Elavon Review

Elavon offers interchange-plus pricing upon request and flat-rate pricing via U.S. Bank Merchant Services, but some customers might get locked into a long-term contract.

WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Jason Vissers
Expert Contributor

Last updated onUpdated November 14, 2024

REVIEWED BY

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Elavon

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Total Rating	3.0
Fees & Rates3.0
Products & Services4.5
Contract2.5
Sales & Advertising Transparency2.4
Customer Service3.3
User Reviews2.7

Elavon At A Glance

Elavon is a large merchant account provider, offering tools for in-person and online sales.
The company discloses next to nothing on its website regarding its pricing, fees, contracts, etc.
Elavon offers more transparent and affordable processing services to small businesses via U.S. Bank Merchant Services.

Pros

Large, direct processor
Full range of products and services
Interchange-plus pricing available upon request
Flat-rate pricing through U.S. Merchant Services
No early termination fees

Cons

Standard three-year contract with an automatic renewal clause
No pricing disclosed online
Poor customer support
Numerous public complaints

Table of Contents

What Is Elavon?
Products & Services
Fees & Rates
Sales & Advertising Transparency
Contract Length & Early Termination Fee
Customer Service & Technical Support
User Reviews
Final Verdict

What Is Elavon?

Elavon is one of the largest merchant account providers in the United States, currently serving over 2 million customers in over 30 countries. Elavon’s size gives it several advantages, including the ability to process all transactions in-house and provide a full range of quality proprietary products and services.

However, there are also disadvantages to dealing with an organization of Elavon’s size. Search for Elavon reviews, and you’ll see that the company has a rather high volume of complaints filed against it. Now, considering the company’s size, that’s not unusual. However, Elavon’s public reception, which was already shaky, has deteriorated further in recent years.

On the positive side, U.S. Bank Merchant Services uses Elavon as a back-end processor, and you can get affordable, transparent pricing on Elavon processing if you go through U.S. Bank.

Products & Services

Products & Services4.5
Software & Services 4.7
Hardware & Equipment 4.2

Elavon’s product offerings for processing online and in-person sales are on par with many respected merchant account providers, leading to the company’s decent score in this category.

However, Elavon’s features depend partly on how you sign up for processing—directly through Elavon or via another entity such as U.S. Bank Merchant Services, which is aimed at small businesses that want a lightweight, inexpensive plan.

Elavon Products & Services (For Large Businesses)

Merchant Accounts: As we’ve noted, Elavon is large enough and has the resources to handle all transaction processing in-house. You’ll never have to deal with a back-end processor.
Credit Card Terminals: Elavon offers a wide variety of traditional countertop credit card terminals on its website, but it no longer discloses pricing information for merchants who want to purchase their equipment outright. Several popular terminals from Ingenico and Verifone are available, all of which support EMV payments. Most models also support NFC-based payment methods. Unfortunately, Elavon also offers terminal leases through Ladco Global Leasing Solutions, a company we’ve named as one of the worst credit card terminal leasing companies in the industry. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to buy your equipment outright instead of getting trapped in a four-year, noncancelable lease.
Wireless Terminals: The company also offers the Poynt 5 and larger Poynt 61 Smart Terminals. These futuristic devices combine a tablet display with all the payment processing features of a credit card terminal. They can accept magstripe, EMV, and NFC-based payments and include many features usually only found in a full-blown point of sale (POS) system. Poynt terminals are available in the United States, Canada, and Europe. One word of caution: We’ve found numerous complaints from merchants who’ve encountered technical difficulties with these machines. It might not be a good idea to rely solely on a Poynt terminal for your in-person processing needs until the numerous software glitches have been resolved.
Payment Gateway: Elavon offers eCommerce merchants a choice of two proprietary gateways: Fusebox, a traditional browser-based gateway, and Converge, an integrated payments platform that supports both online and in-person payments and integrates smoothly with the company’s other products and services. Support for most third-party gateways is also available in case you’d prefer to keep your existing gateway.
Virtual Terminal: While the company doesn’t offer a standalone virtual terminal, you can use either the Fusebox gateway or the Converge integrated payments platform on your desktop or laptop to achieve the same functionality.
Mobile Processing: Elavon supports mobile processing with its Converge Mobile app, which is available for iOS and Android. The app works with either the Ingenico iCMP Bluetooth-enabled PIN pad or the Ingenico RP457c card reader, which can connect through either the headphone jack or Bluetooth. Both readers support EMV and NFC payments. Converge Mobile is only available in the United States.
Point Of Sale (POS) Systems: Elavon now offers the Poynt 61 smart terminal as its primary POS system. You can also choose to use talech, Elavon’s proprietary POS system. These products offer both a retail version and a specialized restaurant version. The popular NCR Silver system was once offered, but it is no longer mentioned on Elavon’s website.
Online Shopping Carts: The Converge system integrates with most of the popular online shopping carts, including Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart), BigCommerce, and UltraCart. If you have a different cart that you’d like to use, check on Elavon’s Developer Portal for compatibility.
Online Customer Portal: Online reporting is a pretty standard feature these days, and Elavon offers a proprietary portal called Payments Insider. While the company doesn’t disclose too much information about it, it appears to cover all the basic features you’d expect. These include showing all transactions as well as chargeback and funding activity. You can also export reports in PDF, CSV, or Excel formats.
Gift/Loyalty Card Programs: Elavon’s loyalty programs are free for your customers, who can join with as little as a phone number. They also include advanced reporting tools for you, so you can track how well they boost sales.
Contactless Restaurant Ordering: Elavon recently introduced a contactless ordering and payment app called TableRes, which it offers without charge to medium and large restaurant chains and foodservice businesses in the US and Canada that use Elavon for payment processing. Diners can order and pay at their table without requiring a server. The TableRes app also offers pre-order and pre-payment functionality for delivery, pickup, and drive-thru.

