BankCard USA Merchant Services 2023: Reviews & Complaints
(800) 589-8200 Company Overview
Established in 1993, BankCard USA is a merchant account provider that specializes in credit card processing and electronic payment services. The company is a reseller of First Data (now Fiserv) that shares past ties with Maverick Bankcard, a relationship that is covered in our Maverick Bankcard review. According to a BankCard USA representative, these two companies no longer have any relationship besides being located on different floors of the same building, and each operates independently of the other. BankCard USA was purchased in 2021 by Quisitive. BankCard USA claims to provide processing for 400-1,000 new merchants per month and to have serviced over 100,000 merchants since its creation.
BankCard USA Payment Gateway
BankCard USA offers the CyberSource payment gateway for virtual payments. Their website boasts that CyberSource is an enterprise-level payment gateway that offers global payment acceptance in 190+ countries and territories, 300+ fraud detectors, recurring billing, SDKs in six programming languages, CRM integration, and 24/7 support.
Wide Range of Payment Processing Options
With BankCard USA, merchants can access a diverse array of payment processing options, including credit and debit card processing, ACH and e-check transactions, mobile payments, and virtual terminals. Their comprehensive payment offerings cater to businesses with physical locations, e-commerce platforms, or a combination of both, ensuring a smooth payment experience for customers.
Point-of-Sale System Compatibility
BankCard USA supports integration with numerous point-of-sale (POS) systems, allowing merchants to connect their existing POS hardware and software with BankCard’s payment processing services. This compatibility helps businesses streamline their operations while maintaining a consistent user experience at the point of sale.
Support for High-Risk Merchants
BankCard USA is equipped to serve high-risk merchants by providing payment processing solutions specifically tailored to their needs. They work with a variety of industries, including those considered high-risk, helping these businesses maintain dependable payment processing while minimizing chargebacks and fraud.
Robust Security and Fraud Prevention
Security is a top priority for BankCard USA, as they employ advanced encryption and tokenization technologies to safeguard sensitive customer data during transactions. Additionally, they offer cutting-edge fraud prevention tools to assist businesses in detecting and preventing fraudulent activities, ensuring a secure payment environment for merchants and customers alike.
Personalized Account Management
BankCard USA provides personalized account management services, assigning a dedicated account manager to each merchant to assist with the setup and ongoing management of their payment processing system. This individualized support ensures a smooth onboarding process and helps businesses tackle any challenges they might encounter throughout their partnership.
Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics
Merchants partnering with BankCard USA gain access to in-depth reporting and analytics tools, enabling them to monitor sales performance, track customer behavior, and optimize their payment processing operations. These insights empower merchants to make data-driven decisions that contribute to their overall business growth.
Location & Ownership
The company began operating in 1993 and is located at 2625 Townsgate Rd #100, Westlake Village, California 91361. BankCard USA Merchant Services is a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Walnut Creek, California; Westamerica Bank, Santa Rosa, California; and Esquire Bank, Jericho, NY. The president and CEO of BankCard USA is Shawn Skelton and the joint CEO is Scott Hardy.
Video Summary
Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Appears to offer a three-year contract with an early termination fee of $99 and…
- Complaints & Service: Has received more than 40 public complaints regarding…
- BBB Rating: Has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2002 and has an “A+” rating but has received 5 complaints and 1 review in regards to…
- Sales & Marketing: Appears to hire independent sales agents and has received a low-to-moderate number of complaints about its…
BankCard USA Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Total Online Complaints | 40+ |
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | Hidden Fees |
| Recent Lawsuits | No |
Moderate Complaint Total
On this website and other consumer protection websites, we were able to locate over 40 negative BankCard USA reviews from the last three years, many of which accused BankCard USA of being a scam or ripoff. Client complaints generally cited undisclosed fees, unauthorized debiting, and difficulty reaching customer service representatives. A significant number of complainants expressed frustration with the company’s policy of placing holds on suspiciously large transaction amounts. This is a common policy designed to protect merchant account providers from high-risk transactions. While it isn’t especially unethical to withhold funds in this manner, it appears that BankCard USA does a poor job of communicating its policies to high-risk merchants both before and during service. If you have your own BankCard USA review to make, please do so in the comments below.
BankCard USA Lawsuits
We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against BankCard USA. Dissatisfied clients who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
BankCard USA Customer Support Options
BankCard USA offers phone and email support as well as a form on their website. Businesses that operate in high-risk industries should seriously consider working with a top-rated high-risk specialist instead.
BankCard USA Customer Service Numbers
- (800) 589-8200 – General Contact
- (818) 540-3712 – Fax
Other Support Options
- Customer support form
- Support email address at [email protected]
BankCard USA Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
| 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.
