Payline Data Review

Payline Data offers merchant services but can it help your business? Find out how the fees compare to processors like Square.

	Overall Score	4.0
	Price	4.5
	Equipment	4.0
	Contract	5.0
	Customer Service	4.0
	Ecommerce	3.0
	High Volume Business	4.0
	Low Volume Business	3.5

5-point scale (the higher, the better)

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Pros and Cons

• User-friendly interface
• Transparent interchange-plus pricing model

• Monthly fee
• $25 monthly minimum processing requirement

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Bottom Line

Good credit card processor for most businesses

• What Is Payline Data?
  
• Who Payline Data Is Best For
  
• Pros & Cons
  
• Pricing & Fees
  
• Products & Services
  
• Features & Equipment for Retailers
  
• Features for E-Commerce
  
• Features for Phone Orders
  
• Payline Medical
  
• Additional Services
  
• Customer Service
  
• Payline Data vs Square
  
• Other Alternatives

What is Payline Data?

Payline Data is a merchant account provider based in Chicago. It provides flexible credit card processing solutions for mobile, retail, and online stores.

Payline Data is known for its low, transparent pricing. It uses an interchange-plus pricing model, which often comes out to be the best value for businesses. This makes it ideal for businesses of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Read on for our full Payline review to see if it's right for your business.

Who Payline Data is Best For

• Established businesses
  Since there is a monthly fee and minimum, it may be better for businesses that have more established cash flow each month.
  Very new business owners may feel more comfortable with a processor with no monthly fees. This way, you're only charged when there's a transaction. So if you have a slow month, you won't be paying for a monthly fee that eats into your profits.
  

• High volume businesses
  Businesses that process a lot of transactions per month will benefit most with the interchange-plus model. It usually comes out cheaper than flat-rate pricing models.

• High-risk businesses
  Not all providers approve high-risk merchant accounts, but Payline will work with you. Note that a high-risk company may have different terms and pricing.

Visit Payline Data

Payline Data Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Transparent interchange-plus pricing model
  
• First month free
  
• User-friendly interface
  
• Monthly billing with no cancellation fees
  
• Deposits funds within 2 business days
  
• Positive customer service reviews
  
• Fraud protection and account security
  
• Accepts high-risk merchant accounts

Cons:

• $10-20 monthly fee
  
• $25 monthly minimum processing requirement
  
• More difficult to predict payment processing costs
  
• Fees for losing a chargeback dispute and not completing a PCI compliance survey
  
• Limited customer support hours from Monday–Friday, 8 am–5 pm (CT)

Keep reading for the in-depth review.

Pricing & Fees

Payline Data has simplified to just 2 pricing plans: swiping cards in person or card-not-present.^[1]

1. In-Person
This plan is for physical retailers. Fees include:

• Interchange + 0.4% + $0.10 per transaction
  
• $10.00 monthly fee
  
• $25.00 monthly processing minimum

2. Online
This plan is for businesses that take online, phone, and mail orders. It includes a virtual terminal. Fees include:

• Interchange + 0.75% + $0.20 per transaction
  
• $20.00 monthly fee
  
• $25.00 monthly processing minimum

Other expenses can include:

• Equipment costs (more below)
  
• $25 if you lose a chargeback dispute
  
• Free PCI compliance–however, there is a charge of $19.95 if you do not complete a compliance survey within 90 days.

Contract and Termination

Payline Data requires no long-term contract. All plans are month-to-month. You can cancel your account at any time if you no longer want to use them.

There are no early termination fees. This flexibility is great so you don't feel like you're locked into a contract.

Products and Services

Payline Data provides a wide range of credit card processing solutions that can be tailored to your company.

Mobile Payment Processing
Using the Clover Go card reader, you can swipe or dip straight from your smartphone, whether you are at your business or on-the-go.

Online Payment Processing
This gateway can process cards, store customer payment information, handle invoicing, and set up recurring billing.

In-Store Payments
Choose from credit card terminals, mobile readers, or integration with your current POS system.

Integrated Payments
Payline's gateway can seamlessly integrate with more than 175 e-commerce shopping carts. This gives your company the ability to collect payments online and through the app.

Medical Provider Plan
Payline offers healthcare providers an integrative healthcare credit card processing program that aligns with HIPAA guidelines and integrates with your software (more below). You can also get a discounted rate.

Non-profits
As a thank you for what you do, Payline offers a discounted processing rate for confirmed charities.

High-Risk Accounts
Payline partners with 20+ banks to make it easier to obtain a high-risk merchant account.

Features & Equipment for Retailers

For retail merchants taking credit cards in-person, Payline Data offers the following equipment options for purchase:

Clover Go
The Clover Go is an all-in-one mobile credit card reader suited for on-the-go merchants. Functions include:

• Accepts swipe, chip, and NFC/contactless transactions (like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay)
  
• Email or text receipts
  
• Set custom tip and tax rates
  
• Set permissions for employees
  
• See transaction history

Ingenico iSMP4
This is a countertop device aimed at brick-and-mortar shops.

