Established in 2001 in New Hampshire, Instabill is famous for working with high-risk businesses. This merchant account provider helps new startups grow and currently has almost 12,000 merchant accounts. High-risk and offshore businesses get essential payment processing features through Instabill. Instabill reviews all the problems and concerns of these companies and offers them a secure and dependable solution. Instabill supports businesses such as online gambling websites, nutraceuticals, tech support providers from Asian countries, and adult entertainment
Services of the Provider
Instabill claims its marketing is clean and authentic. It realistically advertises the services with justifiable charges. However, they are greater than low-risk account providers. From credit card processing to handling overseas accounts and providing ACH services, it assists users in various ways. Here is a review of their services;
International Accounts & Gateway
Dealing with overseas customers often means dealing across different currencies. This isn’t an easy task; several payment processors do not offer these services. Merchants who have to deal with overseas clients face several hurdles in their businesses regarding receiving payments. The same goes for overseas merchants providing services and products to clients in the US. Instabill reviews the needs and issues of such merchants and addresses them by offering various useful payment processing features.
High-Risk Accounts
High-risk merchants often face a problem when finding adequate and competent payment processors. Instabill has a reputation for giving quick approvals to such high-risk merchants. The provider commonly partners with merchants in the gambling or tech industry. The provider also welcomes medium-risk merchants with an even better acceptance rate.
Low-Risk Accounts
While the popular offerings of Instabill are their high-risk payment services, they also cater to low-risk merchants. However, low-risk merchants often avoid the processor as they charge higher than the industry average.
Credit Card Processing
Instabill handles debit and credit card processing through various methods. In-store payment processing through credit cards is possible as credit card terminals are available for rent and lease. But for the businesses that need a long-term solution, it is recommended to buy a terminal as it is more affordable. Instabill gives you the benefit of a virtual terminal and helps in processing secure mobile transfers. Online Payments are necessary for any e-commerce business, and Instabill processes online payments effectively. Instabill collaborates with many famous shopping carts to make this process seamless. To ensure PCI Compliance, the provider uses a secure hosted payment page on its server.
ACH Processing
One of the prime integrated features that Instabill offers is ACH processing. ACH transactions are smoother and more secure compared to credit card transactions. To minimize the security risks and encourage this payment method, Instabill provides ACH with lower processing rates.
Mobile EMV POS
Although it doesn’t offer in-house mobile processing solutions, it has a partnership with CardFlight to give its customers this service. But the merchant must have an account with CardFlight and buy their card reader and smartphone to process mobile payments.
Pricing
Instabill doesn’t mislead its customers. While the pricing information is not disclosed on its website, it provides all the information and reasons on its merchant page not to reveal it. Instabill has collaborated with various banks, and your fee directly depends on the bank in which you have an account. Merchants need to review all the terms carefully before signing up. Risk-prone businesses cost more, and there is always a high account setup fee and higher rates. The charges get lowered with the passing time based on your processing history with Instabill and account reputation.
Customer Support
While most companies outsource their customer service, Instabill has in-house customer support representatives. You’ll be getting professional customer support from experienced employees. This is available through phone support, e-mail, and chat service but only during business hours. Information and guidance are also available on their website that help the merchants understand the services before opening an account.
Security
It fulfills all requirements to attain PCI compliance for the merchants. Solutions, including the payment gateway, virtual terminal, and data encryption, are entirely up to PCI standards. Fraud prevention tools review fraudulent activities. AVS, Maxmind, and Visa 3D secure maximize the protection and security chances.
Downsides of the Instabill
There are few or almost no complaints filed against it. Instabill is an excellent option for high-risk accounts but not a perfect one. The company has fewer complaint rates. Still, users have some problems with it. Although Instabill answers all complaints against it in theory, there are some negatives aspects found in customer reviews;
Account Cancellations
Some merchants reviewed the cancellation of their account on Instabill. Recently Instabill provided its policy regarding it. It regularly contacts merchants to ask the detail about the services. The merchant’s account is canceled if the services fall under a restricted category. It is frustrating for merchants to cancel an account and restrict funds. If an account is prone to such restrictions, it should not be approved initially.
Holding Funds
Holding funds is the common complaint about merchant account providers who deal with high-risk businesses. Similarly, there are the same complaints regarding Instabill. Fund holds are among the most common complaints against the processor. It can be incredibly stressful, especially for smaller businesses. It can potentially break the business flow for a couple of months.
Overpriced
Instabill, as compared to other merchant account providers, is overpriced. Extra fees, additional funds, early termination fees, and higher prices are common complaints against Instabill. It is justified for high-risk accounts, as providing them with reliable payment solutions is very difficult. But for low-risk accounts, it is comparatively overpriced.
Conclusion
This Instabill review shows that Instabill might be a reliable option for high-risk merchants. Instabill has a decent reputation for high-risk merchants, but it is not the only answer.
Several other providers will give you phenomenal services at a lower rate than Instabill. There are several significant problems with the services of Instabill, and some of them are listed above. If you feel like you need a provider with a more dependable policy on account cancellations and withholding funds, you should look for other providers.