Under 10 Complaints
The Better Business Bureau has received 5 complaints regarding BankCard USA Merchant Services within the past 36 months. The company has an “A+” rating and has been accredited by the BBB since 2002.
What Merchants Say
In addition to the 6 complaints, BankCard USA has also received 1 informal review to its BBB profile, describing aggressive sales tactics:
I was referred to BankCard USA by one of our banking partners to open a merchant account, however, I was unable to proceed due to John Curiale’s comment that made me feel uncomfortable in continuing the process. He asked for documents, which I was more than happy to provide, however, I mentioned I could not provide one as I had lost it and had requested a replacement. He instantly responded with “And I’m not processing this application until you call me directly at 818-XXX-XXXX. I’ve been doing this for 18 years so this isn’t my first rodeo. I know exactly what you are trying to do.” I asked him what he thought I was trying to do, which I was not quite sure what he was thinking. I have every document for both myself and my business. If I was trying to win some business, I would not assume things about people and jump to conclusions. I would not do business with them. He became very defensive with my reply.
Clients in this position are better off partnering with a top-rated merchant account provider.
A “B” Performance
In light of the company’s complaint total and resolution ratio, we have adjusted the BBB‘s rating to a “B.” This is in keeping with our philosophy that there are good reasons to be skeptical of the BBB’s rating system.
BankCard USA Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
| Item | Result | >
|---|---|
| Cancellation Penalties | Yes |
| Monthly & Annual Fees | Yes |
| Processing Rates | 1.00% - 4.99% |
| Equipment Leasing | Yes |
Three-Year Contract
Many public BankCard USA reviews describe a standard agreement of three years with an early termination fee ranging from $99 to $295. Other reported fees include monthly minimum fees ranging from $10 to $25 (likely dependent on business size and type) and multiple PCI compliance fees each year, which may exceed $200 in total. According to one rebuttal offered by a company representative, BankCard USA reserves the right to place funds in risk assessment for up to 180 days. This provision appears to have caused great inconvenience for a number of high-risk merchants that the company has serviced.
Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing
In addition to its storefront payment processing services, BankCard USA 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.
Some Agent Discretion
A company representative has informed us that BankCard USA no longer charges a termination fee on all accounts. The company only charges merchants a $99 termination fee if they have received free equipment upon account activation, and BankCard USA waives this fee if the equipment is returned or if the client remains with the company for over a year. This is preferable to a long-term contract with a built-in termination fee, but it appears to be a fairly recent change for the company. BankCard USA also appears to allow its independent agents to set their own lease terms and rates, so the specific terms of the standard BankCard USA contract may vary depending on the agent servicing the account as well as the merchant’s business type, size, and time in business.
BankCard USA uses its own payment gateway, CyberSource
BankCard USA Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Uses Independent Resellers | Yes |
| Telemarketing | Yes |
| Misleading Marketing | Yes |
| Discloses All Important Terms | No |
Outside Sales Team
According to BankCard USA reviews found on this site and elsewhere, the company appears to hire independent as well as in-house sales agents to market its services. The use of independent sales agents or resellers is a common practice within the industry that often results in elevated complaint rates among merchants. In the case of BankCard USA, numerous publicly available complaints report aggressive in-person sales tactics and nondisclosure or misrepresentation of fees at the point of signing.
BankCard USA Rate Quotes
At the time of an earlier update, the company’s home page quoted “the lowest rates in the industry at 0.23%.” We consider this type of rate quoting to be deceptive since the 0.23% figure shown was much lower than the effective rate for almost all businesses. BankCard USA has since removed the quote from its homepage, but clients may still encounter it in the company’s promotional materials. If you suspect that your rates were misrepresented, you can double-check your monthly bill with a third-party statement audit.
An ad from the BankCard USA website that does not give specifics.
Our BankCard USA Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
BankCard USA rates as an average credit card processing provider according to our rating standards. The company has a moderate complaint rate for its apparent size, and clients consistently report dissatisfaction with the company’s contract terms, sales tactics, and customer service. The company can improve its overall rating by lowering its complaint volume and revising its sales strategies. It is worth noting that BankCard USA could potentially be confused with another business named Bancard USA. These organizations are unrelated.
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How Did BankCard USA Treat You?25 Responses
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Hanna
I became treasurer for a nonprofit organization and realized they had been receiving charges from this company for years. We assumed it was just a checking service fee from our bank until the amount started going way up. We have very limited funds as a nonprofit, so this is a really big deal to us. I called the bank to find out why the charges increased, learned it wasn’t the bank, researched and found this company, called them and was given the runaround that is sounds like they often give. “We have no record of you in our system. It can’t be us making the charges.” B.S.
