Gravity Payments 2023: Card Processing Reviews & Complaints

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4.5
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How did they treat you? ▼

Company Overview

Gravity Payments is a small merchant account provider based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2004. According to a representative of Gravity Payments, the company primarily uses First Data and Cynergy Data as its processors but services the accounts directly. Gravity Payments markets its services nationally, but most of its customers are in the state of Washington. The company made headlines when it announced that it would pay all of its salaried employees at least $70,000 per year.

Location & Ownership

Gravity Payments is a registered ISO/MSP for Citizens Bank, N.A., and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Concord, California, and is located at 5601 22nd Ave NW, Suite 200, Seattle, Washington 98107. Dan Price is the CEO of Gravity Payments.

Pros & Cons
Pros: Cons:
User-friendly interface. Limited advanced features.
Competitive pricing structure. Limited international services.
Excellent customer support. Requires credit check.
No hidden fees. Early termination fee.
Transparent contract terms. Not for high-risk businesses.
Fast funding options. Monthly minimum fee.

Gravity Payments Customer Reviews

Here's What Their Clients Say

Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints <10
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint N/A

Low Complaint Volume

We are currently able to locate approximately 10 negative Gravity Payments reviews, none of which accuse the company of being a scam or a ripoff. Most complainants report fund holds, denied applications, frustration with the early termination fee, misleading advertising, or poor employee support. Two of these complaints received identical responses from a company representative within minutes of each other, and it is unknown whether the merchants’ complaints were resolved.

Fund Hold Complaints

The Gravity Payments complaints related to fund holds suggest that merchants who expect sudden, large jumps in revenues or who operate in high-risk sectors should avoid Gravity. High risk merchants are likely to be better served by selecting a top-rated high risk merchant account. In general, though, the company’s low complaint volume and lack of a consistent theme lead us to believe that most Gravity Payments clients are satisfied with the service they receive.

Gravity Payments Lawsuits

We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Gravity 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.

Gravity Payments Customer Support

According to a company representative, Gravity services customer accounts directly rather than outsourcing support to its processors. In keeping with this approach, the company offers a dedicated phone number and email address on its website.

Gravity Payments Online Ratings

Here's How They Rate Online

Online Ratings Summary
Product & Service Complaints 0
Billing & Collection Complaints 2
Advertising & Sales Complaints 0
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints 0
Delivery Complaints 0

Under 10 Complaints

As of this review, the Better Business Bureau is reporting accreditation since 2005 and an “A+” rating for Gravity Payments with 2 complaints filed in the last 36 months. Both complaints are related to billing and collection disputes and were either resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or did not receive a final response from the merchant.

What Merchants Say

At the time of our last review, Gravity Payments had also received 1 negative informal review through the BBB. The review described difficulties serving high risk merchants:

They discriminate according to what the risk may be, based on their ’emotional’ evaluation of a business, not based on facts, credentials, degrees, certificates etc. What they do, is considered ILLEGAL in Massachusetts and they should be careful in how they assess high and low risk businesses. In 16 years that I have been in business and merely based on $500.000 in the past few years, I have only had one dispute of $200 (two hundred) yet they decided to discriminate and assess my business as high risk, despite credentials, licensing and degrees and certificates. Shame on you Gravity, shame on you to discriminate in this way.

Merchants who have a similar experience may benefit from researching reasons why your application can be denied.

An “A” Rating

Given the company’s low complaint volume and resolution ratio, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.

Gravity Payments Fees, Rates & Costs

A Closer Look at The Contract

Cost & Fees Summary
Swiped Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Keyed-in Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Virtual Terminal Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Payment Gateway Fee Undisclosed
Early Termination Fee $495
Monthly Minimum Fee $35
PCI Compliance Fee $85 Per Year
Equipment Lease Terms Undisclosed

Gravity Payments Pricing

According to a company representative, Gravity Payments sets contract length and cancellation fees on a case-by-case basis. We have located one sample contract provided by the company that outlines a three-year agreement through First Data with an early termination fee of $495. This agreement also includes a minimum monthly fee of $35 and flat rate pricing of 4%, and the Gravity Payments website mentions a PCI Compliance program that costs $85 annually.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Gravity Payments 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. Additional rates and fees, including gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and additional transaction rates typically apply to these e-commerce services.

Higher-Than-Average Costs

Overall, these contract terms are more expensive than industry averages and cannot compete with the cheapest merchant accounts, but it may be that the merchant in question could not qualify for more competitive terms. At this time, we will take the company’s representative at his word and assume that Gravity Payments offers contract terms that can range from very competitive to very costly depending on a merchant’s business type, size, and time in business. The few available complaints about the company’s contract terms express frustration with its early termination fee.

Gravity Payments Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs

Should You Work For Them?

