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6 Best Clover Merchant Services Providers In 2023 (And 6 To Avoid)

Our favorite Clover resellers offer fair rates, transparency, no long-term contracts, and the option to buy the hardware outright.

    Nicolette Kier
  • UPDATED

Advertiser Disclosure: Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity.
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Good Clover merchant services providers are hard to find. Your provider determines your Clover credit card processing rates, monthly fees, contract length, and Clover POS hardware pricing. Your Clover merchant services provider can truly make or break your business financially, so it’s important to know what to look for in a merchant agreement.

We researched 11 different Clover merchant account providers based on pricing, contract terms, feature set, Clover hardware availability, and extra products like a cash discount program to help you find the best Clover merchant services for your business.

We also found six popular Clover credit card processing providers that you should avoid if you want transparent pricing and shorter merchant services contracts.

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  • Best industry-specific plans
  • Interchange-plus pricing
  • Plans start at $9.95/month (+ Clover fees)
  • Best industry-specific plans
  • Interchange-plus pricing
  • Plans start at $9.95/month (+ Clover fees)

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  • Best ethical practices
  • Interchange-plus pricing
  • Plans starting at $25/month (+ Clover fees)
  • Best ethical practices
  • Interchange-plus pricing
  • Plans starting at $25/month (+ Clover fees)

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  • Best cash discount program
  • Cash discount, hybrid, & interchange-plus processing plans
  • Plans start at $15/month (+ Clover software fees)
  • Best cash discount program
  • Cash discount, hybrid, & interchange-plus processing plans
  • Plans start at $15/month (+ Clover software fees)

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  • Best customer service & small ticket program
  • Interchange-plus pricing
  • Plans start at $14.99/month (+ Clover fees)
  • Best customer service & small ticket program
  • Interchange-plus pricing
  • Plans start at $14.99/month (+ Clover fees)

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  • Best for high-risk businesses
  • Custom high-risk payment processing rate
  • Plans starting at $25/month (+ Clover fees)
  • Best for high-risk businesses
  • Custom high-risk payment processing rate
  • Plans starting at $25/month (+ Clover fees)

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  • Best membership accounts for US & Canadian merchants
  • Membership & interchange-plus plans
  • Memberships start at $99/month
  • Best membership accounts for US & Canadian merchants
  • Membership & interchange-plus plans
  • Memberships start at $99/month

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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

Table of Contents

Why Do You Need A Clover Merchant Services Provider?

A Clover merchant services provider is a company that allows business owners to take debit/credit card payments, and alternative forms of payment, using Clover POS hardware and software. Almost all Clover hardware is sold with an accompanying Clover merchant account, which comes from a Clover merchant services provider. With a Clover merchant account, you get custom payment processing fees, a custom contract length, and (in some cases) custom pricing on Clover POS software and hardware.

Unlike other POS terminal providers like Square, Clover has partnered with a number of authorized Clover resellers so you can purchase POS hardware and sign up for a Clover merchant account from one of several providers.

While getting a custom Clover merchant account from a specific provider gives you the opportunity to negotiate lower payment processing fees and find good contract terms, there’s a chance that you might sign a money-draining long-term contract with a shady merchant services provider. 

Note: Every Clover merchant account provider is required by Clover to use First Data (Clover’s parent company) as its direct payment processor. A direct payment processor is a very large financial institution (usually a bank or large company previously affiliated with a bank) that has direct access to Visa and MasterCard credit networks. This means that all Clover merchant services providers, including the ones listed below, are partnered with First Data. While this may not be relevant for the buyer, it can lead to confusion.

What Makes A Good Clover Merchant Account?

A good Clover merchant account can be very hard to find, and we’ll explain more about how to negotiate a good Clover merchant account agreement later on.

These are the basics of a good Clover merchant account:

  • Month-to-month contracts, not predatory multi-year agreements
  • No early termination fees or penalties
  • Clover hardware purchasing option (leasing hardware is more expensive in the long run)
  • Transparent payment processing structure, specifically interchange-plus pricing, which is the most cost-efficient pricing model in most cases
  • No hidden fees built into monthly statements
  • Good customer service availability and reviews
  • High standard of credit card information security

A good merchant account for your business understands your business industry, offers reasonable payment processing rates for your particular sales volume and average transaction size, and has the custom payment/security features you need (e.g. B2B level PCI compliance, eCommerce transaction payments, high-risk industry support).

6 Best Clover Merchant Services Providers In 2023

The best Clover merchant services providers offer transparent payment processing rates, monthly fee disclosures, and Clover hardware costs, as well as fast deposits. National Processing, Dharma Merchant Services, ViziPay, Host Merchant Services, PaymentCloud, and Clearly Payments are all great options.

