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Before You Sign a Deal with Trinity Merchant Group: Read This

Updated: September 30, 2025

Maintained Since: August 9, 2013

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.

Trinity Merchant Group

Rating

3.3/5

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Pros

Diverse Services

Customer Experience

Fraud Protection

Cons

Cancellation Fees

Monthly/Annual Fees

Equipment Leasing

Limited Integrations

High Markup

Overview

In this article on Trinity Merchant Group, we take a close look at the company’s merchant services, including credit and debit card processing, check guarantee programs, e-commerce gateways, mobile payment tools, and POS and virtual terminal options. Our review covers their rates, fees, and contract terms, along with common complaints tied to early termination fees, sales tactics, and customer support. We also examine industry ratings, legal actions, and insights from employee and user reviews to give a balanced view of how TMG operates. By combining these elements, the review offers business owners a clear picture of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall reputation in the credit card processing industry.

Payment Processing Services

We’ll focus on Trinity Merchant Group's wide range of payment services, including credit and debit card processing, check guarantee programs, online reporting, and e-commerce solutions. These services are designed to meet the needs of different types of businesses.

Mobile Solutions and Specialized Offerings

We’ll discuss their specific services, like mobile payment solutions, virtual terminals, and specialized options for B2B and non-profit organizations. We’ll also look at their marketing tactics, customer service quality, and legal history, including any lawsuits or fines.

Customer Feedback and Public Perception

Additionally, we’ll assess the company’s online ratings and summarize customer feedback to get a sense of how the public views their services.

Pros and Cons

By analyzing the pros and cons of Trinity Merchant Group’s offerings, this article provides a detailed and balanced view to help businesses make informed decisions about their merchant service provider.

About Trinity Merchant Group

Trinity Merchant Group is a merchant account provider based in Fort Worth, Texas. It appears that Trinity Merchant Group is either a sub-ISO or a subsidiary of First American Payment Systems, a company with a long list of similar aliases. Like other members of the First American network of companies, Trinity appears to offer merchants equipment leases with Merimac Capital, which may simply be the equipment leasing arm of First American Payment Systems.

Products & Merchant Services

Payment Processing

Trinity Merchant Group handles payment processing for all major debit and credit cards across various business types. Their services include a check guarantee program, online reporting, an e-commerce gateway, gift cards, equipment leasing, ACH and EBT processing, POS systems and terminals, mobile payment solutions, e-commerce solutions with payment gateways and shopping carts, virtual terminals, recurring billing, fraud detection, customer information management, B2B Level 2 processing, non-profit donation acceptance, and cash advances. They also offer TMGVets, a payment processing service specifically for veterinarians.

Check Guarantee Program

Trinity Merchant Group provides a check guarantee program to offer additional security for check payments, to mitigate the risks associated with check acceptance.

Online Reporting and E-commerce Gateway

The company offers online reporting tools and an e-commerce gateway to facilitate online transactions and enhance data management for businesses.

Gift Cards and Equipment Leasing

Trinity Merchant Group supports businesses with gift card services and equipment leasing options, aiming to improve and expand their operational capabilities.

ACH and EBT Processing

The company provides Automated Clearing House (ACH) and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) processing, offering alternative payment methods beyond traditional credit and debit cards.

Mobile Payments

Trinity Merchant Group enables merchants to process credit card payments via mobile devices, compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Android systems.

Virtual Terminal

A virtual terminal is available for secure and efficient transactions, catering to businesses that require a reliable solution for processing payments without physical card swipes.

Business-to-Business Solutions

Trinity Merchant Group offers customized B2B credit card processing solutions, including Level 2 processing and PCI compliance, tailored to meet the needs of business-to-business transactions.

Nonprofit Solutions

The company provides payment processing solutions for nonprofits, schools, and other fundraising organizations for them to accept and manage donations.

Working Capital

Trinity Merchant Group offers working capital through cash advance partners, providing businesses with immediate funding to meet their financial needs.

Customer Reviews & Sentiment

Assessment of Trinity Merchant Group Reviews

We have discovered approximately 10 Trinity Merchant Group (TMG) reviews on our platform, along with additional feedback on various non-BBB consumer protection sites. Despite the relatively low number of complaints, we exercise caution before endorsing TMG’s customer support capabilities. The majority of public complaints against Trinity Merchant Group highlight challenges in contacting company representatives. We invite you to contribute your personal Trinity Merchant Group experiences in the comments section below.

Evaluating Trinity Merchant Group’s Customer Support

TMG advertises a specific support hotline and an email for customer inquiries on its website. It appears that customer support may be managed by a partner within the First American network of companies, which includes First American Payment Systems. Comparatively, this network does not rank alongside the industry leaders in customer service according to our evaluations. Given the modest volume of complaints and their nature, TMG receives a “B” rating in this category.

Industry Scores & User Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
PaymentPop	5
BBB Rating	N/A

PaymentPop Rating for Trinity Merchant Group

Negative Feedback

There are no negative reviews published about Trinity Merchant Group on the PaymentPop website.

Positive Feedback

Trinity Merchant Group impressed us with their personalized approach. They didn’t try to sell us a one size fits all solution they listened and built a plan around our actual needs. It’s rare to find that level of service in payments. We’ve had a great experience from day one.

