Table service with tips and higher tickets: cost and integration with your POS weigh more.
Weigh more here than in the overall ranking: 12-month cost of the reference restaurant, works with restaurant POS systems, offers dual pricing or a surcharge program, and works without the vendor's own POS. Weigh less here: what leaving in month 12 costs, contract term, no equipment lease you can't cancel, automatic renewal, and equipment works with another processor.
The ranking
Helcim
By Helcim
Helcim's interchange-plus pricing with automatic volume discounts: in person, interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ up to $50k a month, down to interchange + 0.15% + 6¢ at the highest volume. No monthly, PCI, statement or batch fee, month-to-month with no cancellation fee, and an optional credit card surcharge (Fee Saver) at no extra fee.
RTC SCORE
8.0
#1 for Full service restaurants
Pros
- Published interchange-plus markup with automatic volume discounts: 0.40% + 8¢ in person up to $50k a month, lower above that.
- No monthly, PCI, statement, annual or batch fee, and no cancellation fee: month-to-month.
- Fee Saver credit card surcharge with no program fee: your customers pay 3% on credit cards and you keep paying the normal rate on debit. In person it currently works only on the Helcim Smart Terminal.
Cons
- No integration with restaurant POS systems such as Toast, Square, Clover or Lightspeed is documented; in-person payments run on Helcim's own app and devices (or its terminal API).
- Online and keyed-in payments carry a higher markup: 0.50% + 25¢ up to $50k a month.
- Support isn't 24/7: phone Monday to Friday 7 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM, Mountain Time.
- Initial term
- Month to month
Strongest on 12-month cost of the reference restaurant, what leaving in month 12 costs, and standard deposit speed. Weakest on 24/7 support.
Dharma Merchant Services
By Dharma Merchant Services
Dharma's interchange-plus pricing for restaurants: interchange + 0.15% + 8¢ in person and + 0.20% + 11¢ online, with a $20 monthly fee; 0.10% and $15 above $100,000 a month or with an average ticket of $25 or less. No PCI, batch or annual fee, no early termination fee and $49 to close the account, plus an optional credit card surcharge for $25 a month.
RTC SCORE
7.8
#2 for Full service restaurants
Pros
- Published markup for restaurants: interchange + 0.15% + 8¢ in person, and 0.10% for high volume or tickets of $25 or less.
- A public table of every fee, with no PCI, batch, annual, AVS or monthly minimum fees.
- No early termination fee; leaving costs $49.
Cons
- A $20 monthly fee, and Dharma says it doesn't make sense below a few thousand dollars a month.
- The credit card surcharge costs $25 a month extra (or 0.12% on Clover), and debit stays at the normal rate.
- Both bank program guides it publishes state a 3-year initial term and let the bank set a reserve at its discretion and adjust your rates without notice if your volume or ticket change.
- Initial term
- 36 months
Strongest on 12-month cost of the reference restaurant, standard deposit speed, and what leaving in month 12 costs. Weakest on 24/7 support.
U.S. Bank Payment Solutions (Elavon)
By U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank's merchant services, processed by its subsidiary Elavon: 2.60% + 12¢ in person, 3.30% + 30¢ online and 3.50% + 15¢ keyed in for accounts opened online, POS plans from $0 a month and deposits within hours into a U.S. Bank checking account. Restaurant POS plans are set up with a specialist, and for those accounts U.S. Bank says rates may vary and other fees may apply. Elavon publishes $0 early termination fees, though its terms set a 3-year term.
RTC SCORE
7.1
#3 for Full service restaurants
Pros
- Deposits within hours, seven days a week, at no extra cost with a U.S. Bank business checking account.
- Elavon publishes $0 annual, batch, additional authorization and early termination fees.
- 24/7 phone support.
Cons
- Its Terms of Service set a 3-year term that renews for 2 years unless you give notice 30 days before it ends, even though U.S. Bank's POS page says its plans carry no long-term commitment.
- The published rates and fees are for accounts opened online; the POS plans for restaurants are set up with a specialist, and U.S. Bank says their rates may vary and other fees may apply.
- Fee changes take effect upon notice, and card network increases can be passed on.
- Initial term
- 36 months
Strongest on 12-month cost of the reference restaurant, standard deposit speed, and what leaving in month 12 costs.
Chase Payment Solutions
By JPMorgan Chase
Chase's merchant services. QuickAccept, which comes with Chase Business Complete Checking, charges 2.6% + 10¢ in person, 3.5% + 10¢ keyed in and 2.9% + 25¢ online, with no monthly fee and same-day deposits; standalone terminal accounts start at $9.95 a month and their contract terms aren't published.
RTC SCORE
4.7
#4 for Full service restaurants
Pros
- Publishes its rates and QuickAccept's full fee schedule: no monthly, PCI, statement or batch fees.
- Same-day deposits into your Chase business checking account at no extra cost.
- QuickAccept's terms have no minimum term or early termination fee, and fee changes come with 30 days' notice.
Cons
- QuickAccept only works with a Chase Business Complete Checking account ($15 a month unless waived, for example with $2,000 a month in QuickAccept deposits).
- The QuickAccept phone line is open weekdays only, not 24/7.
- The terms and other fees of standalone terminal accounts set up with an advisor aren't published.
- Initial term
- Month to month
Strongest on standard deposit speed, what leaving in month 12 costs, and published pricing. Weakest on 12-month cost of the reference restaurant.
Wells Fargo Merchant Services
By Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo's merchant services on Clover devices: 2.60% + 15¢ in person and 3.50% + 15¢ online or keyed in under $40,000 a month, lower from $40,000 and $80,000, plus $9.95 a month per location and a $10 monthly PCI fee. It publishes no early termination fee and deposits the next business day into a Wells Fargo account.
RTC SCORE
4.6
#5 for Full service restaurants
Pros
- Rates drop automatically as your monthly volume grows, in three published tiers.
- Publishes every fixed fee: $9.95 a month per location plus $10 for PCI, with no fees for chargebacks, downgrades or voice authorizations.
- No early termination fee or monthly minimum, per Wells Fargo.
Cons
- With equipment or a gateway not from Wells Fargo, in-person payments may be charged the online or keyed-in rate.
- Deposits arrive the next business day at the earliest, into a Wells Fargo business account.
- The terms behind the offer aren't linked from its pages, so the length of the term, renewal, holds and price-change rules aren't public.
- Initial term
- Month to month
Strongest on what leaving in month 12 costs, standard deposit speed, and published pricing. Weakest on 12-month cost of the reference restaurant.
Not enough verified data to rank
We only rank a processor once we've verified enough of its key facts. These are listed so you know we looked at them.
- Bank of America Merchant Services · Not enough data to score
- CardConnect · Not enough data to score
- Clover · Not enough data to score
- Heartland · Not enough data to score
- Payment Depot · Not enough data to score
- Shift4 · Not enough data to score
- SpotOn Payments · Not enough data to score
- Stax · Not enough data to score
- Toast Payments · Not enough data to score
- Xplor Pay (formerly Clearent) · Not enough data to score
This is general information about published contracts, not legal advice: read your own contract and check with a lawyer before you sign.