• Accepts all payment types - including EMV chip, magnetic stripe, NFC/contactless, and PIN Debit transactions
  
• Point-to-point encryption (P2PE)
  
• Internet WiFi Connectivity
  
• Integrate with your Virtual Terminal

Features for E-Commerce

For eCommerce stores, Payline Data's payment gateway allows you to receive web orders. Features include:

• Over 175 online shopping cart integrations
  
• Full customization with Gateway and Mobile APIs
  
• Recurring billing service
  
• Manage multiple merchant accounts and determine which accounts to route transactions to
  
• Batch process large volumes of transactions at once
  
• Inventory management
  
• Sync your transactions with QuickBooks SyncPay

Features for Phone Orders

If you take credit cards by phone, Payline Data has a virtual terminal that lets you manually key-in orders directly into a web browser. You can:

• Store customer data for future use
  
• Review monthly reports
  
• Email receipts, voids, and refunds
  
• Accept ACH payments
  
• Create and send invoices
  
• Set recurring billing and scheduled payments
  
• QuickBooks integration
  
• Add unlimited users

This feature costs an extra $10 monthly fee.

Payline Medical

Payline Data also has a special plan tailored to healthcare and medical providers, including:

• Dedicated account representative to help with your needs
  
• Regulatory and HIPAA compliance
  
• Integration with most practice management software
  
• Can take mobile payments anywhere for on-the-go healthcare professionals (such as trainers and physical therapists)
  
• Can set up recurring installment billing for patients

The fees for Payline Medical are:

• Interchange + 0.1% + $0.10 per transaction
  
• $0.25/transaction for ACH
  
• $20 monthly fee
  
• Includes a virtual terminal

High Risk Account

Payline Data is one of the few credit card processors that deals with high-risk merchants. This could include:

• Industries with a high risk of chargebacks or fraud
  
• Industries with high rate of failure
  
• Industries that require a lot of legal regulation
  
• If you have a history of bad credit
  
• Companies with large transaction amounts

Most credit card processing companies don't approve these kinds of merchants. Payline is willing to take on the risk and work with you to find the best options for your unique needs. Payline leverages their 20+ bank partnerships to find a merchant account match for you.

Note that a high-risk account will have higher processing fees and more stringent contract terms, but the prices are fair.

Additional Services

Payline Data also has these following add-on benefits. Ask your account representative if interested.

Business Loan
Payline processes your application through up to 75 partner lenders. Funds can be received in as soon as 24 hours.

Chargeback Prevention
Payline offers chargeback prevention tools from Verifi to help protect against fraud and chargebacks. This tool also helps you avoid costly fees, fines, and penalties.

Subscription Billing
For subscription-based services, you can bill an unlimited number of customers. This plan costs an extra $29.95 fee.

ACH Payments
Give your customers more options to pay by accepting eChecks. ACH cost less to process, giving you more profit in your pocket for this added convenience.

Payline API
This allows developers to integrate Payline solutions, including merchant onboarding and funding.

Customer Service

Payline Data customer service is available from 8am - 5pm CST, Monday to Friday.

You can reach Payline at:

• Sales: 844-222-5578 (for new customers)
  
• Support: 800-617-9342, Ext. 2 (for existing customers)

In general, customers give positive Payline Data reviews. Customers say they like the low pricing, quick set-up time, and overall smooth process.

While Payline does not offer 24/7 support, its customer service is not outsourced overseas. Customers report the company sales team to be responsive, as well as receiving excellent technical support whenever there are issues.

Common Complaints

Payline Data has been accredited by the BBB since 2014 and has an A+ rating. Over the years, there are 8 complaints on BBB and about 15 negative reviews on Consumer Affairs, which is considered a very low volume given how large Payline is.

While Payline generally gets a good rating from users, some common complaints include:

• Trouble cancelling account
  Payline offers flexible cancellation at any time, but some customers say canceling took a while and they still continued to be billed during that time. When you close your account, follow up with Payline to make sure it has closed and all outstanding fees have been resolved.

• Surprise fee on billings
  Some customers were surprised by monthly fees. Payline is transparent about charging a $10 monthly fee plus $10 for a payment gateway. Look over your contract very carefully and understand all the charges. If there are services you will not use, make sure to resolve it with Payline beforehand.
  Also note that high risk merchants will have different terms. So if your business falls into this category, make sure you understand your unique contract.
  

• Holding funds
  Some customers were frustrated with withheld funds. Understand that risk holds are common practice in order to protect both the consumer and the processing bank. Certain types of transactions, such as manual entries larger than the average ticket size, may be considered a risk hold.

