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Is Eschelon Merchant Services a Risky Choice for Your Business?

Name: Eschelon Merchant Services
Item: Eschelon Merchant Services
Rating: 2
Author: Phillip Parker

Author: Phillip Parker

Updated: October 3, 2025

Maintained Since: February 13, 2014

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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.

Eschelon Merchant Services

Rating

2/5

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Pros

No setup fee

In-person setup available

Domestic phone support

Cons

Possible monthly fees

Undisclosed contract terms

Employs independent agents

Low risk tolerance

Limited customer reviews

Overview

Eschelon Merchant Services is a provider of credit card processing solutions for businesses of all sizes. In this review, we’ll cover the services they offer, including their pricing, contract terms, and available features. We’ll also evaluate customer reviews to highlight common feedback on fees, support quality, and overall satisfaction. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of what Eschelon Merchant Services provides and whether their payment processing solutions are the right fit for your business.

About Eschelon Merchant Services

Screen Capture of Eschelon Merchant Services Homepage — Eschelon Merchant Services Homepage

Eschelon Merchant Services is a merchant account provider headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. According to public complaints, Eschelon appears to be either affiliated with or a major independent reseller of Northern Leasing Systems. There is also some evidence that Eschelon operates a DBA or subsidiary called Smart Card Merchant Services.

Products & Merchant Services

Payment Processing

Eschelon Merchant Services offers customized payment processing solutions with transparent interchange-plus pricing. Merchants can access their accounts online for ease of management.

Business Cash Advances

Eschelon provides business cash advances up to $1,500,000. The application process is straightforward with no fees, easy credit restrictions, and approvals typically within 24-48 hours. Funding is usually completed in seven days.

Equipment and Software

Eschelon supplies the necessary equipment and software for payment processing, including traditional POS terminals and gateways. Their offerings also include the MX POS system, which features business management tools like inventory and coupon management.

Working Capital

Through its financial services department, Eschelon offers working capital to help business owners expand and fund their operations via their merchant cash advance program.

MX POS System

The Merchant Services MX POS system from Eschelon helps businesses manage customer spending, financial statistics, and inventory.

E-commerce Solutions

Eschelon supports e-commerce businesses with services to track and monitor sales. They provide secure payment processing, recurring billing, online invoicing, and integration with popular e-commerce gateways and shopping carts.

Agent/ISO Program

Eschelon’s Agent/ISO program includes aggressive revenue sharing, a sophisticated portfolio management tool, and dedicated agent support staff.

Nonprofit Support

The “Project Give Back” program by Eschelon offers a recurring stream of donations for nonprofit organizations.

Customer Reviews & Sentiment

Moderate Complaint Total

Eschelon Merchant Services has garnered over 30 reviews across various consumer protection websites, with some expressing concerns about deceptive sales tactics and unfavorable equipment lease terms through Northern Leasing. While these complaints are notable, Eschelon has not publicly addressed them, raising questions about its commitment to customer satisfaction. The company’s rating in this aspect is influenced more by the nature of the complaints than their volume. If you have your own experience with Eschelon Merchant Services, we encourage you to share it in the comments below.

Eschelon Merchant Services Lawsuits

As of our investigation, there are no outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints against Eschelon Merchant Services. Dissatisfied clients seeking recourse against the company may explore options such as reporting issues to relevant supervisory organizations.

Eschelon Merchant Services Customer Support

While Eschelon offers phone and email support, recent feedback suggests issues with unreachable phone numbers and unresponsive emails, falling short of expectations for top-rated merchant accounts for customer service.

Industry Scores & User Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
BBB Rating	N/A
Average Rating	N/A

Eschelon Merchant Services BBB Rating

Eschelon Merchant Services is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has an A+ rating. However, there are no customer reviews or complaints listed on the BBB website for this business.

Negative Feedback

There are no negative reviews available to provide as the business has no customer reviews on the BBB website.

Positive Feedback

There are no positive reviews published about Eschelon Merchant Services on the Better Business Bureau website.

Processing Rates & Fees

Variable Contract Terms

Details regarding Eschelon’s contract terms are scarce, as there are few complaints explicitly referencing transaction fees, early termination fees, PCI Compliance fees, monthly minimums, or other fees. The rates and fees charged by Eschelon for credit card processing services don’t seem to be major concerns. Interestingly, Eschelon promotes the use of interchange-plus pricing, known for its transparency. Readers are encouraged to consult our list of the top merchant accounts for comparison.

Long-Term Equipment Leases

Eschelon is often associated with equipment leases through Northern Leasing Systems, which has become a significant issue for its clients. Northern Leasing is known for long-term, non-cancellable, and costly equipment leases. Most complaints against Eschelon involve Northern Leasing, impacting Eschelon’s reputation more than its merchant agreement terms. This relationship with Northern Leasing significantly hinders Eschelon’s ability to rank alongside the most affordable merchant accounts.

Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

Outside Sales Team

Eschelon advertises a “Merchant Services ISOs & Agent Program” on its website which indicates that it employs independent resellers. This hiring strategy often results in a team of unsupervised or untrained sales agents and is commonly linked to merchant complaints. In this case, most negative Eschelon Merchant Services reviews describe aggressive telemarketing and deception with regard to the company’s equipment leases through Northern Leasing. Complainants allege that Eschelon sales agents intentionally misrepresent rates and fees and fail to disclose the 36- to 48-month non-cancellable lease that accompanies the service. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

Eschelon Slamming Tactics Revealed

Some older complaints also describe tactics that closely resemble “slamming” scams, in which an Eschelon agent will call and claim to be with “Merchant Services” in order to persuade a business to purchase new equipment. This is corroborated by an account in the comment section below this review:

I worked for one day and never went back due to the harassing telephone calls we were required to make to each potential customer. It was stressed during training that each potential customer MUST BE CALLED THREE TIMES before entering the potential customer’s name as “not interested”. Many people I called that one day were furious at being bothered repeated times. We employees were also required to follow a script that clearly and intentionally failed to describe the service being provided properly. We were also ordered to inform each person called that their current merchant services account had changed and that we were simply calling to advise them of that change. We were then supposed to attempt to set up a “free meeting” with a rep in order to provide them with “up to 40 to 60% savings” each year.

As if on cue, an unverified positive testimonial posted in the comment section a few months after this report mentions “monthly savings within the 40%-60% range every month.”

No Deceptive Quotes

The Eschelon website actively promotes interchange-plus pricing, which is the most transparent pricing model available. Although there is no indication that this pricing structure is misleadingly promoted, the company’s reputation with regard to its equipment lease sales inclines us to warn readers against taking the company’s word on this. Business owners should be sure to confirm that the rate structure they will receive is true interchange-plus rather than a tiered model that has been misrepresented.

Eschelon Merchant Services Competitors

Compare Eschelon Merchant Services to competitors that earned top marks.

Pricing

Bottom Line

Eschelon Merchant Services rates poorly as a credit card processing provider. Despite its relatively small size, the company has accumulated a significant number of severe complaints. Its reliance on questionable sales tactics, a disappointing BBB score, and costly equipment leases through Northern Leasing have collectively dragged down its overall rating. Additionally, the intentional misspelling of “echelon” in the company’s name could cause confusion for individuals searching for “Echelon Merchant Services.” At this time, readers would likely secure a more favorable deal by choosing a top-rated merchant account provider instead.

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All user reviews have been moved to our partner, PaymentPop.com

Contact Eschelon Merchant Services

Contact & Customer Support
President	Rishank Baweja
Vice President	Daniel Drake
Toll-Free Support	(877) 449-4285
Fax	(866) 511-1675
Additional Support Channels	Online Contact Form
Website	eschelonms.com

About Us

CardPaymentOptions.com

Established 2009

My name is Phillip Parker, and I started this website back in 2009 as a simple blog to call out shady credit card processors that were taking advantage of small business owners. At the time, I had no idea this side project would grow into a leading voice pushing for transparency and integrity in the payment processing industry. I also didn't anticipate just how far some of these companies' owners would go to try to silence me.

I was recruited out of college for a sales role with a credit card processor. At the time, I didn't realize the “training” was really about tricking me... into selling business owners expensive processing with hidden fees and long-term service agreements. In my first few sales, I unknowingly cost friends and family thousands of dollars after they trusted me to switch their services. When it finally clicked that something was seriously wrong, I was furious. I quit immediately and made a promise to expose that company and any others operating the same way. That promise is what led to the creation of this website.

As I wrote about these processors, their tactics, and the people behind them, the articles started to spread among business owners. News organizations picked up the stories, readers shared them online, and traffic to the blog took off. Unsurprisingly, that also caught the attention of the companies and individuals I was exposing.

Over the last 17 years, I've received several anonymous death threats and defeated four lawsuits meant to intimidate me into taking my blog down. Their efforts to muzzle me only made my determination to expose them even stronger, leading me to work with state authorities to help shutdown some of the worst offenders.

I'm proud to say that of the millions of people who have read my work, thousands have taken the time to write and thank me for helping them narrowly avoid a very costly mistake. This blog has played a small role in pushing the industry toward more ethical practices - but there are still bad actors out there, which means the work isn't done.

If I can offer one piece of advice, it's this: get every promise in writing, and take the time to review contracts carefully. Tools like ChatGPT can help surface red flags and uncover expensive surprises buried in the fine print.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading. I truly appreciate you being here, and I wish you every success with your business.

Our Research Methodology

Pricing & Fees

We analyze all costs including rate structures (interchange-plus, tiered, flat-rate, etc), monthly fees, equipment costs, early termination fees, and hidden charges. This data is gathered from service agreements, statements and client feedback.

Features & Technology

Evaluation of POS systems, e-commerce integrations, mobile capabilities, reporting tools, recurring billing..., and developer resources. When possible, we directly test services and hardware. Otherwise, we rely on client feedback and public information.

Customer Support

We evaluate availability across phone, email, chat, and social channels. Measuring hold times, night and weekend availability, and client feedback regarding effectiveness, professionalism, and resolution rates.

Contract Terms & Conditions

We review service agreements and equipment contracts for reasonability, transparency, and fairness. We focus on uncovering any predatory clauses, such as unjustified early termination fees, hidden costs, and unclear cancellation policies.

User Experience

We comb the internet and interview current and former clients to evaluate the overall user experience and identify any common pain points that may impact the user experience.

Sales & Marketing Practices

We evaluate sales tactics, marketing materials, and client feedback to determine the level of transparency and ethical nature of the provider's approach. Does the provider publicly disclose pricing? Do they use teaser rates? We score based on these and other factors.

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