Pros
- Large bank network with many in-person branches
- Full range of products and services
- Month-to-month contracts with flat-rate pricing
- Same-day funding for U.S. Bank business account holders
Cons
- Uses Elavon for processing
- Very few user reviews available online
What Is U.S. Bank Merchant Services?
U.S. Bank Merchant Services is the payment processing arm of U.S. Bank, a longstanding nationwide bank used for business and personal banking. U.S. Bank Merchant Services provides various merchant account services to small businesses, supporting payments at brick-and-mortar businesses, as well as online payments and mobile POS.
Products & Services
Historically, we have not recommended large nationwide banks for merchant services due to their association with long-term contracts, outdated processing hardware, and impersonal customer service. However, in recent years, providers like U.S. Bank and Chase have seemingly become more attuned to the needs of small businesses, offering products and services on par with those available from the best small business credit card processing companies.
U.S. Bank offers processing solutions suitable for even the smallest merchants, complete with flat-rate pricing, mobile processing, and month-to-month contracts with a quick, online signup process. The features themselves are quite comprehensive, and best suited for small, mobile or brick-and-mortar businesses that may or may not have some online component, such as an online ordering website.
Here are some of the features you’ll get with U.S. Bank Merchant Services:
Dedicated Merchant Account
Unlike payment service providers (PSPs) such as Square, U.S. Bank offers merchants a full-service, dedicated merchant account. Merchant accounts provide more stability and less chance of withheld funds and account freezes compared to aggregated accounts offered by PSPs. At the same time, U.S. Bank offers many of Square’s popular attributes, including month-to-month pricing and flat-rate processing.
U.S. Bank uses its subsidiary Elavon to power its merchant services.
POS Software
U.S. Bank sells POS systems primarily from talech POS. Some features of this cloud POS system include online ordering, gift cards, appointment booking, reporting, offline processing, gift cards, and custom solutions for restaurants, cafes, services, retail, and mobile businesses. U.S. Bank can also set merchants up with other POS systems, including Aloha.
POS Hardware
Some talech hardware systems U.S. Bank sells include an Ingenico card reader (free when you open a new account), talech Terminal (smart terminal), and talech Register (full POS system). As mentioned, U.S. Bank may also offer other POS solutions.
Mobile Payments
Businesses can take mobile payments using the free Bluetooth credit card reader or handheld POS terminal with the talech mobile app. You can also accept contactless payments without any external hardware using Tap to Pay for iPhone.
Zelle Payments
Merchants can use U.S. Bank Merchant Services to accept Zelle payments, allowing your customers to transfer money directly from their bank account to your business’s U.S. Bank account.
eCommerce
U.S. Bank’s virtual terminal can be used to manually key in card payments. The VT also integrates with eCommerce shopping carts.
Invoicing
US.. Bank offers an integrated invoicing solution that allows merchants to create online invoices and send them to customers, who can then pay their balances online. Invoicing functionality is provided via the talech website, though no hardware purchase is required to use this feature.
Credit Card Surcharging
U.S. Bank Merchant Services offers a credit card surcharging program, whereby merchants can legally pass on their credit card processing fees to customers. However, you’ll have to call them to find out more info on this program because the website is scant on details.
Same-Day Funding
U.S. Bank business checking customers will receive same-day funding (or next-day funding in some cases, depending on batch times) as well as something called Everyday Funding, which U.S. Bank describes as “options to receive funding seven days a week, including weekends and holidays,” at no extra cost and with no daily funding limits.
Software Integrations
Some software integrations available through U.S. Bank Merchant Services include QuickBooks Online, Xero, Ecwid, Authorize.net, X-Cart, Homebase, and Fresh KDS.
Fees & Rates
U.S. Bank offers flat-rate credit card processing with month-to-month contracts, a pricing model we always like to see, as it’s affordable for smaller merchants and doesn’t lock you into a long-term contract.