Payline Data vs Square

Square is one of the most popular credit card processors for mobile businesses. Some top features include:

• Fixed rate at 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction per swipe^[2]
  
• No monthly or annual fee
  
• Free swipe card reader
  
• Free POS app
  
• Free Virtual Terminal
  
• No chargeback fees

Square's fixed-rate pricing may be a little higher compared to interchange +. But it allows small business owners to better predict the processing costs. It may also be more affordable if you have low average transaction amounts. And there are no monthly fees so you only pay when you have a transaction.

Square provides one free swipe reader. Chip and contactless payments require a separate device, but the price is lower than Payline's. Also, Square's virtual terminal is free, whereas Payline charges extra for it.

Square also has a powerful all-in-one POS app. It has many functions including employee and inventory management, invoicing, gift cards, customer installment plan, and loyalty program. All in all, Square provides a comprehensive solution for small business owners.

How It Compares

Here's how Payline Data compares with other popular credit card processors.

PayPal
PayPal is another popular payment processor known for its low fees. It specializes in web payments rather than retail payments. They do offer two card readers, but they aren't as robust as the Payline options. PayPal also doesn't have a very user-friendly API. If you want to create a custom checkout, it may cost you an additional fee for the "pro" service.

However, one advantage of using PayPal is the ability to accept PayPal and Venmo on your website and in-person. This can open you up to more customers. If you want to enter orders manually, PayPal charges $30/month for their virtual terminal.^[3]

		PayPalSquareVenmo
	Visit Site	Learn More
	Payline	PayPal
	Benefits and Features
Monthly Fee	$10 per month for in-person processing $20 per month for online processing $10 per month for virtual terminal	No monthly fees (additional payment features start at $5/mo)
Good For	Businesses processing $5,000 or more per month	Accepting Paypal payments; Small businesses with average transaction under $100
Equipment	POS (EMV Chip & PIN, Magstripe, NFC/contactless), Mobile Payment Processing, Subscription Billing, ACH Payments, Online Processing	Paypal Zettle card reader: $29 to $79; Zettle Terminal: starts at $199; Printers, and Accessories available for purchase
Customer Service	Phone, Email	Phone, Email, Live Chat Support, PayPal Community
Pricing Model	Interchange-Plus	Flat-rate and Interchange-plus
Swipe Rate	Interchange + 0.4% + $0.10	Starts at 2.29% + $0.09
Online Rate	Interchange + 0.75% + $0.20	Starts at 2.59% + $0.49
Keyed-in Transaction Fee	Interchange + 0.75% + $0.20	3.49% + $0.09 (through Paypal Zettle) 3.09% + $0.49 (through the virtual terminal)
Deposit Time	Next business day	Instant access to the funds in your PayPal account; Or instant deposit to your bank account for 1% fee or 1-2 business days for no fee
Chargeback Fee	$25	$20
	Visit Site	Learn More

Stripe
Stripe started as an online-only credit card processor (though they do now offer a terminal for physical retailers). Stripe has a flat-rate fee and no monthly fee.

Stripe is known for its advanced tools which allow for complete customization of your checkout experience. However, you'd have to have a developer. So it may not be ideal for small e-commerce businesses that don't need advanced customization.

		StripeSquareVenmo
	Visit Site	Learn More
	Payline	Stripe
		SPECIAL OFFER Online Payment Processing - Learn More
	Benefits and Features
Monthly Fee	$10 per month for in-person processing $20 per month for online processing $10 per month for virtual terminal	No monthly fees
Good For	Businesses processing $5,000 or more per month	Online businesses; Customized checkout experience
Equipment	POS (EMV Chip & PIN, Magstripe, NFC/contactless), Mobile Payment Processing, Subscription Billing, ACH Payments, Online Processing	Online Processing, Terminal, Stripe for Marketplace & Platforms, Billing Services (subscription & invoicing)
Customer Service	Phone, Email	Phone (by request), Email, Live Chat, IRC
Pricing Model	Interchange-Plus	Flat rate (also offers customized pricing packages)
Swipe Rate	Interchange + 0.4% + $0.10	2.7% + $0.05
Online Rate	Interchange + 0.75% + $0.20	2.9% + $0.30
Keyed-in Transaction Fee	Interchange + 0.75% + $0.20	3.4% + 30¢
Deposit Time	Next business day	7-14 days after the first successful payment
Chargeback Fee	$25	$15
	Visit Site	Learn More
		Online Payment Processing

Bottom Line

No contract, easy cancellation, and low pricing makes Payline Data an attractive credit card processor for businesses of all sizes. They offer a wide range of low cost plans that can be tailored to any business need.

These days, it's crucial for a small business to be able to process credit cards. It's important to carefully review the different processors to find one that fits your needs. Compare the pros and cons of each company (including Payline) before making your choice.

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