A merchant account provider, CreditCardProcessing.com (CCP) is a subsidiary of iPayment, Inc., which is an independent sales organization for First Data. CCP will walk you through the application process and negotiate terms, but your merchant account is actually with iPayment.
CreditCardProcessing.com Features
CCP offers solutions for just about every type of business. Find a summary of its primary offerings below.
- Merchant Accounts. Negotiate your pricing and terms with CCP representatives, and they’ll submit your application to iPayment. For the most part, iPayment processes payments using First Data’s platform. If you’re a high-risk merchant, your application may be submitted to a smaller processing partner that specializes in your type of business.
- Payment Gateway & Virtual Terminal. Quiq is iPayment’s proprietary gateway that features a virtual terminal option for mail and telephone order businesses. eCommerce merchants can use the Simple Checkout page to set up their “buy” or “donate” buttons that will link to a hosted payment page. The Advanced Integrations page covers APIs and shopping cart integrations. Quiq also has the ability to set up recurring billing and subscriptions.
- Analytics & Reporting. iPayment’s business management portal is called iAccess. It analyzes your transaction data and lets you view your customer support materials. You can also access CRM-style resources like online reputation management. iAccess is free for all merchant accounts.
- Free Card Terminal. When you sign up for a merchant account with CCP, you can get an EMV- and NFC-capable credit card terminal without having to pay a penny. The catch is you’re required to sign a 12-month agreement with a termination fee of $250 in order to get this deal. The fee is in place to cover the cost of the terminal should you decide to cancel before the set term of the agreement.
- CCP offers the Verifone VX520, but the company will also reprogram compatible terminals if you already have one.
- Mobile Processing. CCP offers the MobilePay app and EMV- and NFC-capable card readers by iPayment. The app also works as a virtual terminal if you choose not to use Quiq. Like the card terminal, the card reader is free if you sign the 12-month agreement. Otherwise, you might end up paying up to $39 for the reader, but it comes with no tax, no shipping fee, and includes a free replacement if you need it.
- POS Systems. CCP promotes the full suite of Clover POS products. If you decide to go with a Clover system, First Data will be your backend processor. New merchants can get a free Clover Mini POS system, but again, this comes with a catch.
- Digital Loyalty Program. CCP has an add-on digital loyalty program called Pirq, by iPayment. It does not require separate POS integration. All your customers have to do is download the Pirq app to set up a digital punch card for your business.
Pricing
The CCP website has a page on its rates and fees that doesn’t actually contain any numbers. Instead, it explains why the company doesn’t publish its rates and fees. After combing the internet, I found some information on CCP’s pricing, which you can find below. These numbers are up for negotiation and depend on merchant size, type of business, and other factors.
| Plan Type | Per Transaction Fee |
|---|---|
| Tiered Rates: Swiped | Qualified signature debit: 0.35% + $0.20, Qualified credit: 1.55% + $0.20 |
| Tiered Rates: Keyed | Qualified signature debit: 0.95% + $0.22, Qualified credit: 1.95% + $0.22 |
| Interchange-Plus | 0.30% + $0.10 |
| Fee Type | Cost |
| Monthly Fee | $7.95 |
| Monthly Minimum | $25 |
| Annual PCI Compliance Fee | $119 |
| Monthly PCI Non-Compliance Fee | $30 |
| Quiq Gateway | $6.95/month, First 500 transactions free, $0.05/transaction after 500 |
| Authorize.Net Gateway | $7.95/month, $0.05/transaction |
| Address Verification Service (AVS) | $0.05/transaction |
| Voice Authorization | $0.95 |
| Chargebacks | $25 |
Customer Support & Satisfaction
CCP’s large customer support team is based out of its office in California. In-house technical help is available via phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nothing is outsourced overseas. Sales support has offices in both California and Massachusetts, so you’re covered from 8 am to 9 pm, EST, or 5 am to 6 pm, PST. Once you’ve opened an account, your representative should be available to answer questions during your business hours.
Accredited since 2013 with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), CCP has since earned an A+ rating. Most of the complaints boil down to transparency, with merchants claiming that their representatives did not disclose monthly fees, the monthly minimum, or the annual PCI fee. Businesses have also had a difficult time closing their CCP accounts, or have accused CCP of withholding funds without cause.
Contract & Closing
CCP offers month-to-month agreements with no early termination fees (ETFs) as a standard. However, there are exceptions. Take, for instance, the free card terminal offer. Here, you’ll need to sign-up for a 12-month agreement. If you decide to close your account early, your ETF will be $250 to cover the cost of the terminal.
Another thing to think about if you decide to terminate your agreement is the annual PCI fee. If you cancel your CCP account before your next PCI fee is due – in May or November – you won’t be charged.
My Impressions
CreditCardProcessing.com shines with month-to-month plans and no ETFs. However, watch out for those monthly minimum limits, annual PCI fees, and the multiple rate brackets of its tiered plans. For some good alternatives, take a look at Square and Chase Payment Solutions.
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