American Payment Systems: Reviews & Complaints

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How did they treat you? ▼

Company Overview

American Payment Systems is a medium-sized merchant account provider founded in 2001. The company provides services and credit card terminals that allow merchants nationwide to accept checks, credit cards, and debit cards. American Payment Systems (APS) appears to use First Data (now Fiserv) as its primary backend processor.

American Payment Systems Payment Processing

American Payment Systems processes all major debit and credit cards for most business types. Their services include EMV card readers and swipers, POS solutions from a wide number of POS creators, wireless processing, access to virtual terminals, and loyalty and rewards programs.

Location & Ownership

American Payment Systems is headquartered at 7025 S 115th St Plaza, #102, La Vista, NE 68128. The company is an MSP of First Data (Fiserv), i3 Verticals, TSYS, TransFirst, and Clearent. Jim Barnes is the company's owner and president.

American Payment Systems Customer Reviews

Here's What Their Clients Say

Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints <10
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint N/A
Recent Lawsuits No

Low Complaint Total

American Payment Systems is currently showing only a few public complaints on this website, one of which has to do with a negative telemarketing experience. This American Payment Systems review received a response from a company representative stating that the company does not engage in telemarketing of any kind. Since American Payment Systems seems to be reselling the services of First Data (Fiserv), it is possible that First Data (Fiserv) supplies customer service for American Payment Systems clients. This would likely result in the bulk of American Payment Systems complaints about customer service being directed at First Data (Fiserv) instead. If you have your own American Payment Systems review to make, please do so in the comments below.

American Payment Systems Lawsuits and Fines

We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against American Payment Systems. Dissatisfied clients who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.

American Payment Systems Customer Support Options

The American Payment Systems website lists a dedicated support phone number, a customer support form, and a support email address on its website. This arrangement suggests that American Payment Systems itself does not take on direct live support responsibilities, which precludes it from placing among the top-rated providers for great customer service. