyen processes all major debit and credit cards for most business types. Their services include mobile payments, POS solutions, EMV readers, data reporting and analytics, payment gateways, virtual terminals, card issuing, and fraud and chargeback protection.

Adyen’s Online Payments

The company provides a range of online payment options, including credit cards, e-wallets, and bank transfers. Their platform is designed to handle multiple currencies and is geared towards international transactions.

Adyen’s Mobile Payments

Adyen extends its services to mobile platforms, supporting in-app payments. This allows businesses to accept payments through mobile applications, enhancing the customer experience.

Risk Management Features

Adyen has risk management features integrated into its payment platform. Their system includes fraud prevention measures that analyze payment data to flag potentially fraudulent activities.

Unified Commerce Platform

One of Adyen’s standout features is its Unified Commerce Platform. This enables businesses to track customer transactions across different sales channels, from online to in-store, on a single dashboard.

Subscription Billing

Adyen offers subscription billing services that automate recurring payments. Businesses can easily set up and manage subscription models through the Adyen platform.

Payout Services

Adyen provides payout services, enabling businesses to send funds to customers or between accounts. This is often used for refunds, prize money, or remittances.

Local Payment Methods

The platform also supports a wide array of local payment methods. This is particularly useful for businesses looking to expand internationally, as it allows them to cater to local payment preferences.

Location & Ownership

Adyen’s global headquarters can be found at Simon Carmiggeltstraat 6-50, 1011 DJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands, while its U.S. office is located at 274 Brannan Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, California 94107. The co-founder, president, and CEO of Adyen is Pieter van der Does.

Table of Contents

  • Costs & Contract: Offers a month-to-month contract with interchange-plus pricing and no…
  • Complaints & Service: Has received fewer than…
  • BBB Rating: Has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has…
  • Sales & Marketing: Does not appear to hire independent sales agents and has not received any complaints about its…
Adyen payment processing
Adyen is a major company that processes payments for businesses of all kinds

Adyen Customer Reviews

Here's What Their Clients Say

Customer Reviews Summary
Item Result
Total Online Complaints <10
Live Customer Support No
Most Common Complaint N/A
Recent Lawsuits No

Low Complaint Total

We have located only a few negative Adyen reviews across all consumer protection websites, none of which go so far as to call the company a ripoff or a scam operation. One comment below this review offers a mixed assessment of the company’s services, suggesting that its product is sound but the surrounding customer service is inadequate for large or rapidly growing businesses. Another complaint in the comment section of this review cites excessive fund-holds and poor customer service, and another mentions a fraudulent transaction. Adyen has generally positive reviews from its employees on Glassdoor.com, and its mobile app receives a 3.5 out of 5 on the Google Play Store and a 3.7 out of 5 on the iTunes App Store.

Adyen Lawsuits

We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Adyen. However, Adyen is involved in a legal issue raised in 2023. Adyen has gained access to FedNow, the Federal Reserve’s new 24-hour payment system. Caitlin Long, CEO of Custodia Bank, has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Reserve, arguing it’s not applying the law correctly and accusing Adyen of entering the system unfairly. The Federal Reserve is also preventing eight other fintech companies, four of which are in the crypto sector, from acquiring a master account. Long suggests that the crypto industry could challenge the government’s overreach, citing growing court support for the sector.

This case should not affect customers directly, but we will monitor it closely. Dissatisfied clients who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.

Adyen Customer Support Options

Adyen provides phone numbers for each of its offices but seems to direct most clients to its email ticketing system. It appears that the company provides adequate support through either channel, although clients will want to be certain that they are comfortable with only having access to an email-based ticketing support system. As of now, its channels seem to function at a level comparable to top-rated credit card processors for customer support.

Adyen Online Ratings

Here's How They Rate Online

Online Ratings Summary
Item Result
BBB Reports 6

Note: We have adjusted this company’s BBB rating according to our own standards. To better understand why we adjust BBB ratings, please see our Rating Criteria.

Over 5 Complaints

Adyen currently has an “F” rating with the BBB and has received 6 complaints in the past 36 months. 1 of these 6 complaints was resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the client. The remaining complaints were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the client or received no final response.

What Merchants Are Saying

There have been no informal reviews against the company in the last 3 years, though there was 1 negative review added to the company’s profile previously. The review detailed a client who was refused service:

Adyen may make a decision to refuse their services to your company based on the company business model exclusively but they collect sensitive personal (SSN, etc.) information unnecessary anyway. The company doesn’t have a mechanism for you to access the personal information they collected even after they refused to provide any services.

Adyen is adverse to taking on high-risk clients, as reflected by the company’s policy to reserve the right to cancel accounts based on excessive chargebacks. Businesses facing this predicament can benefit from researching which services are better suited for high-risk merchants.

