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Is Merchant 1 Payments the Right Fit for Your Business?

Name: Merchant 1 Payments
Item: Merchant 1 Payments
Rating: 5
Author: Phillip Parker

Author: Phillip Parker

Updated: September 25, 2025

Maintained Since: February 26, 2013

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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.

Merchant 1 Payments

Rating

5/5

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Pros

Month-to-month contracts

Transparent pricing

Diverse payment solutions

High approval rate

A+ BBB rating

Cons

Potential hidden fees

Equipment leasing options

Contract term variability

Transparency issues

Potential cancellation fees

Overview

In this review of Merchant Advocate, we take a closer look at the company’s services that help businesses reduce credit card processing fees. Their offerings include fee audits, contract renegotiations, and ongoing monitoring designed to save businesses money. We’ll highlight which types of businesses may benefit most from these services. We’ll also review customer feedback to show common trends and concerns. In addition, we’ll cover pricing, contract terms, and what’s included. By the end, you’ll know whether Merchant Advocate is the right choice for managing your credit card processing costs.

About Merchant 1 Payments

Screen Capture of Merchant 1 Payments Homepage — Merchant 1 Payments Homepage

Merchant 1 Payments is a merchant account provider headquartered in Concord, Ontario. Founded in 1999, the company provides Canadian merchant accounts as well as payment processing for U.S.-based businesses. The company provides Poynt as a POS solution to its merchants. It is worth noting that Merchant 1 Payments could potentially be confused with Merchant One in search results; however, these two entities are unrelated.

Products & Merchant Services

Payment Processing

Merchant 1 Payments handles processing for all major debit and credit cards, catering to a wide range of business types. Their services include EMV card readers, POS systems, MOTO (mail order/telephone order) solutions, e-commerce options, data reporting and analytics, and wireless payments.

Mobile Payment Solutions

As smartphone usage for payments increases, merchant services companies often offer mobile payment solutions. These solutions enable businesses to accept payments anywhere and anytime.

Online Payment Gateways

For online businesses, merchant services companies typically provide online payment gateways. These gateways allow businesses to securely process transactions over the internet.

Point of Sale Systems

Modern point of sale (POS) systems are a standard offering, providing transaction processing along with inventory management, sales tracking, and valuable analytics.

Customer Reviews & Sentiment

Minimal Complaints Reported

At present, we could not find any Merchant 1 Payments reviews that label the company as a scam or a ripoff. In fact, there are only a handful of reviews across various consumer protection websites. One complaint dating back to January 2014 vaguely mentions unexpected bills for online transactions that the merchant claims never occurred. However, this seems to be an isolated incident, and it’s unclear if the complainant is referring to an external agent of Merchant 1 Payments or a representative from another entity. If you’ve had an experience with Merchant 1 Payments, feel free to share your review in the comments section below.

Legal Issues and Penalties

No significant class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints have been filed against Merchant 1 Payments. Clients dissatisfied with their experience and seeking a non-litigious resolution can explore reporting their concerns to relevant supervisory organizations.

Customer Support Services

The scarcity of complaints suggests that the company likely maintains capable customer service representatives and transparent contract terms. The Merchant 1 website provides dedicated phone support available 24/7, indicating a commitment to customer care that aligns with the standards of top-rated payment processors for customer support.

Industry Scores & User Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
PaymentPop	5
BBB Rating	5
Trustpilot	4.3
Average Rating	4.76

PaymentPop Rating for Merchant 1 Payments

Negative Feedback

There are no negative reviews published about Merchant 1 Payments on the PaymentPop website.

Positive Feedback

Our company has been dealing with Merchant 1 payments for one year now and the service has been excellent.

Merchant 1 Payments BBB Rating

Merchant 1 Payments has been an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau since 2009. As of this review, the company currently holds an “A+” rating with the BBB and has had 0 complaints filed against it in the last 36 months. Merchant 1 Payments has a 5 out of 5 star rating based on 6 user reviews on the Better Business Bureau website.

What Merchants Say

Merchant 1 Payments has also received 7 informal reviews from users, all 5 stars. One recent informal review describes excellent customer service:

Jayden has recently set up my small business with Merchant 1 and I am very happy with the service so far. Quick and easy to get a hold of, always checking in to see how we are doing and a pleasure to work with. We have had zero issues with our set up and new machine. ***** ****** ********* ** ****** ** *** ******** ********* they take the time to listen and understand who we are. Currently using Merchant 1 in my retail storefront but looking forward to working with them for new my ecommerce site as well!