1. National Processing: Best Industry-Specific Merchant Accounts

National Processing


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Get a free Clover Go card reader from National Processing when you sign up. Claim your card reader.

Pros

  • Price/contract term match guarantee
  • Interchange-plus, membership pricing, and cash discount plans
  • Excellent public reputation
  • Plans for every size business

Cons

  • Some miscellaneous fees
  • Early termination fee charged in some cases
  • 2-3 year contract length in some cases

Why We Chose National Processing Clover Merchant Services Provider

We believe that National Processing is a great service for businesses that want low rates from a reliable company. Interchange-plus pricing combined with low-cost monthly plans means you’ll save money using your Clover with National Processing. That’s true whether you have a low- or high-volume business and whether you primarily sell with a countertop POS, such as a Clover Mini or Clover Station, or prefer to use a mobile Clover Flex or Clover Go device.

If a problem should arise, you can rely on National Processing’s 24/7 domestic support, regardless of your account level.

We’re also big fans of the company’s price match and contract term guarantees. It’s easy to get early termination fees and other fees waived if you present the right competitor quote.

National Processing Clover Merchant Account Features

National Processing is a great merchant services provider for small to midsize businesses, with monthly processing plans for retail, restaurant, eCommerce, and subscription-based businesses. The company also offers eCheck processing, MOTO (mail order/telephone order), and cash discounting services (cash discounting is free!) If you have a high-risk business, National Processing does offer high-risk merchant accounts, as well.

You can integrate National Processing with eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, or Ecwid. Note that BigCommerce and Ecwid integrations come at no extra cost, but integrating with Shopify will incur an extra fee (which is charged by Shopify, not National Processing). There’s also a QuickBooks accounting integration, and you can build a custom integration with National Processing’s API.

National Processing Pricing

National Processing plans start at $9.95/month, which is charged on top of Clover’s monthly software fees.

A business on a Clover Register plan might expect to pay $49.90/month to use Clover with National Processing (but you’ll end up paying around this amount no matter what merchant account provider you end up signing with.)

National Processing’s processing fees start at 0.14% + $0.07 over interchange for small to medium businesses and can be as low as 0% + $0.05 over interchange for larger plans. National Processing also offers a cash discount plan for $39.95/month.

Even if you have a lower-volume business that only processes $10K/month, National Processing promises to beat the rates of any other Clover payment processor. If it can’t, you’ll get a $500 Visa gift card. We are usually a bit wary of those promises, but we’ve seen that National Processing is the real deal.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

As with many Clover credit card processors, your credit card processing rate will vary depending on your sales volume and average transaction size. Luckily, National Processing provides a pricing calculator that will estimate your payment processing rate if you enter last month’s sales volume and the number of transactions.

In some cases, National Processing may charge an early termination fee of $495 or $595 (depending on which bank is backing your merchant account.) However, if you present National Processing (in writing) a competitor merchant account quote that has no early termination fee, or your business is sold/closed, National Processing will waive your early termination fee.

National Processing’s contracts are typically 2-3 years, but if you present the company with a competitor quote offering monthly pricing, National Processing should match that contract length.

Before signing a contract, make sure you get a monthly contract and that any early termination fee is waived. If this means you have to shop around for a better quote and ask National Processing to match or beat those competitor terms, do it.

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2. Dharma Merchant Services: Most Transparent & Ethical Provider

Dharma Merchant Services


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Pros

  • Interchange-plus pricing offered exclusively
  • Month-to-month billing
  • No annual fee or monthly minimum
  • Discounted pricing for qualified nonprofits

Cons

  • Not recommended for businesses processing less than $10,000/month
  • No support for high-risk or international merchants

Why We Chose Dharma Merchant Services Clover Merchant Services Provider

We believe that Dharma Merchant Services is among the finest and most ethical Fiserv/Clover resellers we know of. The company gives the fairest and most transparent contract terms out of all Clover merchant account providers. You only pay for services you need, and there are solutions for a range of industries.

In line with its commitment to socially conscious business practices, Dharma is highly focused on sustainability, employs full-time employees (with no commissions or quotas) who all provide top-notch customer service, and even donates a percentage of profits to charities each year.

If you want to feel really good about the company you get your merchant account from, Dharma is your absolute best option.

Dharma Merchant Services Clover Merchant Account Features

Dharma Merchant Services is a socially conscious company that strives to provide excellent merchant account services to small/midsize businesses while remaining committed to its environmental and community-building mission.

