AppNinjas (Swipe) Merchant Services 2023: Reviews & Complaints
1 (888) 364-6527 Company Overview
AppNinjas is the creator of a credit card processing app called “Swipe,” (formerly “iSwipe”) which provides merchants a virtual terminal similar to mobile phone payment processing apps like Square and Pay Anywhere. In fact, the company has actually been around longer than those 2 competitors.
AppNinjas Payment Processing
AppNinjas processing works through its app Swipe. It does not do direct processing itself. Swipe primarily processes mobile and wireless payments, though they do also offer a free card swiper.
Location & Ownership
Founded in 2009 by Bryan Kennedy and Zander Ford, AppNinjas was acquired by Inner Fence (one of its competitors) and Merchant Focus in 2010 as part of an apparent joint venture. The company is based in Dublin, Ohio, and is sponsored by HSBC Bank of Buffalo, New York, as its acquiring bank. John Waldron is the CEO of AppNinjas which is headquartered at 5555 Wall Street Dublin, OH.
Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Offers a month-to-month contract with…
- Complaints & Service: Complaints number fewer than…
- BBB Rating: Does not have a profile with…
- Sales & Marketing: Does not appear to hire independent sales representatives and has not…
AppNinjas (Swipe) Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Total Online Complaints | <10 |
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | N/A |
| Recent Lawsuits | No |
Low Complaint Total
We have found no AppNinjas reviews filed online in other consumer forums and only two below this review (as of this update). One complainant did not describe specifically what the issue was, while the other client had a negative sales experience over the phone with AppNinjas. These incidents appear to be isolated and do not indicate a trend of poor support. If you have your own AppNinjas review to make, please do so in the comments below.
AppNinjas Lawsuits and Fines
We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against AppNinjas. Dissatisfied clients who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
AppNinjas Customer Support Options
The company has a dedicated customer service phone number and appears to resolve complaints in a timely fashion. This level of support is consistent with our expectations of top-rated merchant accounts for great customer service. We have therefore assigned it an “A” rating in this category.
AppNinjas Customer Service Number
- (888) 364-6527 – Toll-Free Support
Other Support Options
- Customer support form
- Customer service email address at [email protected]
AppNinjas (Swipe) Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
No Dedicated Profile
The Better Business Bureau does not have a profile for AppNinjas and it is unclear whether the company shares its profile with Merchant Focus. We therefore will not factor a BBB rating into this review.
AppNinjas (Swipe) Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
| Item | Result | >
|---|---|
| Cancellation Penalties | No |
| Monthly & Annual Fees | Yes |
| Processing Rates | Variable |
| Equipment Leasing | No |
Using a Third-Party Processor
AppNinjas allows businesses to use the app for a monthly fee of $25 (first terminal) or $9 (subsequent terminals) with their existing merchant services providers, but it’s unclear whether the app is fully compatible upon activation, or whether it would be better for businesses to simply use the mobile solutions offered by their existing processors.
MerchantFocus Pricing
For businesses that opt to use AppNinjas’ associated MerchantFocus account, the AppNinjas rates share more similarities with a traditional merchant account than they do with those of competitors like GoPayment and Square. First, the company charges a monthly fee of $25.00 which covers the company’s service fee and a third-party payment gateway fee that is supplied by Authorize.net. Next, the company has a three-tier rate model similar to the Qualified, Mid-Qualified, and Non-Qualified models found with traditional credit card processing.
Rate Pricing
The first tier applies to swiped debit cards (excluding AMEX) and runs between 1.59% to 2.89% plus $0.29 per transaction, but AppNinjas does not bundle the VISA “Dues & Assessment Fee” of 0.11% (0.10% for Discover and 0.11% to 0.13% for MasterCard) into the rate as most other processors do. This means that the effective rate is actually 1.70% for these transactions.
Other AppNinjas Fees
On the positive side, the company has no setup fees, no monthly minimums, no annual/PCI compliance fees, no cancellation fees, and a free card reader. Overall, Swipe’s pricing will cost less than an average merchant account but is slightly more expensive than the cheapest payment processing options available.
We also encourage readers to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant services.