An “A” Performance

Given the size of the company and the fact that Adyen has only received a small number of complaints to its BBB profile, we have adjusted the BBB’s rating to an “A.” However, readers should be aware that there are good reasons to view the BBB’s information with skepticism.

Adyen Fees, Rates & Costs

A Closer Look at The Contract

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Cost & Fees Summary
Item Result
Cancellation Penalties No
Monthly & Annual Fees Yes
Processing Rates Interchange +
Equipment Leasing Yes

Adyen Pricing Structure

Adyen’s pricing varies according to the currency involved and the type of card network used for payment. All transactions are charged interchange plus a $0.13 processing fee. The company offers interchange-plus pricing for Visa and MasterCard payments and charges 3.95% plus $0.13 per transaction for American Express and Discover Card payments. Google and Apple pay transactions are charged $0.13 in addition to the rates associated with each digital wallet. Account holders are also held to a monthly minimum of either $120 or 1,000 total transactions.

Adyen processes ACH transfers for $0.27 each, UnionPay payments for 3% plus $0.13 each, and Paysafecard transactions for 10-12% depending on the industry. Adyen’s contract runs indefinitely, but businesses can terminate their agreements by providing two months’ written notice. There are some exceptions, however, where the agreement can be canceled immediately. Adyen does not list an early termination fee or PCI compliance fee in its terms and conditions, but this does not mean that these fees will not apply.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Adyen also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising its virtual terminal and payment gateway services. The company’s standard pricing schedule applies to online payments as well. However, it is unclear if additional fees, including gateway fees, technical support fees, or batch fees apply to Adyen’s e-commerce services.

Discontinued mPOS

Adyen previously advertised a mobile POS solution called “Shuttle” for a cost of €99 for the initial purchase and €10 per month thereafter, but its site no longer appears to promote Shuttle. Instead, Adyen is now offering a wide array of EMV/NFC countertop terminals for clients as the company seeks to grow its footprint in the POS hardware sector.

Industry-Average Terms

Overall, the publicly listed pricing for Adyen appears to be consistent with industry averages given the service it provides, and we are unable to locate any complaints that describe excessive fees charged by the company. We will therefore award it an “A” for the time being, but businesses should be sure to compare the company’s rates to those of the cheapest merchant account providers. See the Adyen Terms and Conditions.

Adyen Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs

Should You Work For Them?

Jobs & Marketing Summary
Item Result
Uses Independent Resellers No
Telemarketing No
Misleading Marketing No
Discloses All Important Terms Yes

No Sales Complaints

Adyen primarily markets itself through web-based advertising and strategic partnerships. There is no indication at this time that the company employs independent sales agents or engages in telemarketing campaigns, and there are also no Adyen complaints that accuse the company’s representatives of misrepresentation or nondisclosure.

No Deceptive Quotes

Adyen’s official materials do not list any “teaser” quotes, and its official pricing sheet and terms and conditions appear to outline all of the important contract terms in plain language. We therefore award the company an “A” rating at this time, but if you suspect that Adyen is charging you undisclosed fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate hidden charges.

Our Adyen Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts

Adyen appears to be a robust and effective international credit card processing solution for most merchant types. The merchant services provider has aggressive growth plans and claims to have established the necessary banking relationships to truly offer global payment acceptance. Despite its low complaint rate and seemingly transparent contract terms, business owners are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the company’s fund-holding policies and customer support apparatus before signing up. Readers should also compare Adyen’s services to the value offered by top-rated payment processors.

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Your Comments & Reviews

How Did Adyen Treat You?

11 Responses

  • I recently purchased using Coach stores texting or email using Adyen.
    Apparently, a fraud approach to using Adyen from a shoppers perspective is sexist, biased, and discriminates against women or women’s names.

    over the period of 2 days tried to purchase coach items and was able to using their paythrutext system from Adyen 4 times.
    after the 4th time, for the last 36 hours, it will not let me make a purchase on my own accoutn even using two different credit cards with huge creditlines.
    I have over 850 CC score and yet using my husband’s Coach account and his credit cards was able to do 6 on his or more.
    yet I am still unable to do over 4 the 24 hours ago. I messaged and talked to both my banks and they both said they didn’t deny the charges at any point!
    yet this company wants to stop only me-not my husband from purchasing. also being sent to the same address. but using a different text number for the account!
    criminals if you ask me, talk about gender and discrimination by gender or name.
    You should be ashamed of your selves and I am starting a complaint to the BBB and the California consumer protection group for your wrong stop of my purchasing.