Jobs & Marketing Summary
Employs Independent Resellers No
Advertises Deceptive Rates No
Discloses All Important Terms No

Inside and Outside Sales Staff

Gravity Payments appears to hire W2-employed inside and outside sales agents to market its services, although it is possible that the company also employs independent sales reps in some cases. We are currently unable to locate any Gravity Payments merchant complaints that accuse the company’s agents of unethical conduct, but we have found one complaint from a former employee who felt that she did not receive adequate support from her employers. However, this complaint appears to be an isolated instance.

Transparent Pricing

It also appears that the company actively markets Interchange Pass-through rate pricing to all of its merchants, which is the most transparent pricing model available. As an additional point in its favor, the company does not appear to engage in deceptive advertising strategies in its official materials. However, if you suspect that Gravity Payments is charging you hidden fees, we recommend a third-party statement audit to eliminate undisclosed charges.

Our Gravity Payments Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts

An Above-Average Provider

Gravity Payments rates as a reliable merchant services provider according to our rating standards. The company is showing very few complaints across all consumer protection sites and appears to offer a wide range of contract terms. Merchants are encouraged to check their application against their program guide to ensure they understand the fees they will pay. Even when dealing with an “A” rated provider, we advise merchants to compare the terms and pricing of any contract they are given to those of the top overall providers.

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Which is Most Important for You?

If you had to pick one, which quality would you say will be the most important with your next credit card processor? Tap or click your selection to register your vote:

  1. Low Transaction Fees
  2. No Monthly Fees
  3. No Contract
  4. Reliable Customer Support
  5. Quick Signup

Testimonials & Complaints

How Did Gravity Payments Treat You?

10 User Reviews

  • Ryan Matthews

    I set up my account with Gravity Payment in July 2018, explaining all the different profit centers that we do. Emery Wagner, Gravity Payment Business Development, who I have known for over 4 years understood my business as he has been a client of my business since 2013. Outside of a lack of knowledge about the hardware they sell and how to actually set it up, everything when smoothly (after the 2 weeks it took them to set up my POS hardware with me basically telling them how) until Feb. 2019, when I stated invoicing clients for services that we have provided. Gravity Payment blocked and held thousands of dollars. Come to find out Gravity Payment miscoded my business, something that I researched and found out Gravity Payment has had a history of doing in the which gives them an unfair competitive advantage over other merchant service providers which should be a violation of Antitrust laws. Note: a merchant can be held liable by credit card companies for being miscoded. Emery Wagner gave 3 different excuses for the blocked charges yet would not provide any documentation supporting this. In the process of trying to work with Gravity over a 2 month period, most of my clients and my independent contractor company started to get restless over the charges and invoicing problems. I lost most of my clients and my independent contractor company which caused me to have to close my business since I couldn’t run both operations by myself. A lost of tens of thousands of dollars. Not knowing what charges were rejected, was accepted, and what was being held by them, I requested documentation of the status of every charge. Gravity Payment, in retaliation, refunded over $12,000.00 to my clients, Emery Wagner being one of them, without authorization. I noticed this right away and contacted Gravity who said it was a communication mistake however they wouldn’t do anything about it. I had my attorney represent me at this point. Gravity refused to provide any documentation or work we us, and Gravity continued to contact me even after being notified that I was represented by an attorney. I block them from my bank account & they held my funds until they got their unauthorized money back . As of June, they again started holding my money for May fees however May was paid in full. Then they changed stories & stated it was for June when June wasn’t over yet. They refuse to work will me on getting their fees to them without allowing them to have accept to my bank account. Unfortunately, I will never allow them access to my bank account, so reporting them to the AGO and FTC, as well as requesting legal action from my attorney will be the course we go. I have owned over 40 different businesses and many many merchant service providers and have never had a problem. I highly recommend others to go with a different merchant service provider.


    This post will help: How to Report Bad Credit Card Processors

    -Phillip

  • Andrei

    Dishonest sales person. Not sure if it is my luck or if they all are like that. When I discussed terms over the phone, I told him that I will not sign a term contract with termination fee. When I got the paperwork emailed $495 fee was on there. I emailed back to correct some other stuff and asked to remove the termination fee. Got email back that the corrected contract is uploaded. Checked it and 3 years and termination fee is still there.

  • Sirry

    They do not approve of everyone, and they make up as they go along who is high risk and who is not, according to what they ‘think’ and now in what they know.
    They do not ask what the risk with ones business is, rather they dictate.
    What they do is illegal in many states, to discriminate and say one business is more worthy than another.

  • Ray Lee

    I founded my own e-commerce business and have now grown it to a business with a revenue rate of seven figure plus. After dealing with Gravity Payments earlier this year, I discovered them to be a highly unreliable partner in scaling and growing my business. I would advise any business with high growth potential to look elsewhere and avoid the agonizing experience I endured with Gravity.

    We opened the account in May and initially forecasted to process a certain amount. After a few weeks, we implemented a marketing campaign that proved to be extremely successful. We gave our helpful account representative a heads up that we were definitely going to surpass our processing amount exponentially. She congratulated me and told me she would speak to the Risk Department so our processing would continue smoothly. We continued to use Gravity over the week. The following week, we were abruptly told that due to our over-processing, our funds would be held. We got a portion of our funds but a large majority of it remained held.