U.S. Bank Products & Services (For Small Businesses

Elavon is a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bank. Using Elavon as a back-end processor. U.S. Bank Merchant Services offers small businesses flat-rate, month-to-month plans, making U.S. Bank one of the best credit card processing providers for small businesses that want to use a traditional bank for processing (rather than a payment service provider like Square).

U.S. Bank primarily uses talech POS software and hardware. If you sign up for Elavon processing via U.S. Bank Merchant Services, you can also get a free card reader and/or a month-to-month smart terminal hardware plan that doesn’t require a lease or commit you for the long term.

Learn more U.S. Bank’s processing features for small businesses by reading our U.S. Bank Merchant Services review.

Fees & Rates

Fees & Rates3.0
Pricing 3.0
Affordability 3.0

Elavon has no pricing disclosures on its main website. Given the increasing transparency in the credit card processing industry as a whole, there’s absolutely no excuse for Elavon not to bother with these increasingly standard disclosures. On the other hand, Elavon earns some points for offering affordable, transparent pricing for plans via its U.S. Bank Merchant Services plans.

Pricing Overview

Item	Value
Pricing Starts At	$0/month (if using U.S. Bank Merchant Services)
Contract Length	Varies
Processing Model	Interchange-plus, flat rate
Card-present Transaction Fee	2.6% + $0.10 (via U.S. Bank)
eCommerce Transaction Fee	2.9% + $0.30 (via U.S. Bank)
Keyed-in Transaction Fee	3.5% + $0.15 (via U.S. Bank)
Equipment Cost	$0+ (via U.S. Bank & talech)

Elavon provides merchant accounts for businesses of all sizes, but unlike many providers, it has split its pricing options into two separate categories. One category, designed for small businesses, offers flat-rate pricing and low fees.

The other category is intended for larger enterprises and features quote-based pricing. This isn’t explained very well on the website, and the company doesn’t disclose any contract terms or pricing for the large business category.

If you’re not sure which Elavon pricing category will be most economical for your business, you’ll have to crunch the numbers and talk with an Elavon agent to see what specific rates and terms you’re offered.

Monthly Plans

Elavon Plans	Price	When To Use
talech Mobile (via U.S. Bank)	$0/month	If you want basic mobile processing with a Bluetooth credit card reader.
talech Terminal (via U.S. Bank)	$15/month	If you have a brick-and-mortar location that needs a smart terminal with some POS features.
talech POS (via U.S. Bank)	$69-$99/month	If you need more advanced POS hardware and features such as loyalty, online appointment booking, and online ordering.