Trinity Merchant Group BBB Rating

As of this review, the BBB awards an “A+” rating to Trinity Merchant Group and does not show accreditation for the company. Trinity has had 0 complaints filed against it in the last 36 months. At the time of a previous update, the BBB also included language from the company’s standard contract on its main report page, which indicated that the cancellation fee is a source of confusion for many BBB complainants. This notice has since been removed.

What Merchants Say

Trinity Merchant Group currently has no informal reviews on its BBB profile. However, at the time of a last update, the company had received 1 informal negative review. This review described poor customer service:

Terrible customer service. called multiple to make some account changes no call back.

Clients who are frustrated by their customer support should make sure that they avoid customer support scams.

An “A” Performance

Considering the low complaint total, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.

Processing Rates & Fees

Three-Year Agreement

TMG appears to offer its standard contract through First American Payment Systems for three years, automatically renewing for a one-year term after expiration. Reports indicate an early termination fee of $495, though this may vary. Previous BBB reports have shown language from the standard contract detailing a three-year agreement with automatic renewal and an early termination fee, alongside a liquidated damages clause.

Potentially Significant Fees

A liquidated damages clause can lead to unpredictable and substantial cancellation fees, cautioning against contracts containing such terms. One Trinity Merchant Group review reported an early termination fee exceeding $20,000. Additional fees may include a statement fee, an annual PCI compliance fee of $124.75, and other annual charges totaling $150, along with transaction rates that may not be competitive. A company representative mentioned a choice between a $25 monthly minimum fee or a $90 annual fee for clients on a standard pricing plan, but not both.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

Apart from storefront payment processing, Trinity Merchant Group advertises its virtual terminal and payment gateway services, with undisclosed pricing. Additional TMG rates and fees, such as gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and additional transaction rates, typically apply to these e-commerce services.

Other Contract Considerations

Previously, TMG advertised a service called “TMG Flat,” featuring a flat monthly rate with no hidden fees, which is no longer mentioned on their site. Some TMG clients report contracts bearing the name “Merimac Capital,” likely referring to equipment lease sections. Purchasing equipment is recommended over leasing whenever possible, as TMG’s apparent use of equipment leases may hinder its competitiveness against the cheapest merchant account providers. We also encourage business owners to review our list of the top merchant accounts.

Trinity Merchant Group offers a variety of e-commerce solutions, including a virtual terminal

Lawsuits & Legal History

No current class-action lawsuits or Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaints have been recorded against Trinity Merchant Group. Clients seeking alternatives to litigation for resolving their disputes are encouraged to engage with relevant supervisory bodies.

Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

Outside Sales Team

Trinity Merchant Group appears to utilize independent sales agents and telemarketing to market its services. This is a common practice within the industry that can often result in an unregulated or untrained sales team. In the comment section of the First American Payment Systems review on our website, two clients left a negative Trinity Merchant Group review detailing encounters with TMG agents who failed to fully disclose undesirable terms at the point of signing and did not adequately follow up on agreements they had previously made. There are also Trinity Merchant Group reviews from businesses in the comment section of this review regarding the nondisclosure of TMG contract terms, but at least one client has retracted his complaint following a good faith effort by TMG. Unfortunately, these Trinity Merchant Group complaints are typical of companies that hire independent sales agents, and this sales strategy appears to be the method of choice among companies within the First American Payment Systems corporate family. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

No Deceptive Quotes

To its credit, Trinity Merchant Group does not list any misleading rate quotes or unrealistic guarantees in its official materials. If you suspect that an agent has misrepresented your pricing to you directly, you can double-check your monthly bill with a third-party statement audit. Trinity Merchant Group enjoys a lower complaint total than its counterparts, but its approach does not appear to differ in any appreciable way. We have therefore assigned it a “C” rating.

Trinity Merchant Group Competitors

Compare Trinity Merchant Group to competitors that earned top marks.

Pricing

Bottom Line

Trinity Merchant Group (TMG) is currently rated as an average credit card processing provider, a rating that aligns with those given to other subsidiaries and sub-ISOs of First American Payment Systems. This consistency across related entities indicates that while TMG meets basic standards, there are significant opportunities for improvement that could enhance its standing. Specifically, TMG could benefit from better regulation and oversight of its independent agents to improve sales practices, which are crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction. Additionally, enhancing the customer support experience would help in providing timely and effective solutions to client issues.

TMG should consider revising its standard contract terms to remove any unfavorable clauses that may be seen as punitive or overly restrictive for businesses. Making contracts more favorable could make TMG’s offerings more competitive within the industry. Businesses considering TMG for their credit card processing needs are advised to thoroughly compare TMG’s terms with those of top-rated processors. This comparison is vital to ensure they secure the most beneficial deal, aligning financial and operational objectives with a reliable and ethically sound service provider.

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Contact Trinity Merchant Group

Contact & Customer Support
Owner	Clay Farrell
Headquarters	2421 W 7th St #105, Fort Worth, Texas 76107
Toll-Free Customer Service Number	(866) 864-4968
Additional Customer Service	Online customer support form
Website	trinitymerchantgroup.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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