(877) 875-6114
A Subsidiary of i3 Verticals
Founded in 1999, Axia Payments is a payments technology and merchant account provider headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. Axia was acquired by i3 Verticals in June 2016, but appears to continue to operate under its own brand name. As of this update, the company is now branded as a division of i3 Verticals Merchant Solutions. The company offers billing and payment services, payment gateways as well as data and analytics in addition to its payment processing services.
Axia Payment Processing
Axia Payments processes all major debit and credit cards for most business types. Their services include POS solutions, ACH and check processing, e-commerce solutions including access to payment gateways, mobile solutions, and gift and loyalty programs.
Axia Location and Ownership
Axia Payments is a registered ISO/MSP of Merrick Bank in South Jordan, Utah; RBS Worldpay; Deutsche Bank, USA, New York, NY; Deutsche Bank, USA, New York, NY; BMO Harris Bank NA, Chicago, IL; and Fifth Third Bank N.A., Cincinnati, OH. It is located at 1933 Cliff Drive, Suite 12, Santa Barbara, California 93109. Tom DeBord is listed as the CEO of Axia Payments.
Axia Payments Review Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Axia Payments appears to offer a standard contract through Merrick Bank with variable terms.
- Complaints & Service: Axia Payments complaints number fewer than 10 on public complaints forums.
- BBB Rating: Axia Payments (as i3 Verticals Merchant Solutions Axia Division) has an “A+” and has received 0 complaints or reviews in the past 3 years. The company has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2002.
- Sales & Marketing: Axia Payments does not engage in misleading sales tactics and has not received complaints about its sales team.
Axia Reviews and Complaints
Here's What Their Clients Say
Complaint Summary
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Total Online Complaints
<10
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Live Customer Support
Yes
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Most Common Complaint
Customer Service
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Low Complaint Total
We are currently able to locate a handful of Axia Payments complaints, none of which describe the company as a scam or a ripoff. The available complaints cite poor customer service, difficulty canceling service, excessive or unexpected fees, and fund-holds. If you have your own Axia Payment complaint to make, please do so in the comments below.
Axia Payments Lawsuits and Fines
We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Axia Payments. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Axia Payments Customer Service Options
The Axia website lists a dedicated phone number and a customer support form for customer support, although it is unclear whether the Axia staff services these support lines directly. Given the fact that the company is showing only a few complaints on internet forums, we have given it an “A” in this section but must exclude it from our list of the top merchant account providers for customer service.
We have located multiple Axia Payments customer service phone numbers:
(805) 962-6114 – Toll-Free Support
(800) 552-8227 – After Hours Support (accounts ending in 7641)
(844) 857-4748 – After Hours Support (other accounts)
Axia BBB Rating and Report
Our Better Business Bureau Profile Assessment
BBB Summary
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Product & Service Complaints
0
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Billing & Collection Complaints
0
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Advertising & Sales Complaints
0
|
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Guarantee & Warranty Complaints
0
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Delivery Complaints
0
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No Current BBB Complaints
Axia has been an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau since 2002, though its profile is now merged with that of its parent company i3 Verticals. As of this review, the company has an “A+” rating with the BBB and has 0 complaints filed against it in the last 36 months. While the low complaint total is encouraging, the lack of positive reviews is not enough to qualify Axia Payments as one of the top merchant account providers.
An “A” Rating
It should also be noted that the company has not received any informal reviews on its BBB profile, although these reviews are not subject to verification by the BBB. In light of the company’s low complaint total, we agree with the BBB’s rating.
Axia Fees and Rates
A Closer Look at the Contract
Cost Summary
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Swiped Rate
2.50% + $0.20
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Keyed-in Rate
3.50% + $0.20
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Virtual Terminal Rate
1.00% - 4.99%
|
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Payment Gateway Fee
Undisclosed
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Early Termination Fee
Liquidated Damages Equaling 1% of Gross Volume
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PCI Compliance Fee
$75.20 Per Year ($18.80 Charged Each Quarter)
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Equipment Lease Terms
48 Month (locked)
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Unclear Contract Terms
There is very little specific information available about the standard Axia Payments contract. On its website, the company only advertises that it offers “competitive rates.” Axia Payments lists several different processors on its website, but it most prominently appears to be partnered with Merrick Bank. Whether this means that the company resells Merrick Bank contracts is unknown at this time but for the purpose of this review, Merrick Bank’s figured will be included as a reference point for merchants considering Axia Payments’ merchant services.
