Orion Payment Systems (Houston) Review: Fees, Complaints & Lawsuits

Name: Orion Payment Systems (Houston)
Item: Orion Payment Systems (Houston)
Rating: 4.8
Author: Phillip Parker

Phillip Parker

Updated: June 27, 2024

Maintained Since: October 27, 2014

▼ 4 User Reviews

Overall Score

4.8

Would you recommend them?

Compare Competitors

Calculate Rates

Simulate Fees

Processing for Card-Present and Card-Not-Present Businesses

Not to be confused with the Orion Payment Systems located in Illinois, Orion Payment Systems of Houston is a merchant account provider that offers credit card processing for both card-present and card-not-present business types. The company is partnered with eProcessingNetwork and Sage Payment Solutions for its online, mobile, and point-of-sale processing solutions. Orion owns a number of DBAs that include Empower Processing, Impact Data, and TruTransact.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas

Founded in 2000, Orion Payment Systems is a registered ISO of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Concord, California and a registered agent of Citizens Bank, N.A., Providence, Rhode Island. The company is headquartered at 14340 Torrey Chase Blvd., Suite 170, Houston, Texas 77014. According to the Better Business Bureau, Reese Kimball is the CEO of Orion Payment Systems.

Orion Payment Systems Review Table of Contents

Costs & Contract: Orion Payment Systems appears to offer a three-year contract with an early termination fee of $295 as well as level 2 and
Complaints & Service: Orion Payment Systems has received fewer than 10 public complaints.
BBB Rating: Orion Payment Systems currently has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 0 complaints in the last 3 years.
Sales & Marketing: Orion Payment Systems hires independent sales representatives but has not received any complaints about its sales practices.
Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Orion Payment Systems

Orion Payment Systems (Houston) Customer Reviews

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

Low Complaint Total

We have located only 1 negative Orion Payment Systems review outside of the BBB, and this complaint does not call the company a scam or a ripoff. The complainant describes poor service when attempting to correct a payment duplication error. Although this complaint is highly critical of the company’s efforts, it is the only one of its kind. This nearly clean complaint record is impressive considering that Orion Payment Systems shares a name with another, unrelated merchant account provider in Illinois. It appears that both companies generally offer dependable customer support and do an excellent job of resolving complaints in-house.

Orion Payment Systems Lawsuits

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

Orion Payment Systems Customer Support Options

The Orion Payment Systems website lists a dedicated customer support phone number, but it’s unclear whether Orion itself or the company’s backend processor services this line. Although we do not consider Orion Payment Systems to be a top credit card processor for customer service, its support channels seem to keep merchants satisfied for the most part.

Orion Payment Systems (Houston) Customer Satisfaction Ratings

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

No BBB Complaints

The Better Business Bureau currently assigns an “A+” rating to Orion Payment Systems but is no longer accredited as it had been since 2008 at the time of our last review. The company has had 0 complaints filed against it in the past 36 months. There are no other reviews or warnings on Orion’s BBB profile.

An “A” Rating

Given the company’s clean complaint record, we agree with the BBB’s rating in this case. Merchants should note, however, that there are good reasons to be skeptical of the BBB’s rating system.

Orion Payment Systems (Houston) Fees, Rates & Contract

Rates & 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	$295+
Monthly Regulatory Fee	$4.50
PCI Non-Compliance Fee	$20 Per Month
PCI Compliance Fee	$49 Per Year
Equipment Lease Terms	48 Month (locked)

Orion Payment Systems Pricing

The standard Orion Payment Systems contract outlines a three-year agreement through Global Payments with automatic renewal for one-year terms. The fees listed include an early termination fee equal to the lesser of $295 or the maximum amount allowed under state law, an annual PCI compliance fee of $49, a PCI noncompliance fee of $20 per month, and a monthly regulatory fee of $4.50. Variable monthly minimum fees and application fees may also apply. The merchant agreement also mentions the option to lease equipment through Global Payments, whose standard equipment leases are non-cancellable for a term of 48 months.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Orion Payment Systems also dedicates a portion of its website that advertises its virtual terminal and payment gateway. The company is partnered with eProcessingNetwork and Sage Payment Solutions for these services. However, pricing on either of those services is not disclosed. However, eProcessing Network charges a $0.05 per transaction gateway fee and a monthly fee of up to $10 per month, which could apply to merchants using their payment gateway through Orion Payment Systems. However, this is not confirmed by the company’s standard contract. Additional rates and fees, including gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and additional transaction rates typically apply to these e-commerce services.

Level 2 and Level 3 Processing Services

In addition to its traditional merchant services, Orion Payment Systems also advertises that it provides level 2 and level 3 processing for b2b and b2g transactions. Level 2 and level 3 processing rely upon different interchange rates than traditional consumer credit transactions. Accommodating those rates requires different payment processing technology from a merchant account provider to transmit the amount of data required to facilitate the transactions. These services are reserved for b2b and b2g purchases that utilize corporate credit cards. Merchants who process between 1 million and 6 million Visa or MasterCard transactions qualify for level 2 processing through Orion. Merchants who process between 20,000 and 1 million Visa or MasterCard e-commerce transactions qualify for level 3 processing with the company.

