Originating from Canada in 1990, First American Payment Systems is a merchant account provider headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The company is a registered ISO of Fifth Third Bank, Meta Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank. It operates under multiple DBAs, including First View, FirstAdvantage, Secur-Chex, Merimac Capital, First Fund ACH, and FirstPay.net. In 2016, the provider purchased the processing portfolio and the ISO accounts of Chase Commerce Solutions.
In 2021, First American Payment Systems was bought by Deluxe Payments but still operates under its own brand name. The company provides various processing services to most business types, including e-commerce, B2B, low-risk, retail, mobile, and MLM. It serves restaurants, thrift stores, gas stations, marketing agencies, gaming zones, convenience stores, and the CBD industry. Here is a complete First American Payment Systems review that will help you understand the company’s potential and customer base along with its pros and cons.
FAPS, regardless of providing some reasonable solutions, tends to attract inadequacy. To be taken seriously in the payment processing world, the provider must clear its reputation and improve its rating fast. Currently, there are more complaints against FAPS than positive reviews supporting it. Here is a First American Payment Systems review comparing the benefits it provides and the inconveniences it causes to its merchants to help businesses understand if the company fits their criteria.
First American Payment Systems Review Based on Features and Services
The company specializes in e-commerce payment processing but also facilitates mobile and brick-and-mortar companies. It provides solutions to make and accept payments and brings forth payment integration to help businesses evolve with advanced technology demands. The provider offers a user-friendly mobile app and terminal leasing to ensure ease and convenience.
FAPS accepts ACH and e-check processing and accommodates merchants with a payment gateway and API. Its services include an efficient POS system, treasury management, remote deposit capture, and updated developer tools. Merchants are offered gift and loyalty programs, cash advances, and useful features such as real-time reporting, next-day funding, and data breach insurance.
Integrated Payment Solutions
The provider frees merchants from the tiring process of manually entering transaction data by offering multiple integrated payment solutions. This service helps businesses reduce error, eliminates the need for hiring additional labor, and ensures calculation and transaction accuracy. Merchants can track and cross-reference their sales and analyze their top customers. This way, they can customize their offers for a specific audience and increase their sales. Additionally, businesses can avoid fraud and data breaches by eliminating manual entry.
E-Commerce Payments
The provider offers FirstPay.Net, an efficient payment gateway to accommodate online payments. Merchants without programming skills are offered a page builder feature to set up a website and sell their products. They can also provide a seamless checkout experience to their customers with shopping cart integration.
According to First American Payment Systems reviews, the company allows businesses to choose from various packages and templates that suit their requirements. It offers a recurring billing option to ensure timely payments and provides virtual terminals to accept online credit card payments from anywhere.
Mobile Payment Processing
With the M+ terminal, merchants can accept payments anywhere by installing a user-friendly app compatible with iOS and android. They can send email receipts and swipe the customer’s credit card. The app has a signature capture feature allowing merchants to take payments on the go. It is especially useful for a pop-up store. Furthermore, the company provides a FirstPayMobile POS system with lower cost and easy setup. It offers flexibility to businesses and speeds up transactions.
Check Processing
With Secur-Chex, merchants can process all checks and convert a paper check into an electronic check with FAPS check conversion. The provider offers a check verification service that detects potential danger when a merchant swipes the check through a reader or manually enters the information. By accessing the check guarantee feature, merchants are not held responsible in case of a check return and are provided the funds the next day when a check is returned due to insufficient funding.
Add-On Services
The First American Payment Systems reviews portray that the company offers several value-added services to facilitate business and help them design a better payment structure.
- Cash drawers
- Handheld countertop terminals
- Receipt printer
- Tablet stands
- Gift cards and loyalty programs
- Merchant cash advances
- ATM solutions
- Barcode scanner
First American Payment Systems Review Based on Cost and Contract Terms
Various First American Payment Systems reviews indicate that the provider binds merchants in a three-year contract with a $495 early termination fee. The company offers variable rates with a tiered pricing plan depending upon the agent setting up the account and the type of business in question. Merchants pay a $120 PCI compliance fee and can access a 48-month non-cancellable equipment lease. However, the lease is too expensive, and merchants should rather buy the equipment than lease it.
