PayPartners Review: Fees, Complaints, Comparisons & Lawsuits

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Note: Since at least December 2021, the PayPartners website has been down and the BBB has made a note that they believe the company is out of business. We believe the company is out of business and will no longer be updating this profile. If you have information to the contrary, please let us know in the comments below.

A Possible DBA of National Card Solutions

Based in Portland, Oregon, PayPartners is a merchant account provider that resells First Data (now Fiserv) contracts. We have received one comment beneath our National Card Solutions review claiming that PayPartners is simply a DBA of National Card Solutions. National Card Solutions is a poorly rated payment processor on CPO with a complicated history.

An Organization With Many Names

National Card Solutions appears to share ownership or be otherwise affiliated with three other credit card processors called Performance Merchant Alliance, United Card Solutions (unitedcardsolutions.com), and Direct Processors (directprocessors.com). All companies have similar websites and promotional language (though Performance's site is down as of this review), and all four appear to be represented by Jeff Easter, an online reputation management specialist.

Prestige Payment Systems Links

Merchant account provider reviews indicate that National Card Solutions is a DBA of Prestige Payment Systems. United Card Solutions and Direct Processors are also other suspected DBAs of Prestige Payment Systems. Based on these potential connections, merchants are advised to inquire about PayPartners' affiliations and corporate ties.

Prestige Payment Payment Processing

Prestige Payment does not give much information about themselves, but it appears that they at least process most major credit and debit cards. They do list that they offer point-of-sale systems, mobile payment solutions, gateway-enabled web storefronts, PCI compliance, digital wallets, and MOTO payments.

PayPartners Location and Ownership

PayPartners is headquartered at 1455 Irving St., Suite #200 Portland, Oregon 97209. It does not disclose the identities of its ownership team. However, elsewhere we have found that Jack Anthony is a co-founder of the company, while Marvin Johnson has acted as COO.

PayPartners Review Table of Contents

  • Costs & Contract: PayPartners offers a three-year contract with an unspecified early termination fee.
  • Complaints & Service: PayPartners has received fewer than 10 public complaints.
  • BBB Rating: PayPartners currently has no rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 7 complaints and 2 reviews in the last 3 years.
  • Sales & Marketing: PayPartners does not appear to hire independent sales agents and has received just one complaint about its sales practices.

PayPartners Customer Reviews

Here's What Their Clients Say

Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints <10
Live Customer Support No
Most Common Complaint N/A

Low Complaint Total

We are currently able to locate only one negative PayPartners review, and this review describes hidden fees and poor customer support. The company’s allegedly related brands have racked up incredibly high complaint counts in public forums. Common complaints center around misrepresentation of rates, nondisclosure of contract terms, exorbitant leasing costs, and poor customer service. Many of the complaints against National Card Solutions refer to a sales agent named Jon Erickson, but it’s unclear whether he has any connection to PayPartners.

PayPartners Lawsuits and Fines

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

PayPartners Customer Service Options

The PayPartners website offers a complaint resolution email contact form, but it does not provide any live phone support. We therefore do not consider PayPartners to be a top-rated merchant account provider for customer service. We have assigned PayPartners a “C” rating in this section due to the fact that there may be no substantive difference between the service provided by PayPartners and the service provided by its related companies.

PayPartners Online Ratings

Here's How They Rate Online

Online Ratings Summary
Product & Service Complaints 5
Billing & Collections Complaints 1
Advertising & Sales Complaints 1
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints 0
Delivery Complaints 0

Note: We have adjusted this company’s BBB rating according to our own standards. To better understand why we adjust BBB ratings, please see our Rating Criteria.

More Than 5 Complaints

The Better Business Bureau currently gives PayPartners no rating on its BBB profile. The company has received 7 complaints in the last three years. 5 of the complaints were due to a problem with a product or service, 1 was a billing or collections issue, and 1 was due to advertising or sales problems. None of these 7 complaints were resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. All 7 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.

What Merchants Say

PayPartners has also received 2 informal reviews from BBB users. The most recent review describes deceptive sales practices and hidden fees:

Completely agree with the previous review!!! Stay away from this company!!!! The agent who called me promised to cut our monthly cc processing bill in half. In reality I’m paying more then I did, plus stuck with long contracts and very high cancellation fees!

Reviewing options for a merchant account that provides top-shelf customer service can help avoid situations like this.

A “C” Performance Overall

In light of the company’s complaint total, resolution efforts, and corporate affiliations, we have adjusted the company’s rating to a “C” at this time.

PayPartners 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
Annual Fee $197
Helpdesk Fee $15 Per Month
Inactivity Fee $99 Per Month
PCI Compliance Fee $150 Per Year
Early Termination Fee $250
Equipment Lease Costs $77 Per Month
Equipment Lease Terms 48 Month (locked)

Three-Year Contract

The PayPartners North program guide and the PayPartners Wells Fargo program guide outline a three-year agreement through First Data (Fiserv) with an unspecified monthly minimum fee, an unspecified early termination fee, and a long-term equipment lease through First Data Global Leasing. This is essentially the standard First Data (Fiserv) contract, and the specific rates and fees charged will be determined by each sales agent at the time of signup.

PayPartners Pricing

PayPartners does not disclose any of its pricing details, but it is likely that it uses a similar pricing approach to National Card Solutions. National Card Solutions is a DBA of Prestige Payment Systems, so this review will rely on information from Prestige Payment Systems’ pricing structure.

