Our Take
4.5
NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:
Payline is a payment processor that can accept most credit and debit card payments, e-checks and ACH transfers. Its affordable and transparent pricing helps business owners accurately calculate their payment processing fees, and it also works with high-risk merchants.
Payline
Payment processing fees
0.4% + 10¢ plus interchange in-person; 0.75% + 20¢ plus interchange online.
Monthly fee
$10.00 in person; $20 online.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No long-term contracts or cancellation fees.
- Free one-month trial.
- Works with high-risk merchants.
- 24/7 support.
Cons
- Charges separate monthly fees for online and in-person processing.
- Must reach out for hardware costs.
Full Review
Payline is a front-end processor, meaning it connects your business to credit card networks and provides authorization and settlement services with your merchant account. It supports both in-store and mobile payments, lets you choose from a variety of point-of-sale hardware options and offers third-party payment gateway options for e-commerce merchants. You can use it to accept credit, debit and electronic payments, process invoices and arrange recurring payments. It also has payment solutions for high-risk merchants, enterprise businesses and health care services.
Payline integrates with e-commerce platforms and shopping carts, including Shopify and BigCommerce, as well as QuickBooks for accounting. And if you have coding experience, its open API lets you integrate Payline’s payments system into additional software products, too.
In terms of security tools, Payline partners with Verifi’s Cardholder Dispute Resolution Network to offer fraud and chargeback protection. For extra security, Payline requires all customers to verify their CVV at check out and uses an AVS check system to confirm address information.
Generally, you can expect funds from your merchant account to be deposited into your business bank account by the next day.
Payline is best for businesses that:
- Are in high-risk industries: Payline doubles as a high-risk payment processor, making it an especially good solution for businesses in high-risk industries — like travel, CBD, tobacco, credit repair and vitamins — that have difficulty qualifying for a merchant account from a more conventional processor. However, since it creates custom solutions for these types of businesses, processing costs may be more expensive than those advertised for lower-risk businesses.
- Want to try it out before committing: Payline extends a one- to two-month free trial to qualifying businesses. And even if you decide it isn’t the right fit for your business after that, there are no termination fees.
Deciding factors
Payment processing model | Interchange-plus on top of a small monthly subscription fee. |
Payment processing fees |
|
Monthly fee |
|
Hardware cost | Payline offers a variety of POS hardware from Clover, NCR Silver, Vend and Oracle Micros. Merchants must contact Payline’s sales team for pricing. |
Contract length | Month to month. No fee to cancel. |
Customer support | 24/7 phone support, email support and online knowledge base. Clients get a dedicated account manager. |
Where Payline stands out
Works with high-risk merchants
Unlike some of its competitors, Payline supports both standard and high-risk businesses, though processing costs may differ between them. And since high-risk businesses are more susceptible to chargebacks, Payline’s services include a chargeback prevention platform, too. To get started, the processor provides you with a statement analysis, onboarding session and free trial.
No long-term contracts
Businesses subscribe to Payline on a month-to-month basis, and there are no cancellation fees if you decide it’s not the right fit. These flexible terms help the processor stand out among some of its competitors, like Dharma Merchant Services, which charges a $49 closure fee.
Free trial
Lots of payment processors refrain from offering free trials, but that’s not the case for Payline. The company extends one-month and two-month free trials to low-risk and high-risk merchants who qualify. This, in addition to the fact that there are no long-term contracts, help lessen the barrier to entry.
24/7 customer support
Payline provides 24/7 customer support, a dedicated account manager for each merchant account and a free onboarding session. Onboarding sessions are especially convenient, because you can use them as an opportunity to ask questions and walk through the user interface with a representative before your free trial is over.
Where Payline falls short
Separate online and in-person payment subscriptions
On top of its interchange-plus rates, Payline charges separate monthly subscription fees for online and in-person payment processing. This isn’t an ideal pricing situation for businesses accepting both types of transactions, since they’ll need to subscribe to both plans. This is why Payline is a better option for businesses that stick to only online transactions or only in-person transactions, but not both.
Not transparent about hardware costs
Payline is transparent about processing fees and monthly subscription costs, but not POS hardware pricing. The company lists its POS hardware options, which include mobile card readers and full POS systems, but requires potential clients to reach out to its sales team for more information.
Alternatives to Payline
Square
Why we like it: Square’s rates are a bit higher than Payline’s. However, Square doesn’t charge a monthly fee and provides a full range of POS hardware and software for a variety of businesses. If you want to have all your commerce needs met with one vendor, Square is a good way to go. Read our full Square POS review.
- $0 for Square POS, Restaurant, Retail and Appointments Free plans.
- $29 for Square Appointments Plus plan.
- $69 for Square Appointments Premium and Square Restaurants Plus plans.
- $89 for Square Retail Plus plan.
- $165 for Square Restaurant Premium plan.
- Custom pricing for Square Retail plan.
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
- 3.3% plus 30 cents for invoices.
- $0 for Square magstripe-only card reader ($10 for each additional reader) or if using Tap to Pay for iPhone (iPhone not included).
- $59 for Square Reader contactless and chip card reader.
- $149 for Square Stand iPad POS or Square Stand Mount (iPad not included; monthly financing available).
- $299 for Square Terminal mobile card reader with built-in printer (monthly financing available).
- $799 for Square Register two-screen system (monthly financing available).
PayPal Zettle
Why we like it: PayPal is one of the largest payment processors in the world, and its in-person transaction fees are similar to Square’s. Like Payline, it has solutions for brick-and-mortar and e-commerce merchants, plus mobile payments, invoicing and ACH transfers. PayPal also offers financing options, shipping services and a debit card. Read our full PayPal Zettle review.
$0.
- 2.29% plus 9 cents for in-person and QR code transactions.
- 3.49% plus 9 cents for manual-entry card transactions.
- 2.99% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with card).
- 3.49% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with PayPal).
- $29 for first card reader; additional readers cost $79. Price includes USB cable.
- $199 for terminal only.
- $239 for terminal with barcode scanner built in.
- $229 for Store Kit Mini (tablet stand with card reader and dock).
- $339 for Store Kit Portable kit with mobile card reader and printer.
- $479 for Store Kit Standard (tablet stand, card reader, dock and printer).
- $699 for Store Kit Plus (adds barcode scanner).
Methodology
NerdWallet’s ratings of payment processing providers rewards companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria.
Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including overall cost, hardware and software options, system capabilities, customer service, contract requirements and integrations. Learn more about how we rate payment processing providers.
These ratings are a guide, but fees, hardware, software and contract requirements can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
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