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Tell us about your experience with Optimal Bankcard in the comment section below.
UPDATE 1/30/2019: The Optimal Bankcard website is currently inaccessible, and it appears that Optimal Bankcard may no longer be an active brand. If you have any information about the current status of Optimal Bankcard (including any rebrandings or DBAs), please share that information in the comment section below this review.
Optimal Bankcard (optimalbankcard.com) is a merchant account provider that appears to be a DBA of Evolution Bankcard and Commerce Payment Systems, both of which are resellers of EVO Payments International and North American Bancard. Optimal Bankcard shares an address with Commerce Payment Systems, indicating that the two companies likely share management. It is unclear when the Optimal Payments brand was launched, but the company’s website gives an address of 1465 Broadway, Hewlett, New York 11557. The Better Business Bureau lists Stephan Mahabir as the vice president of sales at Optimal Bankcard, which is a registered ISO/MSP of Deutsche Bank AG, New York.
Optimal Bankcard Customer Complaints & Reviews
Here's What Users Think
Complaint Summary
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Total Online Complaints
<10
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Live Customer Support
Yes
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Most Common Complaint
N/A
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Optimal Bankcard appears to be a relatively new DBA of Commerce Payment Systems and as such has not accumulated a large number of negative reviews in public forums. However, the available complaints about the company consistently cite blatant misrepresentation of contract terms, higher-than-expected processing fees, and difficulty cancelling service. These reports are consistent with charges leveled against Optimal’s partner businesses like Commerce Payment Systems and Evolution Bankcard. Optimal does appear to provide live a customer support phone number on its website, but the quality of service offered through this channel is unknown at this time. We have lowered our grade for Optimal Bankcard in this section due to the content rather than the quantity of complaints filed against the company.
Optimal Bankcard BBB Rating and Report
Our Better Business Bureau Profile Assessment
BBB Summary
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Product & Service Complaints
1
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Billing & Collection Complaints
0
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Advertising & Sales Complaints
0
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Guarantee & Warranty Complaints
0
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Delivery Complaints
0
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Optimal Bankcard currently has a “B” rating with the Better Business Bureau and is not accredited. The company has received one complaint since the profile was opened in April 2015, and this complaint was related to a product or service issue. The complainant in this case reported that Optimal Bankcard resolved the complaint to their satisfaction. The primary factors lowering Optimal Bankcard’s rating with the BBB are a number of concerns related to advertising claims on the company’s website, most of which have been removed following a BBB inquiry. Given the time that the profile has been active as well as the company’s complaint total and resolution ratio, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.
Optimal Bankcard Fees and Rates
A Closer Look at the Contract
Cost Summary
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Swiped Rate
Variable
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Keyed-in Rate
Variable
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Early Termination Fee
None
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PCI Compliance Fee
Variable
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Equipment Lease Terms
Variable
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According to merchant complaints, the standard Optimal Bankcard agreement is a multiyear agreement with high annual fees, a monthly statement fee of up to $9.95, and tiered pricing that is more expensive than industry averages. The company’s website claims that it does not charge IRS reporting fees, early termination fees, or Non-Qualified surcharges on its transactions. It’s entirely possible, however, that the company charges monthly or annual fees that it does not list on its website. In fact, the Optimal Bankcard pricing page lists the company’s “PCI fees” as $0, but the FAQ section on the website states plainly that “[t]here is an annual fee assessed for PCI.” Given this discrepancy and the established track record of Commerce Payment Systems, Evolution Bankcard, EVO Payments, and North American Bancard, we are not inclined to make favorable assumptions about Optimal’s contract terms. If you have any specific knowledge of the standard Optimal Bankcard contract, please share that information in the comment section of this review.
Optimal Bankcard Jobs and Employment
Hiring Standards and Ethical Marketing Assessment
Key Points
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Employs Independent Resellers
Yes
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Advertises Deceptive Rates
Yes
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Discloses All Important Terms
No
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Optimal Bankcard operates in a very similar fashion to Commerce Payment Systems and Evolution Bankcard, which means that it utilizes telemarketing, online advertising, and independent sales agents to market its services. This combination of sales tactics is commonly linked to elevated complaint rates within the industry, and Optimal Bankcard appears to be no exception. We are currently able to locate a handful of Optimal Bankcard complaints that describe misrepresentation of rates and nondisclosure of contract terms, specifically with respect to the effective per-transaction rates that merchants ultimately pay.
The Optimal Bankcard website lists a large number of rates and fees in a table on its pricing page, including a debit rate of 0.25% plus $0.10 and a credit rate of 1.39% plus $0.10 for retail merchants. The per-transaction rates listed in this table are almost certainly the company’s “Qualified” rates, while the page makes no mention of the more expensive “Mid-Qualified” and “Non-Qualified” rates that merchants will pay on the majority of their transactions. The page does contain a table that lists the company’s Non-Qualified surcharge as 0%, but we are skeptical of the claim that there are no possible markups above the listed rate of 1.39% plus $0.10. We consider this type of rate quoting to be deceptive because it may give merchants an unrealistic expectation of the rates they will pay. This is a tactic that Commerce Payment Systems has been using for a long time with little variation, which indicates that the company sees no problem with listing its rates in this way.