Industry-Average Terms

These contract terms are essentially average for the merchant services industry. However, we have not found any Orion Payment Systems complaints regarding the company’s pricing and fees, which indicates that most merchants are comfortable with the amounts they are being charged. We have therefore assigned the company a “B” rating in this section, but urge merchants to compare Orion’s rates to low-cost alternatives. If you have had any experience with the Orion Payment Systems contract, please share that information in the comment section below this review.

Orion Payment Systems (Houston) Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

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

No Sales Complaints

According to its website, Orion Payment Systems primarily markets its services through a network of independent sales agents. The use of independent agents is commonly tied to elevated complaint rates within the industry because these sales reps tend to receive minimal training and oversight. Orion Payment Systems, however, appears to be an exception, since we have found no merchant complaints that mention deception or nondisclosure by the company’s sales team.

No Deceptive Rate Quotes

Given this low complaint rate and the fact that the company does not engage in deceptive rate quoting on its website, we will assign it an “A” rating in this category for the time being. If you suspect that you have had undisclosed fees added to your Orion Payment Systems contract, however, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to eliminate hidden charges.

Orion Payment Systems (Houston) Review Summary

A Solid Payment Processor

Orion Payment Systems rates as a reliable merchant services provider according to our rating criteria. The company has a very low complaint volume and appears to offer fairly standard terms for the industry. Even when dealing with a highly rated processor, merchants should be sure to inquire about all potential costs and terms before signing up for service and to compare all pricing to the top overall providers.

Top Performing Orion Payment Systems (Houston) Competitors

HMS

Average Rate

1.82% + $0.20

Pricing Details

Helcim

Average Rate

1.83% + $0.18

Pricing Details

CDG

Average Rate

1.83% + $0.16

Pricing Details

Please note that we only suggest providers that adhere to strict ethical standards and offer top performing support at extremely competitive pricing. We may earn revenue if choose one of our recommendations.

About The Author

Phillip Parker

Phillip Parker is the founder, creator and author of this website. He is a payments industry expert, business consultant, and web developer. Since 2009, he has researched over 1,000 merchant services providers and published hundreds of payment education-related articles. His work has received national recognition and his expertise is regularly sought by large media outlets such as CNN, MSN, and INC Magazine among dozens of others. Learn more...

How Phillip Can Help You

Schedule a call with Phillip to get answers to your payment processing questions. Please note that Phillip's expertise focuses on merchant services within the U.S.

Credit card processing costs are complex and often difficult to understand. Hire Phillip to help you optimize your processing costs to the lowest possible rates without switching processors, trading out payment acceptance equipment, or modifying your processes.

Starting a new business or ready to find a new processor? Selecting the right merchant services provider is a crucial component of running successful business. Check out Phillip's processor picks see which companies offer the best services at the lowest costs or schedule a call today to learn how to get custom recommendations for you payment needs.

Reader Comments, Testimonials & Complaints

4 User Reviews

Victoria Salisbury

Legends Motorcycles merchant Account #008788200016008

November 17, 2021

Legends Motorcycles is no longer in business
no longer processing credit cards please quit taking fees out of account

Reply to Victoria Salisbury Post Your Own
Mary

February 22, 2018

This is the worst company I have ever dealt with for payment processing. The IT department has no clue what to do when there is an issue with a payment error. I submitted one payment and the system processed that payment 7 times. They could not figure out how to credit my account back the 6 payments that were processed by mistake from there program error. The VP of the department would not return calls or emails and was so unprofessional on the phone when he finally returned my calls. I am still waiting for this to be corrected. Will most likely have to go to my bank fraud department and have them deal with these incapable, incompetent employees. Good luck to anyone thinking about using them as your third party processing company!

Reply to Mary Post Your Own
Earl Llanes

January 10, 2018

Hi,

I wanted to let you know that you’re offering a great service and I appreciate your business.

Reply to Earl Llanes Post Your Own
- CPO
  
  January 10, 2018
  
  Hi Earl,
  
  Please reply to this comment with your business name and location in order to authenticate your testimonial. Thanks!
  
  Reply to CPO Post Your Own

Tell Us How They Treated You

Sharing your experience influences our rating and helps other business owners make informed decisions. Promotional content and contact information will not be published. Please provide a detailed summary of your experience.

Any unauthorized copying and reproduction of the content of this page, including all meta data and computer code, is strictly prohibited. While the information in the above article is believed to be accurate as of its publish date, the author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which is provided “as is,” and without warranties. Any and all use of trade names and/or marks are for identification purposes only and shall not be construed as a claim of affiliation, or otherwise, with CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. ("CPO") in any form. The sole purpose of the material presented herein is to alert, educate, and inform readers. It is not intended as legal or financial advice. We may earn revenue if you obtain services from a provider that we recommend. See this page to learn how we support our operations.