This level of quality of customer service is an important consideration when choosing a merchant account provider.

An “A” Performance

Given the fact that Merchant 1 Payments has received 0 complaints, we agree with the BBB’s score in this case. For more information on how we factor BBB grades into our overall ratings, please see our rating criteria.

Trustpilot Rating for Merchant 1 Payments

Merchant 1 Payments has a 4.3 out of 5 star rating based on 106 user reviews on Trustpilot.

Positive Feedback

Everybody at Merchant 1 has been incredibly helpful, and they have a great system. Would definitely recommend them!

Negative Feedback

They aggressively calling you with their offers when nobody ever contacted them and asked them do it.
They called 2 personal numbers and 2 business numbers in a matter of 2! Minutes!!! Like I work for them or owe them something!
Stay away from companies that are so aggressive in their demand for you to listen to their unwanted offers!
What a joke

Processing Rates & Fees

Month-to-Month Contract

The standard Merchant 1 Payments contract is a flexible month-to-month agreement without an early termination fee. It includes a PCI compliance fee of $9.99 monthly. Additionally, there’s an option for an equipment lease with Ladco Leasing, which has received negative feedback. Merchants not maintaining PCI compliance are subject to a $20 monthly fee.

A representative from the company advises clients on purchasing, renting, or leasing equipment, with a strong recommendation to buy equipment outright to avoid the pitfalls of leasing.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

Merchant 1 Payments extends its services to include virtual terminal and payment gateway offerings through Elavon. Detailed pricing for these services is not provided directly on their site. Customer feedback suggests transaction rates could be as much as 3.5% plus $0.30, with a potential gateway fee up to $25 monthly. One complaint mentioned a setup fee nearing $500, but this claim is outdated, with no recent reports supporting this figure. Typically, additional costs, such as gateway fees, technical support, batch fees, and other transaction-related charges may apply, especially for e-commerce services.

No Pricing Complaints

There appears to be an absence of complaints regarding hidden fees or unexpected charges in Merchant 1 Payments’ standard fees or contracts, suggesting a general contentment among its clientele with the company’s pricing structure. Merchant 1 Payments is considered to offer contract terms that are on par with some of the most affordable merchant accounts available.

Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

Inside and Outside Sales Agents

Merchant 1 Payments appears to employ both full-time, W2-employed inside sales agents and paid-by-commission external sales agents to market its services. The latter practice is often responsible for client frustrations in this industry due to the difficulty of monitoring these agents’ behavior, but in this case, we are only able to locate a few Merchant 1 Payments reviews that mention problems with the company’s sales team. One Merchant 1 Payments complaint does not provide specific details of what transpired and is therefore of little use. The other describes frustration with the company’s insistence on scheduling a phone call to receive a rate quote. If true, these complaints do not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

No Red Flags

Merchant 1 Payments does not appear to engage in any deceptive advertising strategies in its official materials. If you suspect that the company is charging you undisclosed fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to eliminate hidden costs.

Merchant 1 Payments Competitors

Compare Merchant 1 Payments to competitors that earned top marks.

Pricing

Bottom Line

Merchant 1 Payments stands out as a dependable credit card processing provider according to our standards. With very few complaints on record and strong performance with the Better Business Bureau, it demonstrates a commitment to customer satisfaction and operational excellence. The company performs at a level comparable to our top-rated all-purpose merchant account providers, offering competitive and reliable services for businesses seeking seamless payment processing solutions.

Even when working with well-regarded credit card processors, merchants should meticulously review the terms of any contract they receive. This ensures a comprehensive understanding of fees, obligations, and service features, helping businesses avoid unforeseen costs and find the provider that best aligns with their specific needs. By exercising due diligence in this way, merchants can secure a payment processing partner that fosters their long-term growth and success.

Read Actual User Reviews

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

Contact Merchant 1 Payments

Contact & Customer Support
President and CEO	Joe Bonavota
Headquarters	2180 Steeles Ave W, Suite 300, Concord, ON L4K 2Z5
Toll-Free Support	(877) 797-1783
Fax	(800) 541-2613
Website	merchant1payments.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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