  • Thomas Bodetti

    The idea of Ebay failing to disclose its choice of a payment processor located in the same geological area as the most active hacking locations in the world is both concerning and challenging to the mind. Additionally this undisclosed (payment entity) referred to by ebay in its now mandatory payment management service fails to give users the choice of storing credit card information instead requiring users to store credit card information and bank information without any defined recourse. Funds collected by said (payment provider are not FDIC insured) as well as data that may be subject to hacking leaves the user with higher than normal risk which ebay fails to disclose to the end user as required by federal laws. Houston we have a really big problem at ebay

  • It is heartening to see that you are such a zealous advocate of merchants who are routinely abused by credit card processing companies. Unfortunately your site doesn’t seem to take an interest in customers (“consumers”) who are jerked around by those same credit card processing companies. When a company like Authorize.com or Adyen.com rejects a transaction and incorrectly accuses the customer of trying to buy merchandise with fraudulent credit card information, it creates ill-will between merchant and customer. The customer does not take it out on the credit card clearing house; he takes it out on the merchant. He takes his business elsewhere and the merchant loses the customer.
    You need to address the issue of the processor that throws thousands of false FRAUD flags and rejects millions of dollars of transactions every year. Adyen is one of those negligent companies. Write to me and I will provide full particulars, with copious documentary evidence.

  • Ayden is working for a fraudulent online shopping site. They are aware that the shopping site is a scam but Ayden continues to take money from innocent people all over the world for this fraudulent online shopping site. This make Ayden equally guilty of fraud.

  • Negative 5 stars for Customer Service ( Lisanne )

    Our website is under construction and we are a new startup that looking for a payment gateway. Recently, we reached out to Adyen and try to ask some simple questions and she refused to answer those simple question. Saying that they are unable to proceed with our inquiry as our website isn’t fully functional at the moment. Maybe we are from Asia? Or she’s just trying to chase away beginner merchant? Not helpful at all. We are just asking information, not applying for a live account yet. Is it so difficult for you to provide some information on those simple questions? We consider that as rude. We will never ever think of using Adyen again.

    Please state on the website that new merchants are not welcomed if you don’t like to accept new merchant. It’s wasting everybody’s time. Feeling disappoints with Adyen’s Customer Service.


    This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for New Businesses

    -Phillip

  • Robyn O'Dale

    I continually get the response ” Invalid Request
    Unfortunately we were unable to process this request
    Previous” when trying to purchade from Chemist Warehouse – I have contacted both Paypal & Chemist Warehouse and they both cannot find any problem – i have purchaded from other merchants without problems

  • Scammers who refuse to answer mails.

    I bought membership on a game platform, adyen.com was involved as 3rd party as they’re a merchant account provider securing payments from and to other parties.
    Everything went alright till 3 days after payment my account got blocked.
    I had to pay more than double the amount I paid for the membership I bought to unblock my account.
    The game support told me they’re was a chargeback from my bank account but my bank wouldn’t do something like that without my knowledge.
    After mailing Adyen they told me the same as game support.
    I replied the same as I did to game support but never got an answer.
    The money I used to pay the membership was gone, not my bank, nor Jagex, nor Adyen knew where it was.
    In other words, I paid more than 3 times the amount for 1 membership and never got any refund.
    I saw Jagex and Adyen have quit working together, can’t be a coïncidence.

  • Somebody stole my VISA credit card account number and made purchases through ADYEN. I believe they should be more thorough with the information when opening accounts to give their service. My card was charged $300.00 USD

  • Adyen is one of 5 payment providers we use across several platforms. We only implemented Adyen as other providers could not cover some of the European countries we offer our services too.

    Their system interface looks nice. They use a fraud scoring module that cannot be customised to your business needs therefore leaving you exposed to fraud or issues with receiving genuine payments. They offer the worst customer service – no service at all really, you have to email a ticketing support queue only to receive links to their manuals. They state very clearly in their contract that they will adjust the settlement deposit whenever they feel necessary – without warning. Their transactions are coded with a 16 digit transaction number that does not fully export to excel meaning any accounting reconciliations are nearly impossible to do at month end. They offer lots of reporting that sadly only supports card data (not other payment methods like SEPA/Sofort, etc).

    For a small business starting out or companies wanting to try other European countries, they offer a wide range of payment methods allowing you to easily test the market. My favourite feature of their system is the duplication of user tool. My only criticism is that their system and service is not sustainable if you want to grow your revenues and are looking for a longer term service.

  • I used Adyen for 3 months. In that time I turned over £2674 in card payments, about half of this mail or telephone order (MOTO) transactions. Adyen retained a total of £1545 of that turnover as a “deposit” to protect them from potential chargebacks. They deducted this money from payouts (more than £1000 in one go once) with no advance warning and no notification and I am told that I will have to wait months to get it back. It has caused me serious cashflow problems. They do not disclose anywhere how the deposit calculations are made, so you have no way of knowing how much money they will retain and when.

    Furthermore, the wait for payouts is between 11 and 14 days – difficult to justify when they will have the money within 2 days.

    Needless to say I have cancelled my account, but advise others to steer well clear of this company. Also, customer support is not good and the software is buggy.

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