card payment options logo
  • Compare Merchant Services
    • E-Commerce Credit Card Processing
    • Restaurant Point-of-Sale
    • Healthcare Merchant Accounts
    • High-Risk Merchant Services
    • More…
  • Reveal Your Hidden Fees
  • Merchant Account Reviews
Menu
  • Compare Merchant Services
    • E-Commerce Credit Card Processing
    • Restaurant Point-of-Sale
    • Healthcare Merchant Accounts
    • High-Risk Merchant Services
    • More…
  • Reveal Your Hidden Fees
  • Merchant Account Reviews
card payment options logo
  • Compare Merchant Services
    • E-Commerce Credit Card Processing
    • Restaurant Point-of-Sale
    • Healthcare Merchant Accounts
    • High-Risk Merchant Services
    • More…
  • Reveal Your Hidden Fees
  • Merchant Account Reviews
Menu
  • Compare Merchant Services
    • E-Commerce Credit Card Processing
    • Restaurant Point-of-Sale
    • Healthcare Merchant Accounts
    • High-Risk Merchant Services
    • More…
  • Reveal Your Hidden Fees
  • Merchant Account Reviews
Search
Search

Reveal Your Hidden Fees Now

FTC Advertising Disclosure

We take great pride in providing one of the only objective an unbiased merchant account review websites on the internet. To support this enormous responsibility we earn some of our revenue through affiliate fees and advertising. These revenues in no way influence our ratings or reviews. Learn more about our monetization policies here. 

Vantiv Review

  • January 2, 2019
  • By Payments Industry Analyst, Phillip Parker
  • 182 User Reviews
see which processors will offer you the lowest pricing and best service
see who will offer you the lowest pricing and best service

Rating

 3/5
Vantiv Logo
Website
see who will offer you the lowest pricing and best service

Most Recent Comment

  • Ersen Irsel: says:
    January 14, 2022
    "Worst company to work with , they are holding my money over a month because of an issue on their side ! nothing my fault .Coustemer service w..." Read More
See All User Comments

See All 5-Star Recommendations

Rating:
 3/5

Agree with our rating?

Tell us why

Vantiv Logo
View Pricing

Most Recent Comment

  • Ersen Irsel: says:
    January 14, 2022
    "Worst company to work with , they are holding my money over a month because of an issue on their side ! nothing my fault .Coustemer service w..." Read More
Leave a Comment

Updated 1/2/2019: Following Vantiv’s 2017 acquisition of WorldPay, the joint entity has assumed the latter credit card processor’s brand name and has opted for a slightly different stylized designation, “Worldpay.” Since Vantiv’s sub-brands have since been consolidated into Worldpay and the Vantiv brand appears to be almost entirely phased out, we will no longer update this review. For current information about this company, see our Worldpay review.

Vantiv (vantiv.com) is the merchant services and credit card processing division of Fifth Third Bank. The company is one of the largest payment processors in the United States and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under “VNTV.” Vantiv entered the merchant services industry in 1991 under the name of Midwest Payment Systems, then changed its name to Fifth Third Processing Solutions in 2003, and then again changed its name in 2011 to Vantiv.

Since its founding, the company has acquired several other credit card processors and ISOs, including ACI Merchant Services, Card Management Corporation (CMC), TNB Card Services, National Processing Company (NPC), Mercury Payment Systems, Element Payment Services, and, most recently, WorldPay. Mercury and Element Payment Services have since been combined and rebranded to create Vantiv Integrated Payments. Vantiv is a direct processor sponsored by Fifth Third Bank. The company’s corporate headquarters is located at 8500 Governors Hill Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio 54249, but Vantiv also has offices in Illinois, Indiana, and Texas. Vantiv’s CEO is Charles D. Drucker.

Key Points

  • Sales & Marketing: Vantiv hires independent sales agents and has received a low-to-moderate number of complaints about its sales practices.
  • Costs & Contract: Vantiv offers a three-year standard contract with a $495 early termination fee.
  • Complaints & Service: Vantiv has received more than 200 public complaints.
  • BBB Rating: Vantiv has a “B-” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 265 complaints in the past three years.
  • Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Vantiv

Should You Trust Vantiv?

Lawsuits, Reviews & Complaints

See Who Makes The Cut >>>

Complaint Summary

Total Online Complaints 200+
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint Hidden Fees

Vantiv is mentioned in more than 200 complaints outside of the Better Business Bureau, and a few of the complaints describe the company as a ripoff or scam. The complaints fall into four common types, in which merchants report unsavory sales tactics, fund holds, unexpected early termination fees, or poor customer service. You can see actual merchant reviews at the bottom of this article. It should also be noted that some of Vantiv’s sub-ISOs and subsidiaries have received a substantial amount of complaints. We have not factored these complaints into this rating because it is unclear who is ultimately responsible in these cases.

Although Vantiv’s complaint total is low for a provider of its size, we have noticed an moderate uptick in complaints within the last year. This trend has lowered the company’s score as of this update. Merchants are strongly encouraged to fully read and understand the terms of any merchant account agreement before signing any documents.

Is the BBB Rating for Vantiv Accurate?

Better Business Bureau Profile

see which processors will offer you the lowest pricing and best service
see who will offer you the lowest pricing and best service

BBB Summary

Product & Service Complaints 130
Billing & Collection Complaints 127
Advertising & Sales Complaints 8
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.