I put a stop payment on the charges through my bank, which worked for a number of months. Unfortunately, the charges have started up again. I’m disputing it with my bank, but I don’t want to have to change my account number just to get this company to stop charging!
What a terrible company.
Taylor Sparks
Bank Card USA has been my merchant bank for just over one year. I started receiving excessive and unknown fees to my bank account in April along with periodic holds of deposits, with no notice, by Bank Card USA, causing a domino effect of a shortage of funds. With the periodic holds of deposits, there was a delay in paying the distributor which delayed shipments and ultimately became charge backs. On June 27th they began holding all deposits with no notice and kept withdrawing fees, ultimately over-drawing my account. When I called to find out what was happening, they stated that they had the right to hold my fees due to previous charge backs, although there were no charge backs currently due. I have been requesting the release of my deposits for 21 days to no avail. I am unable to ship orders because Bank Card USA has taken all deposits that clients paid me to ship their products to them. But without any monies in my account I cannot pay the distributors and the orders will not ship, therefore creating a domino effect of charge backs filed by the customer. I cannot refund the customers because Bank Card USA will not release the deposits.
Vica
I didn’t even sign up with them. Went right through my bank for merchant services. I had to dig and research on my own to figure out who it was taking my money. They got ahold of my account info and have stolen nearly $4,000.
Isabel
I don’t know who’s there stilling people are they taking money out of my account For no reason
I called and never find me they say it’s not them who I have to call I went to my bank and they gave me a number to call I don’t understand I need to resolve the situation
Marilyn
I just checked my bank account and i have several charges from this company showing as BANKCARD MTOT DISC CCD. I contacted them because i wanted to know who they are and who they stand for. The lady said they could not find me in their system, she checked my name, business name, business phone and my cellphone..could not pull me up at all. The sad thing is i haven’t made any credit card swipes in months. The lady told me to call back tomorrow and maybe they can assist me better. The sad thing is this is my personal account and i do not have any credit card machine attached to it. Anyway, i went down a few statements and to my surprise i have 3 charges from them starting in 10/02/19 for $22.00, again on 11/4/19 for $31.95, then today 12/02/19 for $130.95. Somebody needs to do something about these people. I have never heard of them until now.
Grayson
These guys are absolute liars.
Justin Gagnon
Bank Card USA Withdrew $150 (give or take a few dollars) for a settlement that never happened. I made one credit card transaction for $60.00 on 2/27/19 and the next day they pulled out $150, followed by another $33.04 on March 4th 2019 for the monthly fees. Im writing letters to Wells Fargo, BBB, The State Attorney General, The FTC and many more places as we speak. Bank Card USA had the nerve to tell me that it was not them that withdrew from my account even though I have 9 months of statements showing them withdrawing under the same discreption (BKCD PROCESSING SETTLEMENT CCD and BANKCARD MTOT DISC CCD)
This post will help: How to Report Bad Credit Card Processors
-Phillip
Walter Reynolds
We are a food flavoring company and for some reason they treat us like a tobacco company. They tried to charge us bogus fees and we have had to report them to Master Card for this. I highly recommend staying away from this company. VERY SHADY.
From The Editor
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Silver Vapes
The company is a joke. Signed us up for an account and month later closed the account and is now holding over $2500 worth of deposits. Angela in the risk department never answers calls or replies to emails. Sales reps are very good at convincing you that they do everything different from all the other merchants but BankCard USA is horrible once you have an account and actually need help.
Paper Town Books
I used BankCard USA for three years. First, I was a new business start up, so I received a ton of offers for CC companies. I called about 4 or 5 of those companies. When I spoke with BCUSA, the sales rep did exactly as the above description in this article declares: they misled me on their fees (percentages of fees/use). Second, I was told that BCUSA percentages were between 5% to 10%. Without exception I was charged between 23% to 25% in fees every year. I was also charged if a customer had a points reward system on their CC – BCUSA never disclosed these fees would also be charged, unless it was buried in their 80 pages contract somewhere – which it may have been and I just overlooked it. However, they did advertise and promise a rate of 0.23% because I was a new business, along with a FREE CREDIT CARD TERMINAL – which is how they listed it – in all caps. I never received my wonderful low rate of 0.23%, nor did I receive my free terminal.
I do not recommend this company at all! BE WARNED, they will find a way to gouge you. If you are a new business start up, try your best to avoid BCUSA if at all possible make them your last ditch effort to obtain a CC processing company. Take Paypal only, in the beginning, if you must. I’m no longer in business, they are partly to blame!