With Dharma, you can take payments in person and online, over the phone, using a payment link or virtual terminal, and through invoices (which you can email to customers or businesses).

Merchants all have access to Dharma’s MX Merchant app, which allows you to store customer cards on file, search through transactions, and add on payments features like recurring auto-billing, an account updater that automatically updates expiration dates for card on file, and the MX B2B App.

B2B businesses using the MX B2B App automatically qualify for higher PCI compliance levels, resulting in reduced credit card processing rates (and hundreds of dollars in savings).

Dharma Merchant Services Pricing

Dharma charges excellent in-person processing rates of 0.15% + $0.08/transaction over interchange for most business types processing less than 100K/month (at that point, you’ll get a special lower rate.)

Nonprofits are charged 0.10% + $0.08/transaction over interchange, which is just one of many reasons Dharma is one of the best nonprofit credit card processors.

While payment processing, a virtual terminal, card on file, and business reporting, you may add the following services:

  • ACH/eCheck Processing: $25/month
  • Invoicing/Recurring Billing: $10/month
  • B2B Payment Processing: $20/month
  • Account Updater: $25/month

Dharma charges a $25/month membership fee for its interchange-plus Clover payment processing.

Dharma charges the following one-time fees for Clover hardware:

  • Clover Station: $1,649; full countertop register, receipt printer, integrated card reader, and cash drawer
  • Clover Mini: $899; mini countertop payment device with integrated receipt printer and card reader
  • Clover Flex: $649; handheld mobile POS device with integrated card reader and receipt printer

This pricing does not include monthly Clover software subscription fees, which range from $14.95/month to $49.95/month.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Dharma provides a wealth of information about terms and fees for Clover POS systems on its website. Dharma does offer Clover leases, but it’s very clear about the terms, and you are under no obligation to lease your equipment if you don’t want to.

If you request to have your account closed, you are charged $49. This is set because Dharma still has to maintain your account for six months after closure in case one of your customers disputes a transaction (and maintaining your account after closure costs Dharma roughly $8/month).

It is not a penalty for canceling your monthly contract early.

Get Started With Dharma Merchant Services

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3. VizyPay: Best For Cash Discounting

VizyPay


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Pros

  • Cash discounting plans for low-volume businesses
  • No long-term contract
  • Interchange-plus, cash discount, and hybrid plans
  • Good customer support

Cons

  • Not ideal for high-volume merchants
  • Somewhat high Clover software fees

Why We Chose VizyPay Clover Merchant Services Provider

We like that VizyPay differentiates itself from the competition with its alternative Clover pricing model, which includes multiple cash discounting options as well as a traditional interchange-plus processing plan. This feature is great for low-volume businesses that do not want to sink money into payment processing fees, such as small restaurants or kiosk stands.

VizyPay also has good user reviews from those who like this processor due to its transparent month-to-month pricing and excellent customer service. You’ll get a simple, straightforward service with VizyPay without having to pay for features that other larger businesses may need.

VizyPay Clover Merchant Account Features

VizyPay is a good option for lower-volume businesses that want to use Clover and want cash discounting. Cash discounting is a payment processing model in which your credit card fees are passed along to the customer.

VizyPay offers three subscription plans: Cash Discount, Traditional, and Hybrid. The Cash Discount plan allows you to pass all credit and debit payment processing costs to your customers, which means that you’ll pay nothing for payment processing. The Hybrid program passes through credit card processing costs to credit card users, and the Traditional program does not employ cash discounting at all.

You can use cash discounting for virtual terminal payments if you’d like. With a virtual terminal, you can invoice customers, save customer information for recurring billing, send text/email receipts, and export sales reports to QuickBooks.

VizyPay Pricing

VizyPay offers the following Cash Discount plans:

  • Mini: $25/month; for businesses processing up to $5K/month
  • Core: $50/month; for business processing between $5K/month and $10K/month
  • Prime: $99/month; for business processing over $10K/month

The Hybrid plan costs $25/month. Under this plan, VizyPay charges the customer for credit card processing (4%) unless they pay with debit, in which case the merchant pays a fee of 1.5% – 3.5% + $0.25.

VizyPay additionally has a $15/month interchange-plus plan with fixed margins of 0.35% + $0.10 per transaction + interchange.