Like most providers offering flat-rate pricing, Elavon’s small business plans, including those offered through U.S. Bank, feature low monthly fees and fixed processing rates. These plans allow you to buy your equipment outright or rent it on a month-to-month basis, which is a big plus.

Although the large business plans aren’t disclosed, you can expect to pay higher monthly and annual fees but have much lower processing rates.

Extra Costs

Regardless of your pricing plan, Elavon claims there are no cancellation fees and no “hidden” fees included with its merchant accounts.

However, should you still be interested in Elavon despite reading this review, you’ll still want to read your contract very carefully before signing up to understand all the possible payment processing fees and to confirm that you’re getting what your sales agent promised you.

Sales & Advertising Transparency

Sales & Advertising Transparency2.4
Sales Practices 2.6
Web Presence 2.0

Advertising transparency is another area where Elavon lags behind the times, resulting in many merchants feeling cheated by the company. With its use of independent sales agents and its near-total lack of honest disclosures, we can’t give Elavon a decent score here.

The company scores a few points for not using any of the misleading sales gimmicks that many other processors use on their websites. Its “no hidden fees” claim is a little suspect, though. There are always going to be occasional extra fees for things such as chargebacks, for example.

Again, Elavon uses independent sales agents to market its products and services. Independent agents have a well-deserved bad reputation for failing to disclose important contract terms and using high-pressure tactics to close deals. Naturally, this leads to lots of unhappy merchants.

Contract Length & Early Termination Fee

Contract2.5
Commitment 1.2
ETF & Other Fees 3.8

Elavon still apparently offers three-year contracts, which is not what we like to see from a merchant account provider in this day and age, to put it mildly. Though these contracts now have no early termination fee, we’ve found numerous reports from merchants who closed their accounts, only to continue to be charged monthly fees long after they thought their accounts had been closed. Therefore, we have to give Elavon poor marks in this category.

If you close your account before your contract term runs out, follow the procedures outlined in your contract very carefully and monitor your account afterward to catch any unauthorized payments.

Also, unlike true month-to-month contracts, Elavon includes an automatic renewal clause for one to two years in its merchant agreements. This clause makes it even more difficult to close your account, as your contract might renew for a new term if you don’t provide adequate notice. We’re not thrilled about this.

Note that terminal leases through Ladco Leasing are under a separate contract — one which usually runs for four years and cannot be canceled without buying out the remaining months of the agreement.

Again, if you purchase an Elavon merchant account through U.S. Bank Merchant Services, you will have a month-to-month contract with no long-term commitment.

Customer Service & Technical Support

Customer Service3.3
Personal Support 2.8
Self-Service 3.8

Elavon offers 24/7/365 US-based customer support via phone and email. Altogether, the company has support in 30 countries. However, there are simply too many complaints from small business owners regarding the quality of support offered to ignore — hence the company’s mediocre score in this category.

Elavon Customer Service	Availability
Phone Support
Email Support
Support Tickets
Live Chat
Dedicated Support Representative
Knowledge Base or Help Center
Videos & Tutorials
Company Blog
Social Media

Be aware that if you sign up through a reseller, you’ll get customer support from that ISO and not through Elavon directly. In some cases, this can be an advantage.

If you’ve signed up with Elavon directly, you should also be assigned a dedicated account manager. This isn’t necessarily your sales agent, which is a good thing — turnover among independent sales agents is very high. While it’s generally an advantage to have a dedicated point of contact, your account manager won’t be available 24/7 (they have to sleep, too). Outside of regular business hours, you’ll be talking to a customer support representative.

Many merchants on consumer protection sites like the BBB have expressed dissatisfaction with Elavon’s customer support. Many of these complaints refer to resellers, such as Costco Merchant Services. However, there are also many complaints directed at Elavon itself, mostly from small business owners.

User Reviews

User Reviews2.7
Customer Feedback 3.0
Review Site Aggregate 2.6

User reviews of Elavon are mixed, but there are more negative reviews than positive ones.

Negative Reviews & Complaints

Elavon has been accredited by the BBB since 2009 and currently has an A+ rating. The company presently shows 131 complaints filed against it within the past three years, 62 of which were filed within the last twelve months. This represents a slight increase in complaint volume since our last Elavon review update in 2023.

