Align Commerce Review
We take our role in providing guidance and education regarding the card payment industry very seriously. At our own expense, we have vigorously defended our right to continue expose unethical and predatory practices in the industry, successfully defeating every attempt to silence us. However, fending off frivolous lawsuits is costly. To sustain these efforts, one of the ways we generate revenue is through affiliate partnerships with ethical providers. This means that some of our outgoing links connect business owners to trustworthy, low-cost payment processors, which is what most of our readers seek. We see this revenue channel as a win-win-win for everyone involved. Business owners find good processors, processors get good clients, and we are able to continue to provide a valuable service to the small business community. We also recommend and link to many services that do not compensate us. Our priority is to guide you to the best solutions for your needs, regardless of potential revenue. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.
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.
Align Commerce
Rating
Customer Reviews & Sentiment
We are currently able to locate only a handful of negative Align Commerce reviews, none of which accuse the company of being a ripoff or a scam. Most of these complaints are found on the website TrustPilot, and they primarily mention delayed payments and poor customer service. Some of these complaints appear to be isolated cases in which users set up their accounts incorrectly. The complaints of hard-to-reach customer support are troubling, but Align Commerce offers phone and email support to all of its users, which is about the best that any company can do. Taking all available merchant reviews into account, Align Commerce appears to offer reliable customer support that resolves most merchant issues in-house.
Industry Scores & User Ratings
| Product & Service Complaints | 0 |
|---|---|
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 0 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 0 |
| Guarantee & Warranty Complaints | 0 |
| Delivery Complaints | 0 |
Align Commerce has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since May 2015 and currently has an “A” rating with the BBB. The company has received zero complaints since its BBB profile was opened in October 2014. It also has not received any negative informal reviews, although it should be noted that these reviews are not subject to verification by the BBB. Given Align Commerce’s clean complaint record, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.
Processing Rates & Fees
There is very little publicly available information about Align Commerce’s pricing and contract terms. The company does not disclose its per-transfer rates on its website, and there are very few user reviews that mention the exact fees they have paid. According to several third-party sources, Align Commerce charges between 1.5% and 1.9% per transfer, which is far less than the 3%-5% fees that are common for international bank transfers. In addition, the company charges a flat $15 fee for same-currency transfers between two different countries. There are no reports of Align Commerce signing merchants up for long-term contracts, but some merchants have complained that the company’s sign-up process can be long and tedious.
One aspect of Align Commerce’s service that users should be aware of is its use of the Bitcoin transfer protocol to bypass traditional banking networks. Although this method does not expose merchants to the volatility of the Bitcoin market, it may put Align Commerce in unsettled regulatory territory in some markets. Merchants can use Align Commerce at this time without any concerns about security or legality, but they should generally be aware of the regulatory climate surrounding Bitcoin if they wish to transfer money through Align Commerce. In general, Align Commerce appears to offer its service at below-market rates with little to no long-term commitment required.
Align Commerce Competitors
Compare Align Commerce to competitors that earned top marks.
Bottom Line
Align Commerce rates as a reliable money transfer service according to our rating criteria. The company appears to offer wire transfers at the same speed as conventional banks for less than half the price. Small and midsize merchants who are comfortable with Align Commerce’s use of the Bitcoin blockchain may find the company to be a good fit, while larger businesses will likely prefer a more tested option. We will continue to monitor merchant feedback about Align Commerce and adjust our rating as necessary.
