Pros
- Large direct processor
- No monthly fee with a standard account
- Affordable processing hardware
- Month-to-month billing
- Interchange-plus pricing available upon request
Cons
- eCommerce features carry an additional monthly fee
- “Free” credit card terminal may require a long-term contract
- Chase Business bank account required for certain features, like next-day funding
What Is Chase Payment Solutions?
Chase Payment Solutions℠ is the merchant services subsidiary of mammoth JPMorgan Chase Bank. The company, formerly known first as Chase Paymentech and then Chase Merchant Services, is one of the largest processors in the United States, processing over $1 trillion annually.
As you might guess, it functions as an acquiring bank, able to establish merchant relationships and process transactions. This type of business entity is also known as a direct processor, as you won’t have to deal with any middlemen when using your merchant account. This can be advantageous if you’re the type who likes to negotiate your rates.
Get started with Chase Payment Solutions
Products & Services
Chase doesn’t offer quite the swath of features that payment platforms Square and Stripe do, but it can offer the perks that come along with being an enormous bank and one of the largest payment processors. The company also offers several ancillary services, such as online reporting, gift card programs, and bank-to-bank transfers.
Payment Processing Features
- Merchant Accounts: If you go with Chase Payment Solutions, Chase will be both your payment processor and your merchant account bank. That means you’ll have a single point of contact for any issues that arise, such as chargebacks or account freezes. This is a huge advantage over third-party processors, many of whose users are plagued by account stability issues. In addition to the United States, Chase is also an international payment processor, serving businesses in Canada and several European countries. As a global processor, Chase supports payments in more than 120 currencies from around the world, but be aware that you’ll need to be a Chase Business customer to get the most out of this feature.
- Level II/III Processing: If you process a lot of B2B transactions, you can save money through lower interchange rates using Level II and Level III data. Don’t sign up for this feature if you don’t need it, however, as you’ll usually incur an additional monthly fee for this option.
- Virtual Terminal: Merchant service by Chase also offers its Orbital Virtual Terminal, which allows you to turn your computer into a credit card terminal and enter transactions manually or with an optional USB-connected card reader. The web-based virtual terminal is free, but you’ll have to pay extra for the card reader. It’s a worthwhile investment, as you’ll save money on processing costs with lower card-present rates.
- Invoicing: Invoicing through your Chase Business bank account is available at no additional monthly cost; you can accept payment via Zelle, credit card, or check, depending on how your customer prefers to pay.
- Integrations: Chase integrates with various third-party software and gateways, including the Authorize.Net payment gateway, TouchBistro POS, and Silver Essentials POS. And thanks to Chase’s integration with InstaMed, a HIPPA-compliant healthcare billing system, we can confidently say that Chase is one of the best payment processors for healthcare businesses.
eCommerce Support
- Payment Gateway: For eCommerce merchants, the company offers its proprietary Orbital Payment Gateway, a highly-rated payment gateway, Authorize.Net, and many other third-party gateways that are also compatible with the company’s system. These support features like recurring billing and simple checkout buttons.
- eCommerce Integrations: Chase Payment Solutions doesn’t offer too many bells and whistles out of the box but integrates with most major eCommerce platforms.
Processing Hardware
- Mobile Processing: Chase Card Reader, a contactless Bluetooth device, is supported by the Chase POS and Chase Mobile apps, which also include a virtual terminal. Users can also send payment links, or use Tap to Pay, which uses the NFC chip in your iPhone to accept contactless payments at the card-present rate, without requiring any external hardware.
- Credit Card Terminals & Point-Of-Sale (POS) Systems: Merchants who can use additional features and more substantial hardware can use the Chase POS Terminal, a wireless smart terminal that can print and send receipts, generate sales reports, track inventory, and more. Alternatively, you can use Chase’s built-in integration with TouchBistro, a restaurant POS system, or Silver Essentials by NCR Voyix, a retail POS.
Ancillary Services
- Vendor Discounts: Chase Payment Solutions customers can sometimes get discounts on services like QuickBooks
- Financing & Credit Cards: Remember that part about Chase being a bank? If you need to establish a line of credit to start or expand your business, Chase Payment Solutions can help. See how to get a small business line of credit for more information on how this process works. If you need a credit card for your business, Chase offers several excellent cards, including numerous versions of the Chase Ink Business credit card.
- Next-Day Funding: For businesses where cash flow is critical, next-business-day funding is available. However, you’ll also have to have a Chase Business bank account to take advantage of this feature. Otherwise, funding from your processed transactions typically requires two to three business days. Payments processed through QuickAccept are eligible for same-day deposits if they’re made before 8:00 P.M. ET. There’s no additional fee for accelerating your deposit.
- Developer Tools: Chase Payment Solutions offers development tools for businesses that want to play around under the hood. Chase’s developer center offers a slick interface for tracking projects as well as a human contact you can approach with any implementation questions. You’ll get access to Chase’s Merchant Services SDK, the Orbital payment gateway, hosted payment solutions, and API access. You can get a brief overview of the project environment from a demo, but most of the developer resources aren’t displayed publicly in the way they are with, say, Stripe.
Chase Credit Card Processing Fees & Rates
Chase Payment Solutions offers flat-rate pricing for small business owners, but custom pricing is also available for high-volume businesses.
Pricing Overview
Item | Value | Pricing Starts At | $0 |
Contract Length | Month-to-month |
Processing Model | Flat-rate |
Card-present Transaction Fee | 2.6% + $0.10 |
eCommerce Transaction Fee | 2.9% + $0.25 |
Keyed-in Transaction Fee | 3.5% + $0.10 |
Equipment Cost | $99-$499 |
Note that merchants are also able to accept payments without purchasing any equipment, using Tap to Pay on iPhone, which carries no additional charge.
