While Talus Pay still needs improvement, it is a vastly improved option for small businesses looking for month-to-month billing.
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Expert Contributor
Last updated onUpdated
REVIEWED BY
Expert Contributor
| Total Rating |
3.8 |
|---|---|
| Fees & Rates3.3 | |
| Products & Services3.7 | |
| Contract5.0 | |
| Sales & Advertising Transparency3.6 | |
| Customer Service3.9 | |
| User Reviews4.4 | |
Table of Contents
Talus Pay is a merchant account provider that resells credit card processing services from TSYS (a Global Payments company) and Fiserv (formerly First Data).
Talus Pay has had a bad reputation for years due to very aggressive sales tactics (including telemarketers), expensive pricing, and highly overpriced processing equipment leases. Well aware of its “image problem,” the company has brought in numerous industry veterans to fill leadership roles and changed many standard practices in recent years.
These efforts have produced solid results, and today, Talus Pay is a greatly improved company from just a few years ago. Nonetheless, there are still a few issues that need work — particularly in the area of customer support.
Talus Pay has improved significantly since our last review update and now earns an above-average score overall. Mid-sized or larger businesses that are prepared to negotiate the pricing details of their merchant account contracts should be able to get a fairly good deal with Talus Pay. Small business owners who prefer to work with fully disclosed pricing information, however, should check out our guide to the best credit card processors for small businesses for some better recommendations.
| Products & Services3.7 |
|---|
| Software & Services 2.3 |
| Hardware & Equipment 5.0 |
Talus Pay’s services are geared primarily toward traditional brick-and-mortar businesses, with little mention of eCommerce support on the company’s website. Here’s a brief rundown of the primary offerings:
Talus makes no mention of the availability of echeck or ACH processing services. While it may be available for an additional fee, we did come across a user complaint that stated the company does not offer any ACH processing services.
| Fees & Rates3.3 |
|---|
| Pricing 3.0 |
| Affordability 3.6 |
Talus Pay does not disclose any credit card processing rates or fees on its website, instead using a customized quote-based pricing system for each new merchant. This lack of disclosure isn’t unusual in the processing industry, as fees and rates are highly variable and usually subject to negotiation between the merchant and the sales agent.
While costs will vary considerably from one merchant to the next, we note that complaints about Talus charging above-industry-average fees and rates have nearly disappeared in recent years.
| Sales & Advertising Transparency3.6 |
|---|
| Sales Practices 4.4 |
| Web Presence 2.3 |
The Talus Pay website has a clean, professional, and modern appearance that distinguishes it from the outdated style of many of its competitors. Unfortunately, detailed information about the company’s products and services is rather sparse, and there are almost no pricing disclosures.
Although Talus Pay has been heavily criticized for using both telemarketers and independent sales agents in the past, both of these practices have been (thankfully) eliminated. The company now uses a 100% in-house sales team to help it market and set up accounts.
Talus Pay also now provides electronic copies of proposed contract documents to merchants for their digital signature. This allows a new customer to review all the fine print at their leisure before signing up with the company. We strongly encourage you to review your contract thoroughly before you sign it — not after the fact.
Talus Pay has a robust social media presence, with accounts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and Instagram. The company also has a YouTube channel devoted almost entirely to showcasing testimonials from Talus Pay merchants. Accounts are frequently updated, and the company allows users to post unfiltered reviews on its Facebook page.
| Contract5.0 |
|---|
| Commitment 5.0 |
| ETF & Other Fees 5.0 |
Once notorious for lengthy (and often undisclosed) contract terms and expensive early termination fees, Talus Pay now offers month-to-month billing to all of its merchants. This reversal is in keeping with an industry-wide trend to do away with long-term contracts due to complaints from merchants and having to compete against low-cost payment service providers (PSPs) like Square and PayPal.
True month-to-month billing is far superior to being trapped in a long-term contract, especially for new business owners who might want to switch to a different provider to find lower rates or specialized services not offered by their current credit card processor.
Although month-to-month billing allows you to close your account at any time without penalty, you’ll still have to provide 30 days written notice to Talus Pay before your account can be shut down. Specific details of how to close your account are clearly spelled out in your Talus Pay Merchant Processing Terms and Conditions.
| Customer Service3.9 |
|---|
| Personal Support 4.2 |
| Self-Service 3.6 |
Talus Pay offers 24/7 telephone-based support. We caution you that, like most providers, you’ll have better luck reaching a properly trained Talus employee if you call during regular business hours. Off-hours support is probably outsourced and of significantly lesser quality.
Like many other providers, Talus Pay also provides email-based customer support through an online merchant portal that’s only available to existing customers. The company also has an online Help Center, a Zendesk-based knowledgebase containing several articles with answers to common questions. Unfortunately, it’s dated and doesn’t appear to have been recently updated. There are articles pertaining to hardware that the company no longer sells, but no information about the Talus Pay Point Of Sale software or current hardware products.
While they’ve declined in frequency, we’ve found several complaints against Talus alleging poor customer service. It appears to us that the company still has some work to do in better educating and training its customer service representatives.
| Talus Pay 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 |
| User Reviews4.4 |
|---|
| Customer Feedback 4.0 |
| Review Site Aggregate 4.6 |
We’re always impressed when a merchant services provider makes a genuine effort to improve the quality of its services, rather than focusing on just shoring up its public reputation. Talus Pay has come a long way over the last few review update cycles and now offers many of the features we strongly recommend to merchants looking for a reputable credit card processor. Talus Pay’s elimination of long-term contracts and equipment leases, as well as its transition to a fully in-house sales team, are all notable improvements to its previous practices.
Nonetheless, there are still some lingering issues that need to be addressed. Complaints about customer service and difficulty in closing merchant accounts suggest that Talus is still in the process of transitioning away from its old ways of doing things. We’d also like to see more support for eCommerce businesses and better pricing transparency. While a customized quote-based system can work out well for larger, more seasoned merchants, it can put small businesses at a disadvantage. Most small, low-volume businesses would benefit from a fully disclosed flat-rate or interchange-plus pricing schedule that lets them know exactly what their rates will be in advance.
For now, Talus Pay earns an above-average overall score, and it’s worth looking into if your business could benefit from its retail-focused product lineup.
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