VizyPay hardware and software pricing for Clover (charged in addition to the processing plan fee) is as follows:

  • Clover Station Duo: $2,125 + $69.90/month
  • Clover Station Solo: $1,850 + $69.90/month
  • Clover Mini: $975 + $24.90/month
  • Clover Flex: $695 + $24.90/month
  • Clover Go: $10/month

Since our last update, ViziPay has expanded its hardware offering to include the Samsung Kiosk, a standalone self-ordering restaurant kiosk that includes a built-in Clover Flex so customers may pay at the kiosk. This kiosk is great for fast food restaurants, bubble tea shops, gas stations that sell made-to-order food, and any other business that may want to incorporate self-ordering stations.

The kiosk hardware costs $4,199 plus $123.90/month for the software that needs to be installed on kiosks to sync with your Clover ecosystem.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

You can buy your Clover hardware from VizyPay outright, though it also offers leases (which we don’t recommend). Plans are month-to-month with no early termination fee unless specified otherwise. Always verify your contract terms before signing to make sure you’re getting monthly pricing and no penalties for cancellation.

Get Started With VizyPay

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4. Host Merchant Services: Best Customer Service & Small Ticket Program

Host Merchant Services


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Pros

  • No monthly minimum or long-term contract
  • Transparent interchange-plus pricing
  • Small ticket program
  • Excellent customer support

Cons

  • Clover monthly fees are custom-quoted
  • Clover hardware pricing not disclosed online

Why We Chose Host Merchant Services Clover Merchant Services Provider

We like that Host Merchant Services is well-known for its excellent customer service and merchant-focused attitude. Plans are all month-to-month with no early termination fees, and the company may even help pay any fees you face when canceling an open merchant account with a different provider.

Businesses such as grocery and convenience stores should take advantage of the company’s easy EBT transaction onboarding program. In contrast, businesses with a small average ticket size (laundromats, car washes, small theatres, etc.) should consider applying for Host Merchant Service’s small ticket program.

Host Merchant Services Clover Merchant Account Features

Host Merchant Services offers merchant accounts for businesses in a variety of industries, including medical services, hotel/lodging/rental businesses, and high-risk businesses such as firearms sales.

The company offers a small ticket program, which allows businesses with a small ticket size (less than $15 on average) to save money on payment processing. You can also incorporate cash discounting if you like, and the provider has an EBT/SNAP transaction program that makes taking food stamps easy.

eCommerce sellers, subscription-based sellers, and most service-based businesses will appreciate Host Merchant Service’s virtual terminal offering. This virtual terminal is supplied as a link to a hosted, branded online checkout page that supports one-time and recurring payments. You can also take ACH payments and even receive images of checks using Host Merchant Service’s secure terminal.

Host Merchant Services Pricing

Host Merchant Services charges a very reasonable $14.99/month for interchange-plus plans and charges the following interchange rates depending on your industry:

  • Retail: Interchange + 0.25% + $0.10
  • Restaurant: Interchange + 0.20% + $0.09
  • eCommerce: Interchange + 0.35% + $0.10

The company’s cash discounting plan is free to businesses processing more than $5K/month and incurs a $20/month fee for businesses processing less than $5K/month. Host notes that the cash discount plan is only available to businesses that don’t need to use the tip-adjust option when processing transactions.

Unfortunately, Host Merchant Services does not list its hardware or monthly software pricing for Clover POS devices on its website.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Host Merchant Services has month-to-month contracts and includes an early termination fee waiver with your merchant agreement. Your payment processing rates given at the time of signing your merchant agreement will never increase due to any pricing increases on the part of Host Merchant Services.

If you are already signed on with a merchant account provider and face early termination fees when switching, you can ask Host Merchant Services if they’ll help cover any of those fees. The company has agreed to pay up to $250 in owed early termination fees for referred clients and $500 if that referral client processes over $50,000 per month. While this deal may only apply in a referral situation, it never hurts to ask!

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5. PaymentCloud: Best High-Risk Merchant Accounts

PaymentCloud


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Exclusive Promo: PaymentCloud will give you $200 if they can't beat your current rate. Get Your Quote

Pros

  • Specializes in high-risk industries
  • High likelihood of account approval
  • No long-term contract or early termination fee
  • Chargeback and fraud protection

Cons

  • No pricing disclosures
  • Very high-risk merchants may get tiered pricing plan

Why We Chose PaymentCloud Clover Merchant Services Provider

PaymentCloud is one of our best high-risk merchant account providers specifically because of its excellent industry knowledge, great customer service, and the fact that its large network of acquiring banks and payment processors allows the company to find the best payment processing deal given your business’s information.

This company is dedicated to seeing your high-risk business flourish, and that starts with helping you get approved for a merchant account with good contract terms. You’ll have someone who is knowledgeable about your business on your side when you want to negotiate better payment processing terms or a lower rolling reserve requirement in the future.

