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Paya Review: Fees, Comparisons, Complaints & Lawsuits

  • January 16, 2022
  • By Payments Industry Analyst, Phillip Parker
  • 8 User Reviews
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see who will offer you the lowest pricing and best service

Rating

 3/5
Paya Logo
Website
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(800) 261-0240

Most Recent Comment

  • Ted Leitter: says:
    April 20, 2022
    "Paya is a second rate business credit card processing company. They actually held a large credit card payment from a long term (20 years) cu..." Read More
See All User Comments

See All 5-Star Recommendations

Rating:
 3/5

Agree with our rating?

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Paya Logo
View Pricing
(800) 261-0240

Most Recent Comment

  • Ted Leitter: says:
    April 20, 2022
    "Paya is a second rate business credit card processing company. They actually held a large credit card payment from a long term (20 years) cu..." Read More
Leave a Comment

Old Company, New Name

Formerly known as Sage Payment Solutions, Paya is a large, U.S.-based merchant account provider that was founded in 1989. According to its website, the company specializes in providing solutions for education, government, B2B, healthcare, and nonprofit processing. When it operated as a subsidiary department of Sage Group, Paya specialized in payroll and accounting services for businesses, but it also managed to carve out a solid share of the payments market in both the U.S. and UK. In August 2017, a private equity firm named GTCR acquired Sage Payment Solutions from the Sage Group. It officially rebranded the organization to Paya in January 2018. The company now claims to serve more than 100,000 merchants and has narrowed its focus to becoming a top-rated payment processor. In August 2020 Paya announced a merger with FinTech Acquisition Corp. III.

Paya Payment Processing

Paya processes all major debit and credit cards for most business types including B2B. Their services include POS solutions, mobile payments, check/ACH processing, access to virtual terminals, e-invoices, data reporting and analysis, and PCI compliance

Paya Location & Ownership

Paya is a registered ISO of BMO Harris N.A., Chicago Il. Paya’s headquarters was previously listed 12120 Sunset Hills Rd #500, Reston, Virginia 20190, but the company also has several other offices located throughout the United States and Canada. Currently, it lists its headquarters at 303 Perimeter Ctr N STE 600 Atlanta, GA 30346. Jeff Hack is the CEO of Paya.

Video Summary

https://www.cardpaymentoptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Paya_Review.mp4

Paya Review Table of Contents

  • Costs & Contract: Appears to offer a multi-year contract with a liquidated damages-style early termination fee and long-term equipment lease.
  • Complaints & Service: Has received more than 40 public complaints.
  • BBB Rating: Has a “B-” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 20 complaints and 6 reviews in the last 3 years.
  • Sales & Marketing: Appears to hire independent sales agents and has received some complaints.
Paya payment processing
Paya offers a variety of standard payment processing services

Should You Trust Paya?

Lawsuits, Reviews & Complaints

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Complaint Summary

Total Online Complaints 40+
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint Poor Support

Low Complaint Total

Considering Paya’s size and time in business, the company has a relatively low amount of complaints under both of its names. We have found approximately 40 negative Paya reviews on various online forums and consumer complaint websites. Most complained of undisclosed and unexpected fees, poor customer support, high cancellation fees (ranging from $100 to $700), and the company’s auto-renewing contract. Most of the company’s recent complaints are related to unreachable or unhelpful customer support, which is a big reason why we do not consider Paya a top merchant account provider for customer service.

Paya Lawsuits and Fines

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

Paya Customer Service Options

Paya earns an above-average rating in this section because of its low complaint count in comparison to industry averages for a company of its size.

We have located multiple Paya customer service phone numbers:

(800) 261-0240 – Toll-Free General Customer Service
(866) 307-1627 – Check Services
(888) 884-7171 – Gift and Loyalty

Paya also offers a customer support form on its website as well as live chat support.

Is the BBB Rating for Paya Accurate?

Better Business Bureau Profile

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see who will offer you the lowest pricing and best service

BBB Summary

Product & Service Complaints 16
Billing & Collection Complaints 1
Advertising & Sales Complaints 2
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints 0
Delivery Complaints 1

2o Complaints

Paya was formerly accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2006, but is no longer accredited. It currently maintains a “B-” rating with the BBB. The company has received 20 complaints in the past 36 months. 16 of these complaints had to do with a problem with a product or service, 1 was a delivery issue, 2 were problems with advertising or sales, and 1 was a billing or collection issue. Only 5 of these 20 complaints were resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 15 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.

What Merchants Say

Paya has also received 6 informal reviews through the BBB, all of which were negative in tone. The most recent negative review describes being charged after closing an account:

Paya is a horrible company. They abuse their clients financially. They continue to bill after services are canceled. Then they charge you an exit fee of $199 upon canceling your contract. DO NOT use this company. I would give it 0 stars except you have to leave at least one, which they don’t even deserve.