Prestige Payment Systems Rates

Prestige Payment Systems offers three-tiered pricing with rates as high as 3.25% plus $0.09 and a PCI compliance fee of $150, which is billed annually. Merchant reviews mention other fees from these contracts, including a $50 annual fee, a $15 monthly “help desk” fee, and a $10 monthly statement fee. Some merchant complaints state that the company’s standard early termination fee is $250.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, PayPartners 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.

Beware Equipment Leases

PayPartners appears to lease terminals through First Data Global Leasing, which typically offers 48-month, non-cancellable leases that cost up to $77 per month. As a general rule, we do not advise merchants to enter into contracts that include long-term, non-cancellable equipment leases. This is because most credit card processing equipment can be purchased in full for a one-time cost of under $500, while most equipment leases cost thousands of dollars over four years. Accordingly, we do not consider the company’s contract terms to be even remotely competitive with the cheapest merchant accounts available.

Many Merchant Complaints

The complaints that National Card Solutions and its affiliated businesses have received serve as testaments to the low value provided by its contracts. We have accordingly lowered our grade for PayPartners in this section to a “C.” We also encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.

PayPartners services
This is the extent of what PayPartners tells about its services on its site

PayPartners Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs

Should You Work For Them?

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

Heavy on Telemarketing

It appears likely that PayPartners utilizes a similar sales approach to National Card Solutions. National Card Solutions uses telemarketing and an in-house sales team to market its service. The company does not appear to hire independently contracted sales agents, but we have found a low-to-moderate number of National Card Solutions complaints that mention misrepresented fees and undisclosed contract terms. A specific sales agent is named in most of these complaints, but the issue may not be confined to him. The number of these complaints has risen steadily since we first published our review and is above average for a company that is this new to this industry. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

Similar to United Card Solutions

United Card Solutions, a Portland, Oregon-based company that appears to be related to National Card Solutions, has received a high number of complaints regarding nondisclosure or misrepresentation by sales agents. It is unclear at this time whether United Card Solutions employs a different sales team or offers different contract terms than National Card Solutions and PayPartners, but the similarities in complaints suggest that the two companies may follow similar sales strategies. If you are concerned that PayPartners is charging you undisclosed fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit.

An Insider Account

According to an email we have received from a former employee, National Card Solutions trains its agents to tell business owners that their equipment lease from First Data (Fiserv) is actually a program fee to cover the cost of processing and that their rates will be 0% for PIN debit transactions and 1% for standard credit card transactions with no interchange on top. These rates are unrealistically low and highly misleading. This informant states that the “program fee” can ultimately cost anywhere from $59 to $399 per month as part of a 48-month, non-cancellable equipment lease. It is possible that PayPartners trains its agents to use this same tactic, so merchants should be wary of any suspiciously low rate quotes.

Our PayPartners Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts

A Precautionary “C” Rating

PayPartners rates as an average merchant account provider according to our rating criteria. This rating is primarily based on its alleged connection to National Card Solutions. Merchants should not assume that PayPartners will offer better service or lower rates than National Card Solutions, United Card Solutions, Direct Processors, Prestige Payment Systems, National Paymentech, or Performance Merchant Alliance. If it is indeed affiliated with those processors, PayPartners is a candidate to appear on our list of the worst merchant account providers in the industry.

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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 PayPartners Treat You?

3 User Reviews

  • Mark

    Pay partners had solicited us repeatedly trying to convince us to sign up with them as our new new merchant credit card processing account holder.

    They had convinced us that they would be much cheaper than what we were paying with our current merchant Prosessor and had giving us a monthly quote of $300 flat rate a month as long as we stay committed to that $300 dollars monthly payment with them they would give us unlimited merchant processing at a 1% flat rate charge as long as we would run $300,000 dollars worth of credit cards a year with them.

    Well we kept our end of the bargain and we are running an average of $30,000 per month with them.

    Our combined monthly charges was agreed to not exceed more than $6,600 yearly with our commitment to run $300,000 worth of credit cards a year. Some months are less than $30,000
    So $300,000 roughly.

    We had agree to only take visa and master, and discover cards at that price. And no American Express was agreed.

    We are now paying anywhere from $1,090 a month to $1,135 a month for our first couple months processing since we have been signed up with them. That would amount to as much as $13000 or more a year a far cry from our committed $6,600 a year we thought we were getting.

    Do not believe a word they say, Johnny was the sales rep and he will say what ever it takes to close the deal and have you sign a 4 years commitment with them leaving you with no way out.

    And come to find out the $300 a month was for the merchant processing machines very misleading and very frustrating as well .

    The money is automatically taken out of our account every month so they are in control and it’s not what we signed up for.

    if it sounds to good to be true it probably is!.

    Mark

  • Travis Humphreys

    Pay partners sounded so good at first but i’m in the process of a review in the first 2 months of doing business and it is difficult to say the least. There are some horrible customer service employees that will not help! They seem to find happiness in making every phone call a disaster. In 30 years as a national company i have never had this many issues. Somehow we got on a wrong program between contract and first statement. Even the first 1.00 test cost me over 12.00! so i’m getting fees beyond frustrating and paying the termination fee seems like a blessing. I’m hoping its not lawyer time but i am a principled based business man who is tenacious as they will learn

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