Plus, PaymentCloud integrates with a number of third-party software that many business owners use, so you can have all your business tools connected.

PaymentCloud Clover Merchant Account Features

PaymentCloud specializes in a number of high-risk industries and works with several banking institutions to find the best payment processing rate for your merchant account.

With PaymentCloud, a dedicated support representative will walk you through the application process. This representative will also “scrub” your application, social media presence, and website to increase the likelihood of your application approval. Your PaymentCloud support representative ensures your business is PCI compliant (without charging a PCI compliance fee), and actively advocates for your best interests with the banking institution and payment processors you work with.

PaymentCloud also offers chargeback protection and fraud detection tools and has industry knowledge of several high-risk business types, so high-risk business owners can rest assured that PaymentCloud will understand their needs and how to avoid common high-risk business pitfalls.

As with other Clover merchant services providers, PaymentCloud offers a virtual terminal for taking invoice, phone, and mail order payments, eCheck processing, and even cryptocurrency.

You can also integrate PaymentCloud with a number of eCommerce platforms including Shopify, BigCommerce, and ShiftShop, as well as customer relationship management systems and industry-specific software.

PaymentCloud Pricing

Like most high-risk merchant account providers, PaymentCloud does not disclose pricing information online. This is mostly because high-risk merchant accounts are highly personalized based on the business as well as the trustworthiness of the business owner.

You will probably pay at least $25/month to maintain your high-risk merchant account. You’ll most likely be required to have a rolling reserve account, and if your business is considered very high-risk, you may be required to use a tiered pricing model, rather than interchange-plus. Tiered pricing is the most expensive, but at some point, you have to take what you can get.

PaymentCloud will actively seek out the best payment processing terms for you and help with your account application to mitigate the riskiness of your business (on paper, anyway).

Contract Requirements/Warnings

PaymentCloud offers month-to-month contracts with no early termination fees whenever possible.

While PaymentCloud works with its network of acquiring banks to find the best contract terms, some high-risk business owners may need up needing to sign the high-risk industry-standard two-year contract. In most cases, PaymentCloud can get the early termination fee waived.

PaymentCloud offers a “free” POS terminal to new merchants, but it’s more of a loaner. If you cancel your account, you have to ship the hardware back to PaymentCloud immediately to avoid being charged full price for the Clover terminal you decide to use.

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6. Clearly Payments: Best Membership Plans For US & Canadian Merchants

Clearly Payments


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Pros

  • Membership plans remove markup percentage pricing
  • Built-in payment page, subscription, and invoice builders
  • Merchant accounts in US and Canada, and transactions in several currencies available
  • Very flexible merchant account option

Cons

  • Clover pricing not disclosed online

Why We Chose Clearly Payments Clover Merchant Services Provider

We appreciate that Clearly Payments, which works with business owners in the US and Canada, offers both interchange-plus and membership-based credit card processing. Membership-based pricing is an excellent merchant account model that can really reduce overall fees for midsize to larger businesses. With a membership, you’ll be charged a monthly flat-rate subscription and get to avoid a percentage markup, plus your flat-rate per-transaction fee is much lower than most competitors offer.

We also appreciate that, like Dharma Merchant Services, Clearly Payments is very transparent about the fees you could expect to pay when you sign up for a merchant account with the company.

Clearly Payments Clover Merchant Account Features

There are several built-in features that Clearly Payments offers for several business types.

For example, you may build an online hosted payment page, which essentially works like PayPal. You place a “buy now” button on your website or other online presence, a customer clicks it and is redirected to a Clearly Payments payment page, then once they enter their information (which is safely stored on Clearly Payments’ servers), they’re redirected to a “thank you” page.

You may also:

  • Build custom invoice templates and track the status of invoices
  • Create recurring payment plans to embed in your website, app, or other software platform
  • Use a virtual terminal to take payments over the phone or send one-time payment requests to customers
  • Design your own custom receipts
  • Integrate Clearly Payments with popular accounting software, website builders, subscription billing apps, or make use of the open API to develop your own integrations

Clearly Payments works in 65 different currencies (with the currency changing dynamically depending on your customer’s location) and multiple languages, so you can use this Clover payment processing provider internationally.

Clearly Payments Pricing

Clearly Payments offers the following membership plans:

  • Basic: $99/month + $0.08/transaction; for businesses processing up to $50K/month
  • Pro: $189/month + $0.06/transaction; for businesses processing between $50K/month and $250K/month
  • Custom: Custom pricing; for businesses processing over $250K/month

With a membership plan, you’ll pay wholesale interchange pricing, meaning that you won’t pay the markup percentage that you typically do with other merchant accounts.