Merchants should research contract terms to avoid unnecessary charges like those mentioned in this review.

A “B” Performance Overall

In light of Paya’s complaint total and resolution ratio, and taking into account the BBB profile for Paya we agree with the BBB’s rating of a “B”.

How Expensive is Paya?

Rates, Fees, and Contract Terms

This processor offers the lowest rates and best service we've seen

Cost Summary

Swiped Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Keyed-in Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Virtual Terminal Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Payment Gateway Fee Undsiclosed
Early Termination Fee $900+
PCI Non-Compliance Fee $35
PCI Compliance Fee $100 Per Year
Equipment Lease Terms 48 Month (locked)

Variable Pricing

Pricing and fees of a Paya merchant account appear to vary based on a merchant’s business type, processing volume, and the agent or sub-ISO setting up the account. A copy of the company’s standard terms and conditions under the name Sage Payment Solutions is publicly available. Paya charges a Liquidated Damages early termination fee, which is calculated by multiplying the remaining months in a merchant’s contract by $25. This can result in very expensive penalties for termination that essentially force merchants to buy themselves out of contracts. Additionally, the company is reported to charge an annual PCI compliance fee of around $100.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Paya also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising its virtual terminal and payment gateway services. However, pricing is not disclosed on either of those services. Additional rates and fees, including gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and additional transaction rates typically apply to these e-commerce services.

Worse-Than-Average Terms

Paya scores a “C” rating in this section due to its high cancellation fees and automatically renewing contracts. Merchants have not filed many public reports against Paya due to the brief amount of time that the company’s new name has been active, but its track record under the Sage brand was consistently marred by reports of high costs. We do not consider Paya to be a cheap merchant account provider at this time. We also encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.

Does Paya Use Deceptive Marketing?

Advertising & Sales Strategy

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Key Points

Employs Independent Resellers Yes
Advertises Deceptive Rates No
Discloses All Important Terms No

Many Third-Party Resellers

Paya markets its services via several different types of sales partnerships. These include independent software vendors, value-added resellers, independent resellers and agents, and sub-ISOs. Paya’s sub-ISO program allows other merchant account sales organizations to resell Paya credit card processing services. These third-party organizations can partner with Paya as eithedr a “non-registered ISO” or as a “registered ISO.” Registered ISOs are allowed to operate under their own separate brand names while reselling Paya’s services. A non-registered ISO must sell under the Paya brand and present itself as an independent representative of Paya.

Paya Sales Agent Complaints

Several reports from Sage users indicated some problems with sales agents using deceptive sales tactics. Although there is no evidence that Paya condones these types of tactics, it’s apparent that the company did at one point enforce contracts even when merchants claimed to have been deceived. Since this does not appear to be a widespread problem with Paya, we have not lowered the company’s grade in this section. If you suspect that Paya is charging you undisclosed fees, we recommend seeking a free third-party statement audit. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

Does Paya Deserve Your Business?

Review Summary & Our Thoughts

An Above-Average Option

Paya rates as an average merchant services provider according to our rating criteria. It’s too early to say whether the company’s practices and policies deviate in any meaningful way from Sage Payment Solutions, but there does not appear to be any significant overhaul. Paya has some improvements to make if it wants to meet its stated goal of ranking as a top merchant account provider for retail, education, healthcare, manufacturing, or non-profits.

5-Star Rated Paya Competitors

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About The Author

Phillip Parker is a Payments Industry Analyst and creator of this blog, CardPaymentOptions.com. Phillip is passionate about researching merchant service providers and payment industry trends. He is often quoted as an expert source in national publications such as INC Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Entrepreneur, and many others.

“I started this blog because I was disgusted by the business practices of the merchant services industry. I wanted to empower business owners by providing insight on how to avoid shady merchant account providers and costly credit card processing mistakes.” 

Phillip’s Processor Comparisons

Picking a credit card processor can be a headache, but we’ve made it easy. Phillip recommends comparing the best merchant services providers we’ve researched.

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When was the last time you had your rates audited by someone who wasn’t also trying to sell you credit card processing services? We support this website by helping business owners understand how to cut their processing costs, either with a new processor or their current one. Learn more.

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What Others Are Saying About Paya

Customer & Employee Reviews

8 Responses

  1. Ted Leitter says:
    April 20, 2022 at 5:39 pm
    American Hammer

    Paya is a second rate business credit card processing company. They actually held a large credit card payment from a long term (20 years) customers of ours and wouldn’t release the funds even though our customer AND American Express approved the transaction! They wouldn’t release the payment in full until after we shipped the product! They made us jump through hoops and treated us like criminals as if we were acting in a fraudulent manner. This very unprofessional act costs us unnecessary time, labor and money!