U.S. Bank is pretty transparent with its fees, putting most (though not all) of them front and center on its website. On the downside, it doesn’t disclose eCommerce plan pricing or POS hardware pricing, and you may be charged a setup fee and a monthly hardware rental fee.
Fortunately, U.S. Bank offers a completely free POS plan with a free mobile card reader, and you have the option to purchase your POS hardware outright instead of renting.
U.S. Bank does not charge an early termination fee (ETF) or account closure fee, as you can leave your contract at any time for any reason.
The following are some different types of fees you can expect to pay with U.S. Bank Merchant Services.
Transaction Fees
Here are U.S. Bank’s transaction fees:
- In-person transactions (swipe, tap, insert): 2.6% + $0.10
- Manually keyed-in transactions: 3.5% + $0.15
- Online payments: 2.9% + $0.30
- Invoiced payments: 2.9% + $0.30
Note that these fees apply to new merchants who are onboarded via an online application or by calling 844-775-1902.
However, larger businesses may be able to negotiate interchange-plus pricing by talking to U.S. Bank Merchant Services over the phone.
POS Software Fees
Businesses may or may not pay U.S. Bank Merchant Services a monthly POS software fee, depending on your POS plan:
- Customers on the mobile point of sale plan (talech Mobile), suitable for mobile businesses, food trucks, and field services, will pay $0/month
- If you need more POS features and want a smart terminal (talech Terminal) for your brick-and-mortar business, you’ll pay $15/month.
- Fully featured POS systems available through talech, which include features such as online ordering, appointment booking, and loyalty, range from $69-$99+/month and include a one-time setup fee of $99.
- Fees for additional software licenses are +$15/additional license on the talech Terminal plan and +$29/additional license on the full POS systems.
Note that software pricing can vary; this pricing applies to merchants who sign up on U.S. Bank Merchant Service’s website.
POS Hardware Fees
Hardware fees can vary depending on the device or POS system and whether the equipment is purchased or rented.
The $15/month fee for talech Terminal includes both the software and smart terminal rental.
New customers on the mobile plan can get an Ingenico Bluetooth card reader for free.
Otherwise, not much specific information about hardware fees is provided on the website.
eCommerce Fees
Though POS plans may include some eCommerce features, such as online ordering and online appointment booking, there is no specific pricing information for eCommerce provided (apart from online payment transaction fees) on the U.S. Bank Merchant Services website.
Sales & Advertising Transparency
Though they don’t necessarily disclose every single fee, U.S. Bank actually offers a lot more pricing and contract information than the typical large nationwide bank provides regarding their merchant services. Services and pricing are generally quite transparent, even if the website doesn’t list the price of every hardware option or add-on the way a PSP like Shopify or PayPal might.
From what we can tell, U.S. Bank does not use independent sales agents to sell their merchant services.
Contract Length & Early Termination Fee
U.S. Bank has month-to-month contracts with no early termination fee or account closure fee.
If you are renting a terminal or other POS equipment from U.S. Bank, you can simply return it and will not have to pay any penalty fee.
Merchants using talech POS via U.S. Bank will also have contracts with talech, but fortunately, talech contracts are also month-to-month, allowing you to stop using it at any time without incurring any type of fee or penalty.
Customer Service & Technical Support
U.S. Bank Merchant Services boasts 24/7 phone and email support at no additional cost. They also offer some self-help support resources, including an online knowledgebase.
U.S. Bank Merchant Services Customer Service |
Availability |
Phone Support |
|
Email Support |
|
Support Tickets |
|
Live Chat |
|
Dedicated Support Representative |
|
Knowledge Base or Help Center |
|
Videos & Tutorials |
Some talech POS tutorials on YouTube |
Company Blog |
|
Social Media |
Social media accounts for U.S. Bank, not merchant services specifically |
Best of all, merchants who sign up for U.S. Bank Merchant Services will receive a dedicated account manager they can turn to when they have an issue.
You can find numerous talech tutorial videos on YouTube in case you need help setting up or troubleshooting with your POS equipment. However, some customers in user reviews complain about having technical problems with talech and say they have not received adequate support from talech to resolve these issues (See User Reviews section below).