The company also offers your standard interchange-plus payment processing, but Clearly Payments does not beat competitors like National Processing or Dharma Merchant Services until you start processing so much money per month that it makes more sense to get a membership-based merchant account.

The website does not list pricing for Clover devices or accompanying software. Clearly Payments offers Clover machines as part of a terminal rental program. Your rental contract is month-to-month, and you may cancel it at any time.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Clearly Payments offers monthly contracts with no setup or cancellation fees. You may also cancel your Clover terminal rental at any point without facing any penalties.

Get Started With Clearly Payments

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Our Methodology For Choosing The Best Clover Credit Card Processing Providers

To choose the best Clover credit card processors, we researched 11 different merchant services providers that also sell Clover POS devices based on pricing, contract terms, industries served, and additional built-in features such as a hosted payment page builder or cash discount program.

We reviewed recent, unincentivized customer reviews and relied on our own industry expertise to differentiate legitimate and high-quality Clover merchant account providers from Clover POS scam companies.

Why We Don't Recommend These 6 Clover Credit Card Processor Options

The following are some Clover resellers that are best to avoid. Not all of them are completely terrible, but better options are available.

Leaders Merchant Services

Leaders Merchant Services is a classic Clover POS/First Data (Fiserv) reseller. Unfortunately, it’s known for deceptive advertising and sales tactics. You can expect a three-year contract with an ETF and lots of hidden fees with this company.

The only good thing about Leaders Merchant Services is that it caters to high-risk businesses, so it could be an option if you are in a high-risk industry and want to use Clover. Just make sure you have a crystal-clear understanding of your contract’s fees and terms before signing a merchant services agreement with this company.

Note that Leaders Merchant Services is owned by iPayment, which also owns another Clover reseller called Flagship Merchant Services. (Flagship is not great but not as bad as Leaders Merchant Services.)

First Data/Fiserv

You have the option to get your Clover with a traditional First Data/Fiserv merchant services account, but we wouldn’t recommend it. It’s a little confusing since all Clover resellers ultimately use a First Data/Fiserv merchant account for Clover payment processing. But again, it all comes down to the terms of your merchant services contract, and First Data does not have the best.

Fiserv contracts are typically 36-48 months, vary widely in terms of payment processing rates and processing structures, and have steep early termination fees. Many Fiserv representatives are not transparent about contracts, not responsive when you need help, and the company has poor customer service ratings in general.

Clover

If you purchase your Clover hardware and merchant services from Clover.com, you will have similar contract terms and a similar customer experience as you would if you got a contract through Fiserv, Clover’s parent company.

Sam’s Club Merchant Services

In addition to flat screens and 24-packs of Pringles, Sam’s Club also sells Clover using First Data’s merchant services. Aside from its brand name, Sam’s Club doesn’t provide any additional value to First Data’s merchant services offering. Its products and fees are the same as Fiserv.

Wells Fargo Merchant Services

Wells Fargo Merchant Services is another major Clover POS system reseller/First Data merchant account reseller. Some things you can expect with this company include hefty processing fees, an early termination fee (if you break your four-year merchant services contract), and costly terminal leases. Please never lease a POS system; it’s always better to scrounge up the thousand-some bucks to buy it outright, even if you need to borrow the money.

Merchant One

Merchant One is yet another Clover reseller and a Registered ISO of Wells Fargo. There’s not a whole lot to say because it doesn’t disclose rates or fees on its website, but from what we can determine, it charges a lot of hidden fees and uses tiered pricing by default.

Merchant One also pushes noncancelable Clover leases through First Data Global Leasing and requires a three-year contract with a monthly minimum. Merchant One has a friendly-seeming website, but when you get down to it, its terms for Clover are neither transparent nor fairly priced.

How To Spot A Bad Clover Credit Card Processing Company

What makes some credit card terminal companies bad to buy from? It’s generally not the POS equipment or even the payment processing itself, but the terms of service and fees that come with your merchant services contract. Here are some common problems we see in subpar POS resellers, including many Clover vendors:

  • Terrible merchant agreements (e.g. multi-year service plans with early termination fees)
  • Hardware leases
  • Poor customer service
  • Excessively high fees
  • Lack of transparency about terms and prices

Historically, Clover terminals were leased on three to four-year non-cancelable agreements that ended up costing as much as three times the value of the hardware.

In addition to being more expensive, leases also keep you locked into processing with that company, even if you are not happy with their services. While most Clover resellers have moved away from this leasing model, there are still a lot of terrible companies out there that will try to pressure you into a lease. If you’re considering a lease, make sure you read our post on why you should never lease your credit card machine.

How To Negotiate A Good Clover Merchant Agreement

To negotiate a good Clover merchant agreement, you first have to understand every part of your merchant account application and the proposed merchant agreement you are (potentially) about to sign.

Look out for information like early termination fees and penalties, contract lengths (the “standard” is three years, but there are several merchant services providers that offer shorter contracts), hidden fees, and account closure instructions.

Get quotes from several providers and ask your preferred provider to match lower credit card rates, waive early termination fees, and match term lengths. Get all custom contract agreements in writing, or they may not be honored later on. 

Read our full guide on how to negotiate a merchant agreement for more on how to get the best Clover merchant account possible.

How To Get Out Of A Bad Clover Payment Processing Contract

To get out of a bad Clover payment processing contract:

  • Find your merchant agreement
  • Determine when you need to cancel to avoid an automatic renewal
  • Send notice and return any POS equipment if needed (make sure to get a delivery receipt so the account provider can’t claim they didn’t receive the equipment)
  • Try to avoid an early cancellation fee
  • Monitor your account for any additional (unauthorized) charges

If a company is charging you after you’ve canceled your account, send proof of your account cancellation and ask to be refunded for any incorrect charges.

Read our post on how to cancel a Fiserv contract if you’re trying to cancel a Fiserv merchant account.

Which Clover POS Hardware Should You Get From Your Clover Merchant Services Provider?

There are several different Clover credit card machines to choose from. Depending on space and your type of business, you might decide to purchase one or multiple Clover devices, as they are all compatible with each other and can be used on the same account. Choosing the right device or devices depends on your selling needs.

Clover Station

clover station with cash drawer and receipt printer with customer-facing display

  • 14″ swivel-neck POS screen with built-in magstripe swiper and EMV reader
  • Includes cash drawer and receipt printer
  • Option to buy a standard receipt printer or a receipt printer w/4.3″customer-facing display and NFC
  • Camera and barcode scanner built-in
  • Fingerprint employee login
  • Compatible with an external barcode scanner, kitchen printer, scale, and other accessories
  • Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity
  • Accept swipe, chip, and tap (NFC) payments (NFC payments only with customer-facing NFC printer) 
  • Connects to other Clover hardware (Flex or Mini)

Clover Station is a complete POS register and an impressive piece of machinery, as it can do just about anything you want it to.

The price to purchase a Clover Station Solo (the original Clover Station) can vary depending on the reseller. It’s usually sold at $1,349 with the basic receipt printer or $1,399 with the customer-facing printer (and NFC).

Clover also has a version of the Station called the “Clover Station Duo,” which includes a customer-facing display and costs between $1,649 and $1,799.

Clover Mini

clover mini

  • 7″ touch screen with swivel base
  • Built-in card reader, receipt printer, camera, and barcode scanner
  • Accept swipe, chip, tap, EBT, and debit payments
  • Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and LTE connectivity (optional LTE plan costs extra)
  • Cash drawer sold separately
  • Compatible with an external barcode scanner, kitchen printer, scale, and other accessories
  • Can run on battery unplugged for short periods

Clover Mini is a small yet powerful countertop POS that can also be used unplugged for short periods. In effect, it can do everything the Clover Station can do but with a much smaller footprint (though the footprint automatically becomes a bit larger if you want to integrate it with a cash drawer, which most businesses would). Clover Mini can also be used with a Clover Station as a customer-facing screen and accept PIN debit, EBT payments/SNAP benefits, and NFC payments.

Clover Mini has a wide price range, generally from $499 to $799, depending on the seller. You may also be able to add a customer-facing Clover Mini to a Clover Station Solo for a reduced price.

Clover Flex

clover flex

  • 5″ touchscreen display
  • Accept swipe, chip, tap, EBT, and debit payments
  • Works on Wi-Fi, LTE, and even offline
  • Embedded printer, barcode scanner, and camera
  • Compatible with accessories such as a kitchen printer and label-maker
  • Battery life can last the length of an entire business day

Clover Flex is a modern handheld smart terminal that can be used on its own or in conjunction with a Clover Station or Mini. Designed to bridge the gap between POS and mobile POS, the Flex is not quite as robust as the Mini. However, it can still perform all the essential POS operations and is unmatched in flexibility. The portable Flex can accept any type of payment out of the box and be a useful tool for scanning inventory. Despite its small form factor, this handheld “smart terminal” is compatible with most of the apps in the Clover App Market.