    Reply
  2. Kathy says:
    February 10, 2022 at 12:21 pm

    I had Sage then Paya through my Hudson Limited ltd airporter transportation software subscription. Hudson spoke very highly of Sage. We had them for 14+ years with minimal interaction after sales except PCI Compliance. I terminated my merchant account through Hudson(same way it was setup – never spoke with Sage Sales Department; just submitted application provided by Hudson) in April 2021 as we were no longer processing transactions through Hudson. According to my call today, the account was never shut down. We have incurred monthly merchant fees and non-compliance fees. The names of the charges are so vague it is difficult to tell one merchant fees from another when they overlap. The agent I spoke with said that he would submit a request for a refund of all fees since April 2021 to the Sales Department. I asked if that was the same sales department that ignored the request to shut down the account through Hudson? He mumbled, “I don’t want to deal with this.” and hung up.

    Reply
  3. Marilyn Blandford says:
    October 23, 2019 at 11:37 am

    While processing a customer payment for a smaller invoice, a larger down payment invoice was mistakenly included with the transaction. The transaction was flagged by Paya, they informed us they could not allow the transaction. We confirmed the transaction was unauthorized, and asked Paya to reject the payment.
    Paya informed accounting to run a credit on our end to reject the payment, never informing us of the fees to do so. Had we done nothing, then the original request would never have been completed because of it being unauthorized by Paya as it was over the approved amount both by us and Paya.
    Paya charged us the full fee as if the sale went through. Secondly, they also charged us the full fee to process the credit that they had instructed us to do. The funds were not deposited to our bank account, we also contacted our depositing bank and they confirmed the funds were never received by them to deposit to our account.
    The amount charged for the first transaction was $6,059.37 and the amount charged for the processed credit was $4,423.05.
    A customer support supervisor was contacted, requesting a refund. We received confirmation that their executive team authorized a refund to us. The refund was never received. The original customer support supervisor was removed and now follow-up emails and phone calls are going unanswered. This has been going on since June, Paya’s support ticket # is 3A6D4B. They also reference A564B6.

    Reply
  4. Andrew Heitner says:
    July 2, 2019 at 9:09 am

    Stay away. High cost and hidden fees.


    This post will help: Find and Eliminate Hidden Fees in Your Monthly Bill

    -Phillip

    Reply
  5. Mike Payne says:
    June 12, 2019 at 7:14 am

    I used Braintree, Squareup, and Paya. Closed business for move. Had IRS problem pop up. Needed access to two year old statements. With braintree and Square, I was able to go back as many years as I had account. With Paya, I am sealed off. They said the “research fee” is $55 per hour and then $10 per statement. I don’t begrudge them the right to do as they like, but these sorts of things are not on someone’s mind when first time starting out in a small business venture. Mind you, I do not know if it would have been better if they were still Sage.


    This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for Great Customer Service

    Reply
  6. Troy D Duran says:
    June 7, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    Paya (Sage Payment Solutions, whatever, same company) sent me a 1099(k) listing all of the money I received from customers. As you might imagine this resulted in a letter from the IRS, claiming that I under-reported my income, as I also received 1099(k) forms from my actual customers.

    In attempting to remedy this issue with Paya, I was shuffled from one “customer service” to another, over the course of two hours.

    Finally, exhausted, I called once more to the ‘Virtual Terminal‘ support desk, and simply asked for help generating a report for that tax year listing the payer and amounts paid. Simple enough.

    I just received an email informing me that they charge $55 per hour and would require 10-15 days to complete this simple archive search.

    If you choose to use Sage Accounting and/or Paya processing services, this is what you can expect.


    This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for Great Customer Service

    -Phillip

    Reply
  7. KUEHNL CLAUDIA says:
    May 8, 2019 at 8:07 pm

    I thought I was donating to the African Wildlife Foundation. I was told it did not go through and to use another CC. I did not. 2 seconds later the donation did intact go through. A Bunch of liars and cheats. I immediately contacted Am/EX. I went to their web site and they are so opaque there is no way to see if they do in fact, Represent The above foundation. We will of course be contesting them, but just by the way they act and their exclusive web site made only to garner more business for them selves speaks volumes. Stay away from them. I believe they are part of a scam posing as anybody they choose to present they are.


    This post will help: Best Payment Processors for Non-Profits

    -Phillip

    Reply
  8. Becker Plumbing Supply Co. says:
    March 22, 2019 at 4:09 am

    Been with them for several years. Very happy with them until recently they change to “Paya” . They have increased fees and added fees and charges. They never notified our company too update the horrible PCI and started charging us $75 plus a $35 fee monthly fee – (several extra hundred dollars in PCI fees). They have been charging us all sorts of unknown fees that we have no idea what they are – we are thinking of switching processors. We are now searching for another processor and may switch very soon. We don’t like being cheated !!!!!


    This post will help: Eliminate Hidden Rate Increases And Markups From Your Monthly Bill

    -Phillip

    Reply

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