Monthly Plans
Chase Payment Solutions℠ Plans |
Price |
When To Use |
Free plan |
$0/month |
Includes support for in-person and keyed-in payments. |
eCommerce plan |
$9.95+/month |
Includes support for eCommerce payments. |
Custom Pricing
For larger businesses, the company offers a traditional interchange-plus pricing plan that you’ll have to negotiate on an individual basis. While your agent should explain any account fees when setting up your account, we highly recommend that you read your contract thoroughly before signing up to confirm this information.
Note that if you buy your terminals outright from Chase or use your preexisting equipment, your contract should include month-to-month billing and no early termination fee (ETF). However, accepting a “free” terminal with your account will usually require you to also accept a traditional three-year contract that includes an ETF.
Sales & Advertising Transparency
Chase Payment Solutions might be one of the more transparent direct processors, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Most of the information you need is available on Chase’s website — it’s just not all in one place, nor is it conveniently laid out. This is a self-inflicted wound because Chase doesn’t have too much to hide when it comes to pricing.
Chase Payment Solutions uses a combination of in-house sales staff and independent sales agents. As you might expect, the use of independent agents has generated a few complaints. Merchants allege that they weren’t adequately informed of the terms of their contract before they agreed to sign up. Because the company uses both month-to-month billing and long-term contracts, it’s imperative that you review your agreement thoroughly before signing anything.
While the number of complaints regarding this issue is quite small in comparison to the overall number of merchants using Chase, you’ll still want to protect yourself from the possibility of working with a dishonest sales agent by reading your contract yourself.
Contract Length & Early Termination Fee
Chase Payment Solutions generally does not impose an early termination fee (ETF) or a long-term contract for new merchants who sign up under the standard flat-rate or interchange-plus pricing plans. Be aware that in some cases, Chase might require an early termination fee in your contract in exchange for a specific benefit — usually a “free” credit card terminal.
Keep in mind, however, that if you negotiate lower-than-normal interchange-plus pricing rates, part of the deal could possibly include a long-term contract, in which case you could indeed be dealing with an early termination fee. Make sure to read your contract carefully if you go this route.
Customer Service & Technical Support
When you deal with a company as large as Chase, you probably won’t get the same level of support you would from a small-time processor, at least not at the entry-level. That said, you will have a variety of contact options, and you should have an easier time resolving account issues since you’re dealing with a direct processor.
Chase Payment Solutions℠ 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 |
|
Chase Payment Solutions Reviews & Complaints
Negative Reviews & Complaints
Chase Payment Solutions (still listed as Chase Paymentech on the Better Business Bureau website) now redirects to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Unfortunately, that means you’ll have to sift through thousands of user reviews about the bank to try to find ones specific to Chase Payment Solutions. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is unaccredited and has an A+ rating.
Common issues raised by merchant services-related complaints include the following:
Difficulty In Returning Rental Equipment
While it’s great to see that Chase no longer relies on non-cancellable credit card machine leases, merchants should keep a careful eye on their bank accounts when canceling their Chase merchant accounts if they opt for a rental machine.
Unlike leases, rentals do not come with long-term contracts, but merchants will be charged for the machine if Chase does not receive it back promptly upon cancellation. Several complaints cite issues with the return process or being charged for the terminal even after returning it. The good news is that Chase seems willing to offer refunds if the machine is returned.
Bad Post-Approval Customer Service
Most of these larger organizations tend to have customer service issues. The smaller merchant processors can spend more time with you, but they may not be able to offer the same kind of pricing that Chase might. Despite the complaints, most merchants will receive an acceptable level of customer service from Chase Payment Solutions.
Billing Issues/Withholding Funds
These complaints come up regularly in our comments as well as on other review sites. Usually, funds are withheld because of a single substantial transaction or a string of unusual transactions, and it’s fairly common with most processors. The real problem is that Chase seems to (1) not give any warning about withholding funds or freezing accounts and (2) not provide the necessary customer service to resolve these issues quickly.
Coincidentally, Chase provides the processing network for Square, the popular mobile processor with a bad reputation for withholding funds and freezing accounts. This may indicate that Chase has a conservative Risk Management department, so high-risk businesses or businesses whose processing volume fluctuates a lot may want to look elsewhere for their processing.
Positive Reviews & Testimonials
There used to be four video testimonials on the Customer Stories page of the company’s old Chase Paymentech website, but they haven’t found their way over to the new site. While you can probably track them down on Chase’s YouTube channel, be aware that this channel is for JP Morgan Chase & Co. and contains dozens, if not hundreds, of videos.
We’ve also found a few positive reviews of Chase Payment Solutions scattered around the internet. High points for Chase Payment Solutions include:
- Comparatively low rates
- Fast access to funds
- Great for scaling businesses
Final Verdict On Chase Payment Solutions
Overall, we’re quite pleased with Chase Payment Solutions℠. While it won’t be the ideal service for many businesses, the company does offer an impressive amount of breadth. From its ability to accommodate industries with high-security requirements to very small businesses with its new QuickAccept program, Chase Payment Solutions can offer something to most non-high-risk companies.
It’s rare to see such a large, direct payment processor make overtures to new small businesses. Even though it doesn’t offer as expansive services, Chase manages to undercut the flat-rate processing fees of competitors like Square and Stripe, and offers the expected conveniences that come with being a bank customer for those who wish to bank with Chase.
Overall, we’re comfortable recommending Chase Payment Solutions to most small businesses. Still, it’s never a bad idea to compare your options to our picks for the best credit card processing companies.
Get started with Chase Payment Solutions
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