The Clover Flex typically retails at $499 to $699.

Check out our unboxing video below for a better look at Clover’s newest POS device.

Clover Go

clover go with iphone and apple pay

  • Bluetooth-connected mobile POS device for iOS and Android
  • Accept swipe, chip, and tap payments
  • Syncs with your other Clover devices

Clover Go is a mobile credit card and contactless payment reader that you can use with your iPhone or Android smartphone and the accompanying Clover Go app. In both appearance and function, it’s similar to Square’s chip and tap reader.

The Clover Go reader can cost between $49 and $99, depending on where you buy it. Sometimes you can get it for free with a service contract. Clover.com currently sells the Go for $49.

Which Clover Merchant Account Provider Is Right For Your Business?

Hundreds of banks and Clover merchant account providers sell Clover credit card machines, but the institution you buy it from matters a lot. You’re also buying an accompanying merchant services contract from that Clover vendor. Be sure to read the fine print when purchasing Clover and the associated merchant account contract that comes with it.

If you’re open to using a POS system other than Clover, you might want to take a look at some Clover alternatives that could work better for you. If you want a merchant account and are not tied down to a specific POS system, read our post on the best credit card processors for small businesses.

FAQs: Clover Merchant Services

What is Clover merchant services?

Clover merchant services refers to payment processing with Clover, a point of sale (POS) hardware/software system that uses First Data/Fiserv as its back-end processor.

Is Clover a merchant account?

Clover is not a merchant account itself, despite being owned by Fiserv, a company that does offer merchant accounts. Clover is just a company that produces POS software and hardware.

However, you can get a merchant account directly through Clover.com or through another merchant services company that is compatible with Clover.

How much does a Clover system cost?

A Clover system typically costs between $49 and $1,799, depending on what type of Clover POS hardware you get and where you get it from. Some Clover merchant account providers offer hardware at a reduced price when you sign up for your merchant account.

Is there a monthly fee for Clover?

There is a monthly fee for Clover POS software. Clover’s standard software fees range from $0/month to $94.85/month, but some Clover merchant services providers may offer discounted or free software plans to accompany your hardware purchase.

Read our post on Clover POS costs to learn more about Clover hardware and software pricing, plus which software plan is right for you.

How much does Clover take per transaction?

If you buy your POS directly through Clover, you’ll be charged a flat fee of 2.3% or 2.6% + $0.10 for all in-person transactions. However, Clover resellers may offer various payment processing fee models, such as interchange-plus, tiered pricing, or cash discount processing.

Which is better, Square or Clover?

Square is better than Clover in some instances. In our Square vs. Clover comparison, we rate Square higher overall, but that doesn’t mean Square is better all the time. For example, if you want more flexibility in terms of credit card processing, Clover is better.

Does Clover require a contract?

Clover systems require a contract with an official Clover partner. With a contract, you’ll get Clover hardware, software, and credit card processing from one merchant services provider.

Does Clover do payment processing?

Clover offers payment processing, but you may not get the best payment processing rates or contract terms with a merchant account backed by Clover.

Consider purchasing your Clover hardware with a more reputable Clover account provider to get better payment processing rates and month-to-month contracts.

In Summary: 6 Best Clover Merchant Services Providers In 2023

  1. National Processing:
    • Best industry-specific plans
    • Interchange-plus pricing
    • Plans start at $9.95/month (+ Clover fees)
  2. Dharma Merchant Services:
    • Best ethical practices
    • Interchange-plus pricing
    • Plans starting at $25/month (+ Clover fees)
  3. VizyPay:
    • Best cash discount program
    • Cash discount, hybrid, & interchange-plus processing plans
    • Plans start at $15/month (+ Clover software fees)
  4. Host Merchant Services:
    • Best customer service & small ticket program
    • Interchange-plus pricing
    • Plans start at $14.99/month (+ Clover fees)
  5. PaymentCloud:
    • Best for high-risk businesses
    • Custom high-risk payment processing rate
    • Plans starting at $25/month (+ Clover fees)
  6. Clearly Payments:
    • Best membership accounts for US & Canadian merchants
    • Membership & interchange-plus plans
    • Memberships start at $99/month
Nicolette Kier

Nicolette Kier

Expert Analyst & Reviewer
As a small business owner, contributing writer Nicolette Kier has been sharing her knowledge on all things related to freelancing and eCommerce since 2019. She earned a BS in Physics and a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh.
Nicolette Kier
View Nicolette Kier's professional experience on LinkedIn.

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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.

Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.

Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.

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