As of this review, the Better Business Bureau is reporting that Vantiv is not BBB accredited and is awarding the company an “B-” rating. The report shows a total of 265 complaints (down from 282 as of our last update) filed in the last 36 months, with 130 regarding problems with products and services, 127 due to billing and collection, and eight related to an advertising or sales issue. Seventy-five complaints have been resolved to the merchants’ satisfaction, while 185 either were resolved to the merchants’ dissatisfaction or did not receive a final response from the merchant. Vantiv didn’t respond at all to five complaints. We have adjusted the company’s rating to a “C” for the purposes of this review due to Vantiv’s sharp uptick in BBB complaints. Our rating will be adjusted further if Vantiv continues to accumulate complaints at such a rapid rate.

How Expensive is Vantiv?

Rates, Fees, and Contract Terms

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

Cost Summary

Swiped Rate Variable
Keyed-in Rate Variable
Early Termination Fee $250 To $495
PCI Compliance Fee Variable
Equipment Lease Terms Variable

Vantiv merchant account agreements appear to vary from merchant to merchant based on several factors, including who set up the merchant account, each merchant’s business type, and each merchant’s processing volume. The standard Vantiv contract (available below) is a three-year service agreement with an early termination fee of $495 or liquidated damages, whichever is greater. Additionally, the contract may automatically renew for successive one-year terms if not cancelled within a small window of opportunity.

Most multi-thousand-dollar termination fees are actually equipment lease termination fees rather than merchant account cancellation fees, and at least one merchant commenter has claimed that they were signed up for a Lease Finance Group lease alongside their Vantiv contract.

The company also appears to charge a PCI Compliance fee which may be assessed either on a monthly or annual basis and may vary in cost from one account to the next. Vantiv earns an average score in this section primarily due to its automatically renewing contract in combination with an early termination fee. See the Vantiv Terms and Conditions.

Does Vantiv Use Deceptive Marketing?

Advertising & Sales Strategy

these are the processors you can trust
you can trust these processor

Key Points

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

Vantiv appears to market its services through several different methods, including directly within its own sales channels as well as indirectly through partnerships with sub-ISOs and independent resellers. The company also markets heavily through large subsidiaries such as National Processing Company and WorldPay as well as its banking partner Fifth Third Bank.

Although Vantiv does not appear to use any deceptive rate advertising or quoting tactics, its grade is negatively affected by the use of sub-ISOs, independent resellers, and subsidiaries. These marketing channels make it difficult for the company to control the sales tactics used to sell its services, and it also spreads merchant complaints across several different company names instead of concentrating them on one source. We have seen a consistent rise in sales-related complaints that is typical of companies that use this approach.

Does Vantiv Deserve Your Business?

Review Summary & Our Thoughts

For Vantiv’s size and time in business, the company appears to be performing at an average level in terms of overall merchant satisfaction. The factors that lower the company’s rating are extensive use of sub-ISOs, resellers, and subsidiaries (a tactic which makes measurement of merchant satisfaction difficult to quantify), reports of poor customer service, and reports of nondisclosure of the early termination fee prior to setting up accounts. Additionally, a few of Vantiv’s sub-ISOs and subsidiaries have numerous complaints, for which Vantiv may or may not bear some responsibility.

5-Star Rated Vantiv Competitors

our top three picks tap or click to reveal
phillip-parker-cpo-blue-mobile

Follow Phillip

Linkedin Twitter Instagram Facebook

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.

Audit Your Merchant Account

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.

man standing on coin representing comparing costs

Compare
Merchant Services
By Industry

  • E-Commerce
  • Web Developers
  • Healthcare
  • Retail
  • Restaurant
  • Hospitality
  • Canadian
  • Invoicing
  • Mobile
  • High-Risk
  • CBD/Cannabis 
  • Adult Entertainment
  • Ammunition & Firearms
More
talking bubbles representing angry comments

Top 20
Controversial
Merchant Account
Providers

  1. Square
  2. Stripe Review
  3. Harbortouch
  4. Heartland Payment Systems
  5. PayPal
  6. First Data (Fiserv)
  7. WorldPay
  8. WePay
  9. Shift4
  10. Flagship Merchant Services
  11. Paysafe
  12. Leaders Merchant Services
  13. CardConnect
  14. First American Payment Systems
  15. Merchant One
  16. Electronic Merchant Systems
  17. Global Payments
  18. Moneris
  19. Total Merchant Services
  20. Talus Pay

Best Rated for 2022

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

What Others Are Saying About Vantiv

Customer & Employee Reviews

Loading comments...
Copyright

Copyright © CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. (Digital Fingerprint: 0d38c6720f0d78a701b74d58653af608). Getting paid to re-write this page? Click here to earn a reward.

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. Our "recommendations" are our own opinions and should be treated as such. You are acting on your own accord and judgement by choosing any of our recommendations. 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.

  • Merchant Account Reviews
  • How We Assign Ratings
  • Request a Correction
  • Complaint Mediation Programs
  • Press Inquiries
  • Merchant Account Reviews
  • How We Assign Ratings
  • Request a Correction
  • Complaint Mediation Programs
  • Our Policies & TOUs
  • About
  • Contact
Menu
  • Our Policies & TOUs
  • About
  • Contact
Facebook Instagram Twitter Linkedin Reddit
© Copyright 2009 - 2022 CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. No personal information is collected unless you fill out a form and submit it or call a number listed on one of our pages. We never share or sell your information without your consent. If you do not wish to proceed, please exit the website at this time.

Accept & CLose