Chad
What a terrible terrible company. The whole time, with a card reader, I was charged for “no card present”. After months of “We will give you the best rate” I finally reached out to a third party and realized how much money Bankcard was taking from me. UNREAL!!!
I was told ” No contract” When I emailed a cancellation notice the company never replied. One year later, after they kept charging me, they said I had to send a signed form in to them to cancel. They never told me I had to do it and said I am owed zero money as refund. Somehow I let my company get screwed be the same company every month for about 2.5 years. RUN RUN RUN.
Carrie
Please I repeat please stay away from Bank Card USA – I wish I had did my research before I trusted this company with my business. They almost destroyed my business. – They have stolen over $2,500 from me. I opened my account with them March of this year and here it is August and they still have not realased my money. They are liars and deceitful. I am disgusted and cannot understand how these money hungry sum bags are still in business. I am warning you please do not trust your business to these people.
Elena Portales
The costumer service sucks, every time I call them seem like they are having a bad day. Technical support if is a women in the line for get it, they hung the call, with no helping me, so I need to call several times until a guy (men) help me, a few times I went out off service in my retail store per 1-2 hrs.
Sierra Kent
This company is full of crap. They are in California which means for me being in Georgia it makes it very difficult to get anyone on the phone. Ryan in there risk department is one of the rudest CSR ever. They will hold your money without so much as an email as to why. When they do get you through to Ryan he gives very indirect answers and no reason for the hold up but his personal feelings. PLEASE STAY AWAY! I only ended up with this company through a mistake from my processing company Shopkeep. You can’t do any research on these people because they seem to be new. They hold your money in any account that gets interest for them so they continually make money off of you but can’t return a phone call.BEWARE OF BANKCARD USA AND THEIR RISK MANGER RYAN KUEHI. They have $700 of my money with no word on it being released. Left three messages for Todd Duplain with no return call in a week sine he is the person who opened this account incorrectly from what his manager says
Tamara Elizarraz
I am beyond dissatisfied with Bank Card USA. The customer service has been terrible and it is extremely difficult to get a hold of the SUPERVISOR! He input my account number incorrectly and now ALL of my funds have been transferred and deposit into the WRONG account! It has been 2 weeks now that I have been out of all of the money I have made from work. I am a single mother with overdraft fees and bounced checks all because the supervisor input my account number incorrectly! How terrifying is that. I have called him at 5 times this week alone and called customer service 3 times. How is that okay? And no one can give me answers and just give me false promises. This is my livelihood, this is NOT joke and should not be taken lightly as it has been. I work in a salon with a group of girls and were planning to switch to another Merchant, this whole situation has been very eye opening.
Anthony Price
I will try to be very brief. I experienced HORRIBLE customer service today (11/19/15) by Bank Card USA. After ten days of not hearing back from the representative who was handling my account at Bank Card USA I called their main office to find out whats going on. There I spoke to a lady with a PISS POOR attitude who worked in customer service named Alex. This lady was extremely unhelpful and couldn’t provide me with any information on why I haven’t heard from my representative at Bank Card USA. Then she rudely transferred me to my representatives voicemail in the middle of me asking her another question. I left a voicemail and called back and spoke to the supervisor in Customer Service named Corrie and this gentlemen seemed to no care one bit about my situation. He informed me that my account had been forwarded to another processor (in which no one had told me about at Bank Card USA) and made no mention of remorse in the way I was treated by the poor customer service rep named Alex. Needless to say as a business owner I hate “poor” customer service and I will never do business with Bank Card USA going forward. I highly recommend you look elsewhere as well. God Bless!
Laura Tomase
These people have been calling our business for months with sneaky sales tactics. I would not do business with U.S. Bankcard no matter how great the up-front rates were (the people I have spoken with on the phone are enough to make me skeptical and then when you add in all the negative reviews and issues with the BBB, this only confirms my decision). We will be notifying the Attorney General if the phone calls continue. Steer clear of U.S. Bankcard!
Chuck
Worse prepossessing company ever, They tell you all nice talk when they sign you up and they give you low rate but they hit you with falls charges, Hidden charges and when you call there customer service no one care and they all refer you to Cory, Cory never answer the phone never return calls,
Be careful before you sign up with them..DO NOT LOCK YOUR SELF TO A LONG TERM CONTRACT.
John Doe
Yep.. my wife own nail salon call pro top nail in Anaheim hill . Been with them for so long and finally I got family member also doing credit card machine so I decided to cancel but they come up with all kind of excuses and tried to told me a sale rep will contact me later .. All they do is annoying and trying to beg me for staying back and not cancel when I don’t want to stay with them anymore .. So annoying they keep calling when I already decided to cancel already. Just sent me the cancellation form so I can fill out already!! What a waste of my times keep calling !!