An astute commenter on our Evolution Bankcard review has keenly observed that the websites for Optimal Bankcard and Commerce Payment Systems list the same testimonials with nearly identical wording and authors. This seems to indicate that Optimal Bankcard is, at best, recycling testimonials that were initially written about Commerce Payment Systems. At worst, this practice calls into question the legitimacy and usefulness of these testimonials. Alternatively, it may just be that Commerce Payment Systems does not distinguish between itself and Optimal Bankcard. If this is the case, one might wonder what the purpose of the new “Optimal Bankcard” business name might be if not to conduct business under an unsullied brand.
Optimal Bankcard Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts and Opinions
Optimal Bankcard rates as an average merchant account provider according to our rating criteria. The company has done little to distinguish itself from its parent company, Commerce Payment Systems, and it may simple be a clean business name for Commerce to operate under. Optimal can improve its overall rating in this review by reducing the number of complaints related to its sales tactics and by being more transparent about its pricing and contract terms.
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
Terri Petter
Hidden fees that they say did not exist. Customer service was horrible. Then trying to cancel the card was almost impossible. Do NOT use these guys.
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Are you with Optimal Bankcard? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
Denise Humphries
DO NOT USE OPTIMAL BANKCARD services they are the worst company. Not only do they debt your account without any notification of extra fee’s . Their CSR will lie to you and offer no help. I was charged $144.22 in fee’s when I called them they said they would waive a $99.00 fee and credit my account NEVER HAPPENED !!!!!!!! Made several calls and one CSR told me I would get that credit then when I call again they said I will not get credit.
Also their equipment is old and out dated had to replace mine 3 times in one year and they wanted to charge shipping. DO NOT USE THEM !
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Are you with Optimal Bankcard? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
ROBERT HERNANDEZ
Well my story seems to be the same as all of those previous stories. Used Optimal for two days to give them a chance for my business. When the funds had not been deposited for over a week I called my sales rep direct to ask about my business’ deposits after getting nowhere with the csr. He stated it was my bank holding up the deposits and his company no longer had the funds. After 2 more days I called to cancel, got the usual run around fill out this form send that form email another while standing on my head and chanting like a yogi. Now 8 months later and they hit me with a 114.00 fee. Now I am pissed. How a business can do these things to small business is beyond me, what’s worse is that they seem to be getting away with it. Meeting with my attorney tonight, lets see what he thinks. Class action anyone? By the way their internal number is 1-800-705-2559 option 3 for customer service. The company that owns Optimal Bankcard is Evo Payments International in NY and Addison Tx. Avoid them and all subsidiaries. Good luck to all who uses this company for transactions.
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Are you with Optimal Bankcard? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
Steve
Even though I have confirmation they closed my account, they continue to charge me fees. I am going to open a class action lawsuit.
Terri Petter
Horrible customer service and then they charge you fees they say they were not going to. Terminals are old and dont like to work.
Steve
Here is how to cancel.
Send certified mail to 3801 Arapaho Rd., Addison, TX 75001
Signed letter with your merchant account # and reason for cancellation.
also email [email protected] and [email protected] with similar request documents. A photo of a signed letter should suffice.
Steve
The rates were completly misrepresented. They will not issue an API for our ecommerce site.
So, we have asked to close our account. They do not respond to emails. Their phones don’t work. And my guess is I will continue to be charged whatever they feel like charging us for not doing any business with them.
Donna
WARNING!!!! I was told my monthly fee would be $22.62 with no other charges. I was charged $90.58 within a week of opening my account. My account has not be credit transactions made over three weeks ago. Their phone lines have been down and the company taking their calls is unable to help. WARNING!!!
Sharlene Gibbs
I registered with this company and used their mobile merchant service account for 3 days…July 20-23, 2015. After $2833.43 in transactions, it is now August 6, 2015 and Optimal Bank Card has not deposited ANY funds into my account. I can not speak to a Optimal Bank Card Employee. I have been told since July 24, 2015 that I have reached the after hours answering service AND that there phones are down. I can not understand how a business phone system can be down for 2 Weeks! This is NOT how I anticipated doing business! I was told that the transactions were completed and processed. Where’s my money?!?
Teri Miller
I am beyond disgusted with this company and that I would let myself be suckered into their very false sales pitch. I have been charged fees month after month, even though I was told this is a “no-contract, no-fee” business. I have contacted customer service and my sales representative multiple times trying to get my account closed. Each time the documents they were supposed to email me so I can get my account closed never came, or my emails were never returned. This company is very dishonest and I will never affiliate with them again, that is if I can ever get my account closed.