User Reviews
It’s not difficult to find user reviews for U.S. Bank, and these reviews, as a whole, are not very positive. On Trustpilot, the bank earned 1.3/5 stars, with 1,051 reviews total, and on the Better Business Bureau website, they earned a B rating, with an average of 1.1/5 stars, and 608 reviews total. However, user reviews for U.S. Bank’s merchant services, specifically, are scarce, while fellow review websites actually rate U.S. Bank Merchant Services quite positively.
When it comes to user reviews of U.S. Bank’s POS provider, talech, and its payment processor, Elavon, the consensus is not as positive. Reviews of talech are mixed (we rate talech 3.6/5 stars, which is slightly above average and happens to also be the same score we give U.S. Bank’s Business Banking Account), and reviews for U.S. Bank’s payment processor (Elavon) are downright bad—Elavon has only 2.3/5 Merchant Maverick stars.
Here are some things customers frequently have to say online about U.S. Bank Merchant Services, Elavon, and talech.
Negative Reviews & Complaints
- Poor customer service (U.S. Bank and talech)
- Buggy software (talech)
- Buggy hardware (talech)
- Unhelpful tech support (talech)
- Hidden fees (Elavon)
- Long-term contract (Elavon)
- Shady sales tactics (Elavon)
It’s important to note that most of the things that customers don’t like about Elavon—long-term contracts, lack of pricing transparency—should not apply to customers of U.S. Bank Merchant Services, as U.S. Bank promises month-to-month contracts with no hidden fees. Nevertheless, it’s important to make sure you read your merchant services agreement thoroughly when signing your contract with U.S. Bank to ensure you are getting the pricing and terms you think you’re getting.
Positive Reviews & Testimonials
- Helpful customer support (U.S. Bank, talech)
- Dedicated account representative (U.S. Bank)
- Many in-person branches across the US (U.S. Bank)
- Fitting for small business needs & budget (talech)
- No ETF (Elavon, talech, U.S. Bank)
- Full range of products and services (Elavon & talech)
Final Verdict
U.S. Bank Merchant services offer a solid array of credit card processing solutions, including a full merchant account with a dedicated support representative, flat-rate pricing with a free plan option and month-to-month contract, same-day funding for U.S. Bank business banking customers, and thousands of physical branches across the company.
That being said, there are complaints about U.S. Bank’s POS partner, talech, and especially about its merchant services subsidiary, Elavon.
All in all, I would feel confident recommending U.S. Bank Merchant Services to small businesses that need core processing services such as mobile processing, online invoicing, and the ability to accept Zelle payments. U.S. Bank’s flat-rate pricing model is especially geared toward lower-volume businesses, including those looking for a Square alternative.
Though there aren’t enough user reviews to gain a clear enough picture of U.S. Bank Merchant Services to recommend this provider to every type of small business, the good thing is that there is no commitment or long-term contract so if you don’t like their processing services, you can easily switch to another provider—check out our best free merchant accounts for some similar options.
Credit Card Processor Review Methodology
We evaluate and test each payment processor that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on certain key characteristics in order to generate our granular ratings for merchant accounts and credit card processors.
Weighted Rating Breakdown
Fees & Rates 35%
Contract 20%
Products & Services 15%
Sales & Advertising Transparency 15%
Customer Service 10%
User Reviews 5%
For payment processing reviews, we use a 24-point rubric to evaluate the provider. First, we look at pricing structure – interchange plus, subscription-based, tiered, or hybrid – giving the most points to providers that provide fair, transparent pricing and docking those that rely on tiered models. Then we examine rates, the presence and transparency of early termination fees, and any additional fees.
We also look at contract length and fairness and test out sales staff and customer service channels ourselves to ensure that the company uses reputable, above-the-board sales techniques. Finally, we take the company’s online reputation into account, reading customer reviews and comments.
Read more about how we rate payment processors.
To learn more about how we score our reviews, see our