AppNinjas (Swipe) Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Uses Independent Resellers | No |
| Telemarketing | No |
| MIsleading Marketing | Yes |
| Discloses All Important Terms | No |
Incomplete Rate Disclosure
The only strike against AppNinjas’ marketing and sales tactics is that the company does not disclose all of the processing rates on its website. In fact, we had to call the company to get a better understanding of the rates because they are quoted rather vaguely online (pricing is covered below). It was also difficult to find out which devices AppNinjas supports. In general, this does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
Few Sales Complaints
Aside from these issues, no deceptive advertising or marketing appears to be in use by the company, and there is only one AppNinjas review that accuses the AppNinjas sales team of unprofessional conduct (found in the comment section below this review). If you suspect that you have been deceived by an AppNinjas representative, we recommend seeking an independent statement audit to find and eliminate hidden fees.
Our AppNinjas (Swipe) Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
AppNinjas’ “Swipe” credit card processing app appears to be a good option for most mobile businesses, but the company does have some fierce direct competition that offers no monthly fees, less expensive transaction fees, and flat-rate pricing. AppNinjas can improve its rating in this review by offering more transparency of its pricing and supported devices on its website, as well as by expanding compatibility across more devices. Readers should compare the company’s pricing, features, and support to those offered by top-rated merchant account providers.
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
About The Author
Your Comments & Reviews
How Did AppNinjas (Swipe) Treat You?3 Responses
Leave a reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Copyright
Copyright © 2023 CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. (Digital Fingerprint: 0d38c6720f0d78a701b74d58653af608). Getting paid to re-write this page? Click here to earn a reward.
Any unauthorized copying and reproduction of the content of this page, including all meta data and computer code, is strictly prohibited. While the information in the above article is believed to be accurate as of its publish date, the author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which is provided “as is,” and without warranties. Any and all use of trade names and/or marks are for identification purposes only and shall not be construed as a claim of affiliation, or otherwise, with CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. ("CPO") in any form. The sole purpose of the material presented herein is to alert, educate, and inform readers. It is not intended as legal or financial advice. We may earn revenue if you obtain services from a provider that we recommend. See this page to learn how we support our operations.
Dustin Douglas
Swipe Canada not for the small business, and after dealing with them I wouldn’t recommend to big either.
I recently was contacted by one of their sales people who upon answering the call said first of he wasn’t trying to sell me anything and was just trying to save my business money. As a guarantee if he couldn’t save me money he would send a $100 cheque for my time. So I spent 20 minutes on the phone with him and we went over my small business’s credit card information including my small projected credit card sales. I was told that my 2.75% rate was unbelievably high and he could get me 2% or lower. As per his request I emailed what documentation I had supporting my current rates. I later received a phone call back from them to figure out what fit me best. They tried pushing a machine at first and I explained I only want the phone swiper like I’m currently using (was free, no extra hidden fees, and 2.75% on swiped cards). The sales guy told me it was $150 for the phone swiper and I said no way, it was free from the company I am dealing with, and he came back oh sorry never mind. Then he says he can do 2.25% which is higher then the 2% or lower I was promised, but I’m okay with that providing I’m saving money, then he proceeds to tell me it’s $99 to get the $2.25%, I don’t know if that was one time, or year (I think year), or what but I replied I’m not paying $99. I explained I would be losing money if I paid 2.25% and $99 instead of staying with the other company at 2.75% flat no extra fees(20 more minutes to find this out). He said that is your choice and abruptly hung up on me which I felt was extremely unprofessional and rude. I phoned back and asked to speak to a manager and asked to file a complaint over the unprofessional behavior. The manager said he would look into it and asked if there was anything else, which I replied yes, I was told if you couldn’t save me money I would receive $100 cheque, I sent in what was asked of me and spent over 40 minutes on the phone and you can’t beat what I have so I believe I am entitled to the $100 cheque. After some discussion the supervisor said he would phone me back later that day or the next to discuss a better rate or some sort of payment. He never called back, big surprise
Brigette Leach
I was generally satisfied with Swipe and AppNinjas until I tried to close the account. The problem wasn’t so much with AppNinja as it was with Merchant Focus, the company that processes for them. Would I do business with either of them again? No.
Phillip CPO
Hi Brigette,
What happened with Merchant Focus?