Merrick Bank relies upon TSYS for its back end processing. TSYS offers listed a swipe rate of 2.5% plus $0.20 per transaction and a keyed-in rate of 3.5% plus $0.20 per transaction. Merrick Bank’s typical contract also exercises a liquidated damages clause as an early termination fee, a $75.20 PCI compliance fee that is charged at $18.80 on a quarterly basis, and a non-cancellable 48 month equipment lease.
We have located one merchant complaint that mentions a fund hold in the amount of $3500 for the merchant advertising another payment processing platform on their website. This merchant contends that this policy was not listed in their contract terms. According to its terms and conditions, merchants can be charged an early termination fee determined by multiplying the remaining months on the terminated contract by the monthly average of the merchant’s transactions. However, we do not have specific details regarding fees like PCI Compliance fees and monthly minimum fees.
Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing
In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Axia Payments also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising its virtual terminal and payment gateway services. However, pricing is not disclosed on either of those services. Additional rates and fees, including gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and additional transaction rates typically apply to these e-commerce services.
Few Contract Complaints
The fact that there are so few complaints available about the company’s contract indicates to us that most of Axia’s clients are satisfied with their contract terms. Axia Payments, therefore, could have pricing that rivals the cheapest merchant accounts. If you have any knowledge of the standard Axia contract, please leave that information in the comment section of this review.
We also encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.
Axia Jobs and Employment
Hiring Standards and Ethical Marketing Assessment
Key Points
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Employs Independent Resellers
No
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Advertises Deceptive Rates
No
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Discloses All Important Terms
No
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Outside Sales Agents
Axia Payments appears to rely on its website, its referral program, traditional advertising, and independent and inside sales agents to market its services. The use of independent sales agents is often linked to high complaint rates due to the difficulty of monitoring these agents’ behavior. However, we are currently unable to locate any Axia Payments complaints that allege deceptive tactics by the company’s sales reps.
This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
No Deceptive Ads
As an additional point in the company’s favor, Axia Payments does not appear to engage in deceptive advertising strategies in its official materials. If you suspect that Axia Payments is charging you hidden fees, however, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit.
Axia Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts and Opinions
A Solid Credit Card Processor
Axia rates as a reliable merchant services provider according to all available information. The company is showing only a few complaints across all consumer protection websites and has a relatively clean record with the BBB. We do not have any specific details about Axia’s rates and fees at this time, so merchants are encouraged to carefully examine their contract, to strongly negotiate terms where possible, and to compare Axia’s pricing to top-rated merchant accounts.
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
Amelia Mazgaloff
I have a chiropractic, acupuncture and massage practice in San Francisco. We use office ally for our EMR and scheduler. We started with AxiaMed because of its integration with Office Ally. The set up was easy, and everything went down hill from there. Every time we have a problem we are bounced from Ofice Ally to AxiaMed and the other way around. For 3 weeks no one can figure out why when we run someone’s card the patients name doesn’t print on the receipt, basic right, not for AxiaMed. Our procedures have lengthened. Not once anyone has called back to try to resolve the issue, every time we call they open a new inquiry and blame the other company. We are in a vicious circle. I would recommend that you DO NOT choose this company for your merchant transactions.
Amelia Mazgaloff
Chiro-Health, inc
This post will help: Best Medical Merchant Accounts
-Phillip
Lorinda
We run two separate businesses through Axia and have been with them for over 9 years. I have always found their customer service to be very responsive when we have had issues. Their rates have not been bested by any other processing company.
They seem to employ people of a good character as they do not engage in the usual “merchant services” sales tactics. I have recommended them without issue to many other businesses.
Lucy
Poorly customer service, always refuse to admit is their own fault. Push the fault to others. Was not there when needed because he said he is busy. Not informed by the 3 years contract, and infinite chargeback and small charges to bank account. Really got sick of them doing this.
Rich S
After 5 years with Axia, we recently canceled our account. They elected to charge us $31.75 in the last month although we did not have any transactions. I asked their customer service rep to refund the charge and she refused. Be aware of this trick. They claim they incur costs associated with having an account open, however, a $31.75 fee is just stealing from you. This kind of behavior makes me happy we elected to leave them.
Roberta Greene
Very difficult to reach customer service. Have to call several times to get assistance.
Casey Cruciano
My non-profit has been a customer of Axia for about 2 years. They have been good to work with and unlike so many processors out there, are a legitimate company that doesn’t deceptively price their product or call excessively.