    In e-commerce, cash flow is key to the purchasing and selling of merchandise. This period of held funds nearly killed our business, especially at a point in which we were experiencing the absolute peak in our growth rate. We had to appease vendors who gave us credit to support our growth, push out pay cheques to our own employees, etc. I tried several times to reach out to our account representative and the Risk department but they shut me down, citing the possibility of chargebacks or our business going out under. I even tried reaching out to Dan, the founder of Gravity, explaining my situation. While he noted my reply, there was no proactive response.

    We understand Gravity’s position and the financial risk of being over processing a business. However, we provided all our corporate documents, illustrated the risk prevention systems we use (Signifyd), offered to open up our e-commerce platform so they could see all our sales, and more. We felt we were being extremely flexible but we weren’t being met with a fair chance. Gravity owns the unique ability to manage their own risk (other processors usually have to abide by the underlying processing bank’s risk team). Regardless, they weren’t able to help us which really surprised us given we had such high potential given the numbers we were pulling at that time.

    This is entirely my unbiased opinion as I do not want the same experience I had to pass on to other fellow business owners. When you’re growing your business, you should be celebrating and seeking to expand the empire- not spending time pulling hair out while nervously wondering what your credit card processing company will be doing. Due to a single credit card processor, I felt that I had lost control of my own business. I am currently using another widely used processor and my experience with them has been excellent. They have been extremely supportive of my growth.

    At this time, our funds are still held and we have not experienced ONE chargeback since that time. We’ve requested this to them several times. We still haven’t seen our funds back.

  • MG

    We have had a gravity payment account for almost 2 years during this time we have used eBay to establish a customer base on our direct order website. We have finally hit the point where most of our pre-sales where being processed through the website recently. Gravity has decided now is a good time to accuse us of being a scam and is currently holding 6K in payments that are needed to pay for the product ordered by our customers so we can ship out on the release date.

    They are requesting bank statements be sent over email, I can not think of a worse idea than asking for sensitive bank information over email.

    This is nothing more than a poor excuse to sit on a huge chunk of capitol.

  • Barbara

    I’m a former employee of Gravity Payments, not a merchant, and I truly commend this young organization for their strong drive to change the image of merchant service providers. My only recommendation is that they learn to value ALL of their new employees as I did with them as a company.

    To whomever is reading this, please give your new employees a chance to work on changing their style and don’t throw them under the bus after two days. After all, your sales manager extended me the job offer because they believed in me. When a new hire mentions that they’ve reached their peak at the end of their second day, following192 knocks, believe them. Especially when they’ve already told you that they’re feeling ineffective and flat after those knocks. Unless a critical breach of policy occurs, you really should give a new employee more than two days on the street to perform at their optimum level. In fact, I was told that it typically takes four months for a new person to get their game on. So much for “Team Barbara”.

    Dan Price, you are the absolute best. I wish you continued success with your growing enterprise and with all of your personal endeavors. Thanks for your true classiness and intelligence Dan. :)

  • Cindy. S

    What do you mean plenty of money? Where is the proof of this? Credit card processing is a service. They guarantee that someone NOT GIVING YOU CASH can be trusted. I agree Gravity Payments is not a very honest company. They claim on their web-site they charge “Half the industry standard”. What a joke. I had these guys come in from Transparent Processing & knocked $120.00 a month off our bill. Our rep at gravity never returned our calls. It was a constant chasing game.

    If you sold your business how could they keep charging your account? I’m sure if you send a notarized letter to the owner & then follow up with a call to make sure your account is cancelled you will be just fine.

    • James Larsen

      Hello, Cindy. Thank you for your feedback. I am very sorry to hear that you had a poor experience with Gravity Payments. I wanted to touch base with you to see if there was anything that we could do to help change your opinion of our company. We pride ourselves on the positive relationships we have with our merchants, so feedback like this is something I take very seriously. I’d like to know what your bad experience was and see if there is anything we can do to rectify that.

  • Tim Page

    I worked with this company long enough to not be charged an early termination fee. I sold my business several months ago and while I had some charges due to problems with discontinuing the service, I sold the business due to the poor economy, it’s not like I was switching to another company. I paid the fees they charged. However, I am very concerned that I continue to be charged merchant services for something I no longer use or own. I called to inquire about these charges and was told that the charges may be fees for early termination fee. What exactly constitutes early termination in terms of length of service? This is poor business practice on in my mind. The company made plenty of money on me and could at least credit me a measly $40.00 since they aren’t sure what the charges were for.

    I will not be recommending this company to anyone.

    • James Larsen

      Hello, Mr. Page. Thank you for your feedback. I am very sorry to hear that you had a poor experience with Gravity Payments. I wanted to touch base with you to see if there was anything that we could do to help change your opinion of our company. We pride ourselves on the positive relationships we have with our merchants, so feedback like this is something I take very seriously. I’d like to know what your bad experience was and see if there is anything I can do to rectify that.

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