Saroj Thapa
In March 17, 2014 my credit card terminal stopped to work. I complained about it and send a new set of terminal on 19th. Now I am waiting for a returning ticket or postal level with recipient address. Today I gave a call and trying to ask with the associate where and when you are sending the UPS to pick up the bad terminal?
The associate answered me very rudely. He said he has already send 4 times now I have to send it by my self other wise I will be charged 300.00 dollars. I trying that person to send the shipping label to my next address but he denied and said he can’t change the address. It is very rude and unlawful also.
This company is not trustworthy to get assistance when a customer have a trouble.
I am trying to find out some other service provider and breakup the business soon with this service provider.
Pedro
I signed up with Bankcard USA for my new small business and it turned a nightmare regarding all the fee they charge. By the time you hire them as you credit card processor the seems to be friendly and diligent on the phone but when they get your business they are the worst: in customer services, they are rude specially that guy (Corey), not mentioning that I start to paying $45 for their service charge and a couple month later they charge me $75 with no reason. This company is a scam… They will no tell you when you signed up, that you are committed with 3 years contract but, I found out at the hard way. In short if you google it over 70 bad reviews cannot be a coincidence. This people are stealing other’s people money left and right. Hopefully somebody and some agency punish them or at least put them out service.
Joy
I signed up for Bankcard USA Merchant account . I called them up to closed the account after a days my account has been activated, it has never been working by the way, because the credit card processor is not compatible with my website.
One of rep send my a closing account form and did mentioned that $295.00 will be deduct from my account and it will be release back into my account in the couple days. Basically, that is for the terminal fees you supposed to pay after your account has been activated for 1 year. She replied she never says that. I was shocked for a bit to her response as a rep working at the bank.
I called them back again one of the rep replied that she has to request the refund back into my account so now I am waiting.
Again the terminal fees of $295.00 is paying after your account has been activated for 1 year. In my case is about 1-3 days during those days I was trying to set up the credit card processor so I can accept a credit cards on my website, but I was unable to do, so I have to canceled l, but they turn around and charge $295.00
Be aware and stay way from “BankCard USA Merchant”!!!!!! I swear!!!!!!!
ellie
Yes, this happened to me too. They use your routing number and withdraw the money. There’s no invoice or letter informing you of the same. In fact their customer service people swear that there will be no penalties for any early termination.
I think this is very wrong and there has to be a change in law. I’m a small business owner too and I don’t charge for a service that I don’t provide neither do I penalize my clients for not continuing to do business with me. There should be some legislation passed so that these sort of companies are held accountable and not allowed to get away with this kind of fraud.
I will never ever use this company again and will not advise anyone to do business with them either.
na na
Despite the fact that we canceled our account over 8 months ago and even returned all of the equipment over 4 months ago, we continually receive bills from Bank Card USA. Our emails go unanswered and it seemingly is impossible to get a hold of these people over the phone. Last time i got a hold of one of the employees, I was treated in an unprofessional manner and the gentleman I was speaking to was very rude.
This company is a scam and it is taking several months to simply cancel my account.
Avoid this company like the black plague.
Eponym
BankcardUSA intentionally masks actual costs for services rendered using don’t ask don’t tell policies. They turn a OTHERWISE 30 minutes due diligence effort into a 4 minute signup. ThEy further complicate their merchant agreements with deceptive, partial, truths, and separated application forms to formal agreement IN POST SIGNATORY conversion techniques.
For example: if you are an internet based business, their form does not stipulate in plain English what your processing rates will be. Rather, they hide THESE VARIABLE rates by omitting them on the application forms or place them within muddied heading definitions to be debated later by you with them.
Their customer support and technical support department consists of 2 qualified people and a hand full of telephone call routing clerks.
Competitively compare carefully before you sign with them and understand what it is they require of you during processing periods.
Few, if any, merchants ever qualify for next business day deposits due to the rating and/or risk place on each transaction. If you have perfect credit, low processing amounts per batch and batch the same day, you might receive a next day deposit, but with security amounts withheld. OF COURSE THE NEXT DAY deposit possibilities are only valid on certain types or low risk categories of actual transactions made as well.
Separately, PCI security compliance alone can cost a merchant $240 (OR MORE) PER YEAR additional ! It varies based upon the type of merchant processing you are implementing
You will pay MORE to BACKCARDUSA in aggregate fees, be treated disrespectfully when asking for assistance and be denied rationale resolution to concerning costs and operational issues to reasonable satisfaction.