Clearent is a merchant account provider with its own proprietary payment gateway and virtual terminal, and TSYS provides after-hours support.
Clearent acquired Payment Alliance International’s merchant services division in January 2017, merged it with FieldEdge in March 2018, and acquired a dry cleaning POS provider in July 2018.
Clearent is a payment processor that offers many features such as DataGuardian data-breach protection, PayTrace to reduce B2B processing fees, Compass online reporting, and Empower.
The standard Clearent contract has an annual fee of $59.95 and a PCI non-compliance fee of $24.99 per month.
Clearent offers payment processing services for storefront merchants, as well as a virtual terminal and payment gateway.
We found reports that Clearent has a $295 early termination fee, but the company has received reports that it can be cancelled for free at any time.
“Regulatory” fees are not standard within the industry, as they are charged only when a processor requires the merchant to pay for mandatory IRS reporting.
Several reviews accuse Clearent of being a scam or ripoff and describe withheld funds and denied applications. However, many merchants praise the company’s transparent pricing and inexpensive contract terms.
Clearent has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has had 26 complaints filed against it in the last 36 months. Only 11 complaints were resolved.
Clearent appears to use both in-house and independently contracted sales agents to market its services. Independent sales agents tend to get less training and oversight than W2-employed reps.
Clearent’s response to complaints is that it apologizes for agents’ failure to fully explain contract terms, and attempts to resolve issues to the satisfaction of the merchant.
Clearent is a reliable processor with competitive contract terms and a low complaint rate, but it could improve its overall rating by removing its $49.95 annual regulatory fee.
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