National Processing Company Review

Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3.5 out of 5)

Last Updated: February 15th, 2012.

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Overview:
National Processing Company (NPC) is a merchant account provider based out of Louisville, Kentucky. They were recently acquired by Fifth Third Processing Solutions (aka Vantiv). According to their website, they work with about 240,000 merchants, which makes them a pretty large processor. Their self-declared specialty is with small and medium-sized businesses (SMB's).

Here are a few things that you should know about NPC...

• A merchant account through NPC carries with it a $250 cancellation fee. If you plan on signing up with them, ask your rep if they'll waive the fee. Be sure to get it in writing.
• They have a tendency to push terminal leases which is never a good thing for a small merchant. Don't lease. Ask if you can buy the credit card machine outright.

They have a large number of BBB complaints, but that is to be expected since they are such a large company. I would say that NPC is an average processor, and that your experience with them will largely depend on what type of terms/rates that you can get with them.

If you plan on getting an account through National Processing Company, then I highly recommend you consult me first. At least I can walk you through the process and hopefully get you a fair deal.

NPC gets a 3.5 out of 5.

Date Established:
NPC was formed in the 60's, but has gone through many mergers and owner changes since then.

Location:
Louisville, Kentucky.

Domain Name(s):
www.npc.net

Parent/Partner Company:
NPC was purchased by Fifth Third Processing solutions (now known as Vantiv) in 2010.

They are also associated with the following DBA's:

• NPC
• Retriever Payment Systems
• Retriever Check
• NPC Check, Inc.
• NPC Check
• Retriever America's Payment Systems Authority
• NPC America's Payment System Authority
• Retriever Leasing
• NPC Select Services
• Best Payment Solutions, Inc.
• Merchant Services
• National Processing Company f/k/a RPSI, Inc. d/b/a Retriever Payment Systems National Processing Company NPC RPSI, Inc
• Lease Capital Group
• Retriever Check, Inc.
• Iron Triangle Payment Systems (ITPS)

Type:
Payment Processor.

Acquiring Bank(s) (Acquirer):
First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) and Wells Fargo Bank.

Payment Processor(s):
NPC is a direct processor.

Payment Gateway(s):
They have their own payment gateway called NPC Secure.

Do you need help setting up your payment gateway with your website? Click here.

Trust Symbols:
You can find the National Processing Company BBB profile here. They have an "A+" rating with 271 complaints as of this update.

Negative Reviews/Complaints:
Although they have a large number of complaints with the BBB, they surprisingly have only a small number of negative reviews across the rest of the web.

Common Complaints:
Here are some common problems that you may want to look out for...

• Expensive terminal lease contracts through Lease Finance Group (LFG) and Lease Capital Group (LCG): Some merchants have complained about not being aware that they were signing into a 4-year terminal lease. The whole "not being aware" part can be chalked up to the merchant not fully understanding how leasing works. I personally think terminal leasing is unnecessary to begin with. If you're a small merchant, and you only need a few terminals, then why not just buy them? They don't cost much these days. Leases make sense for bigger organizations that need many terminals, and don't have the upfront capital to invest in buying them.
• Cancellation Fee: If you want to cancel before your contract is up (3-years), then NPC will charge you a $250 cancellation fee. That's actually on the low side compared to some other providers. Even still, it's hard to go with a provider that charges a cancellation fee when there are many other companies that don't.
• PCI compliance fee: A few of NPC's merchants are having an issue with the PCI compliance fees that NPC charges. Although PCI compliance is necessary for anyone that plans on accepting credit cards for their business, NPC is not required to charge their merchants any type of fee for that compliance. So, contrary to what you may have heard, processor's are not required to pass that charge on to you. Click here to learn more about PCI compliance fees.

Verifiable Testimonials/References:
They don't have any testimonials on their site, so be sure to ask for references.

Security/Privacy:
No on-site security features (i.e. McAfee, Security Metrics etc...). The security issue really depends on what kind of information the merchant account provider is collecting from you. If they require you to fill out a full digital application with sensitive info like SSN numbers, then they should definitely have some third-party security in place. Sometimes, and in the case of National Processing Company, the initial contact form only requires some basic info, then the real application is taken care of by fax or later on through a secure online app.

Customer Service:
Existing customers get 24/7 service and support. Have you worked with NPC? Feel free to leave us your review. Don't forget to read the the user review and comment policy.

Contract Duration:
3-years (auto-renewing).

Cancellation Fee:
$250.

Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered by National Processing Company. Be sure to learn what it is, then ask for it.

Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered by National Processing Company.

Product/Service Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Online/e-Commerce Payments, Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO), Wireless, Mobile, Cash Advance, Recurring Payments, eCheck Processing, Gift & Loyalty, Point-Of-Sale (POS), Check Processing.

Product/Service Specialty:
Small and Medium sized businesses (SMBs).

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