While the number of complaints seems overwhelming, remember that Elavon serves over 2 million merchants. With that large of a customer base, complaints are inevitable. Elavon has responded to every complaint (though only with a standard response that mentions no specifics, allegedly due to the need to protect the privacy of users), which is part of why it has an A+ rating.

Looking at Elavon merchant services reviews, these are the most common issues you’ll see reported by merchants:

Withholding Of Funds/Termination Of Accounts: This is a trend in payment processing, especially among companies that offer instant approval. These companies accept a certain amount of risk for taking on a merchant. If that merchant starts conducting business outside of the agreed-upon terms, the company has a right to investigate. That said, there is a big difference between protecting the company and arbitrarily freezing accounts for even the slightest suspicion, and it’s something we give a lot of weight to in our ratings. You can learn how to avoid this situation by checking out our article on how to avoid merchant account holds, freezes, and terminations. If you are a high-risk merchant, look for a high-risk specialist like Durango Merchant Services or PaymentCloud.
Overpriced Equipment Leases: While Elavon’s pricing plans for small businesses allow you to buy your equipment outright, the company continues to partner with Ladco Global Leasing Solutions to lease terminals to larger businesses. Ladco has a terrible reputation in the industry, with noncancelable four-year leasing terms that will cost you thousands of dollars over the life of the lease. Many merchants complain about having to buy out the remaining months of their lease, even after returning their terminals and closing their accounts. The company now also offers a month-to-month rental option for terminals. While it’s a much better option than leasing, you could still end up overpaying for your equipment in the long run.
Undisclosed Fees: Numerous complaints directed at the company and its resellers mention being charged fees that were not disclosed during the signup process. Others report having payments subject to non-qualified rates in situations where they were assured they would not be. Others report being hit with continued charges after no longer using their account or trying to close their account. These complaints are remarkably consistent.

Positive Reviews & Testimonials

When seeking out Elavon reviews posted by merchants, I noticed that positive testimonials aren’t nearly as numerous as complaints, but they do come up. In contrast with the BBB website, Elavon has more positive overall ratings on Trustpilot (4/5 rating out of 315 reviews) and Capterra (2.8 stars; 16 reviews)

According to merchants, positive aspects of Elavon’s service include the following:

Quality Products & Services: Merchants were particularly happy that Elavon’s point of sale (POS) systems and processing services were able to meet the needs of their businesses.
No Early Termination Fees: While Elavon doesn’t provide true month-to-month contracts, dropping its early termination fee puts the company ahead of other traditional processors who still charge an ETF. Note that not all merchants will be offered a contract with no early termination fee. Insist on this condition when negotiating your account and make sure it’s included in your contract before signing up.
Customer Service: While the overall outlook on Elavon’s customer service is bad, a few users report having helpful and competent dedicated service reps.

Final Verdict

There was a time when Elavon’s business practices were standard for the merchant account industry, and if you wanted to accept credit card payments, you simply had to deal with the likes of Elavon. We are long past that time.

The most significant advantage Elavon’s has is that you’ll have a full-service merchant account right off the bat, making it easier to transition to interchange-plus pricing when your business grows enough that flat-rate pricing no longer makes business sense. With Square, for example, if you outgrow the service, you’ll have to switch processors to get a full-service merchant account and interchange-plus pricing.

However, the simple fact is that many other providers of full merchant accounts offer vastly better pricing and contract transparency, better sales practices, and better customer service than Elavon in its current iteration. Additionally, Elavon’s has a relatively high complaint volume.

All of that being said, if you sign up for Elavon processing via U.S. Bank Merchant Services, you will receive fairer, more modern terms, which are better aligned with small business needs.

You can check out some more merchant account options in our list of the best merchant account providers for small businesses.

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Jason Vissers

Expert Contributor at Merchant Maverick

Jason has been writing about small business software platforms, services, and financing since 2015. Jason’s expertise has been featured in Yahoo Finance, Time/NextAdvisor, Home Business Magazine, CreditCards.com, GoBankingRates, TheLadders.com, and other publications. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Diego State University.