The company’s virtual terminal rate is 1.00% to 4.99%. Its estimated swiped and keyed-in rate is 1.00% to 4.99% per transaction. Reviews hint at a $25 and $20 monthly minimum and statement fee, respectively. These are the minimum estimate and can be higher. The provider is secretive about its rates; this is the only information available on the official website.
First American Payment Systems Review Based on Sales and Advertisement
The company’s marketing strategies are not competitive with the top-rated payment processors. It hires independent sales representatives and outside sales agents to market its services, and its promotion strategies attract higher-than-average customer complaints. Reviews show that the sales agents hired by the provider are undertrained and fail to provide quality customer service. Furthermore, FAPS’s association with some below-average companies and multiple business names causes trouble for merchants.
First American Payment Systems Review Based on Customer Support
The provider offers 24/7 domestic phone support, although its phone number is not publicly mentioned on the website. There is a customer support form for merchants to leave out their concerns and queries. The company’s customer service is nowhere close to a top-rated payment processor and receives numerous complaints.
First American Payment Systems Review Based on Reviews and Complaints
The provider has many complaints posted against it on multiple review sites, and merchants are unsatisfied with its services. A large percentage of these complaints accuse the company of being a scam.
According to First American Payment Systems reviews, there are over 150 negative reviews against the provider, some of which concern the company’s sales practices. Other complaints include unauthorized debits, misleading equipment lease terms, hidden charges, poor customer service, and high termination fees. The provider’s former employees have also posted negative reviews about its marketing strategies.
Better Business Bureau Report
The provider has received 61 formal and 24 informal complaints on its profile since its accreditation by BBB in 2015. Twenty-eight complaints concern service issues, 31 regarding billing, and the rest are related to the company’s sales tactics. Only 20 of these complaints were given any attention. In the informal reviews, merchants have complained that they face hidden charges and high termination penalties.
Unethical Marketing
The provider misleads its merchants and uses dishonest marketing tactics to attract customers. It trains its sales agents to provide misleading quotes, make false claims, and offer confusing information. Furthermore, FAPS does not provide consistency and forces unsatisfying sales experiences on businesses. Its promotional strategies are based on lies and deception.
Undisclosed Information
The company does not provide the necessary information and confuses merchants by offering limited disclosure. Merchants lack knowledge about FAPS contract terms and are deprived of price transparency. They are not guided about the company’s equipment lease terms and can not know if they can afford the provider. Consequently, businesses that take a chance on the provider are stuck in a long-term contract with an unsuitable payment processor.
Too Pricy
FAPS is too expensive for most businesses and charges a high termination fee for contract cancellation. The equipment lease is more expensive than the terminal and costs a fortune. Moreover, after the contract is signed, the provider demands a long list of charges that are not disclosed beforehand. This practice proves that FAPS takes advantage of its merchants and makes unjustified money at the expense of their lack of knowledge.
Considering the high complaint rate and unsatisfied services, the company’s overall rates are not justifiable.
Poor Customer Service
The company’s customer service is non-existent as it offers limited support options, which are mostly unavailable. Merchants are only offered a phone number and an online form which is not enough to satisfy the clients. Merchants are not offered live chat support and in-person assistance, and the company has not reserved an email address for merchants to reach out to.
Since one phone support number can only respond to a number of calls, most queries and complaints go unnoticed, causing further frustration and inconvenience for merchants.
Final Verdict
The First American Payment Systems reviews prove that the provider is not a reliable payment processor and can not be trusted. Multiple factors, including poor customer service, irresponsible marketing strategies, and unjust rates, prove that the company is not a suitable payment processor. Its auto-renewal terms are frustrating, and merchants are forced into keeping the contract as the company charges ridiculously expensive cancelation charges.
Merchants are advised to look for a trustworthy payment processor that offers complete transparency and prioritizes their needs. Businesses looking for a dependable and affordable service provider should be careful not to get tricked into signing contracts with FAPS.
