Chase Merchant Services Review

Variable Contract Terms

Chase Merchant Services merchant accounts provide 3 different rates. Debit transactions are charged a swipe rate of 1.99% plus $0.15. Credit transactions are assessed a swipe rate of 2.99% plus $0.15. A flat rate for both credit and debit transactions that are keyed-in is charged at 2.90% plus $0.25. In most cases where Chase Merchant Services sets up the account directly, the company offers month-to-month contracts, no cancellation fees and no PCI compliance fees.

Merchants who accept a “free terminal” may be subject to a 24-month service agreement, which is a common practice when a provider gives away equipment. The cancellation fees under the 24-month agreement may vary based on the type of equipment, so merchants are strongly encouraged to read their contracts before signing any documents.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Chase Merchant Services also dedicates a portion of its website that advertises its virtual terminal and payment gateway services. However, pricing on either of those services is not disclosed though it appears that the company’s 2.90% plus $0.25 flat keyed-in rate applies to online transactions. 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

There are very few complaints about Chase’s pricing and terms considering its size. In fact, the company’s fee structure has the potential to compete with even the cheapest merchant accounts. To learn everything about rates and fees, and how to get the lowest pricing the credit card processing industry offers, check out Fee Sweep.

Low Complaint Total

For a company of its size and time in business, Chase Merchant Services has a low number of complaints filed online in the usual forums. The common themes among the approximately 60 negative Chase Merchant Services reviews are merchants reporting non-disclosure of a service length agreement and cancellation fee, fund holds, unexpected PCI Compliance fees (these appear to be charged by sub-ISOs and not Chase Merchant Services), poor customer service, and difficulty resolving chargebacks.

Chase Merchant Services Lawsuits

We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Chase Merchant Services. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.

Chase Merchant Services Customer Support Options

Complaint continue to appear beneath our Chase Paymentech review at a slow but regular pace. However, these complaints cover a wide range of issues and do not suggest that a specific problem has emerged at Chase. With Chase’s huge size, the limited number of complaints seems to indicate that most of its reviews are isolated incidents and not a sign of widespread issues. Chase Merchant Services offers 24/7 phone support to all of its merchants, which is the bare minimum we expect from top-rated merchant accounts for great customer service.

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.

Nearly 40 Complaints

As of this update, the Better Business Bureau continues to refer to Chase Merchant Services as Chase Paymentech and is not showing accreditation for the company. The company has a “B” with the BBB at this time. Despite this, its profile is showing 39 complaints filed in the last 36 months. Of the 39 total complaints, 28 are regarding problems with products and services, 10 with billing and collection, and 1 with an advertising and sales issue. Only 2 complaints were successfully resolved by Chase Merchant Services, and 36 complaints either were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or did not receive a final response from the merchant. 1 complaint did not receive any response or resolution whatsoever from Chase.

What Merchants Say

Chase Merchant Services has also received 17 informal reviews to its BBB profile, 2 of which are positive in tone and 15 of which are negative in tone. The most recent review describes poor customer support:

As seller of $1K+ computers, we inevitably had a high chargeback and refund rate because we were always targeted for fraud. We would refund transactions that failed fraud checks and then have to represent the chargeback for already refunded transaction (huge waste of time). After 3 years, Chase kicked us to the curb with no appeals option and then added us to blacklist and they also froze money and took many months to return back. All because we had what they considered high refunds and chargebacks even though 99% of them were for fraud we caught, refunded, and then had to represent. We cannot control fraud occurring but we can catch it and refund the money which is what we did but what we got from it was Chase holding our money and adding us to blacklist. Paypal on other hand has been great. They never give us hard time about these refunds and chargeback metrics that are outside our control. They even extend us $100K of working capital. If you are merchant considering who to use, its a no brainer. Use Paypal since they will actually give you money versus taking your money and they will work with you instead of against you. Chase Payment is a terrible company to work with and you shouldn’t trust any CC provider that makes their decision based off chargeback and refund metrics that are outside your control due to fraud.

This merchant’s complaints about Chase Merchant Services chargeback policy and account holds convey the importance of finding a merchant account provider who is best suited for your type of business. Merchants in similar situations should research how to fight chargebacks and resolve funds holds.

A “C” Performance

Considering the company’s poor complaint to resolution ratio, failure to address all of its complaints, negative review total, and lack of a rating with the BBB, we have given it a “C” at this time.

In-House Agents and Resellers

This reviewer found no uses of deceptive advertising or rate quoting by Chase Merchant Services. The company appears to primarily market its services through partnered sub-ISOs and telemarketing. Interestingly, Chase Merchant Services does not appear to recruit independent outside agents directly but, instead, forwards applicants to the sub-ISOs who hire independent agents.

Few Sales Complaints

The use of independent agents often results in numerous merchant complaints due to a lack of direct control over their marketing and sales tactics. Since Chase Merchant Services does not hire its agents directly, it is not suffering the usual complaints that are associated with the practice. It is entirely possible that the sub-ISOs that hire these agents have the typical complaints, but there is no indication of Chase Merchant Services itself being the source of any misleading marketing or tactics. In addition, the complaints that do exist are low in number and inconsistent in their content. If you suspect that a Chase Merchant Services representative has added undisclosed fees to your contract, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate hidden charges.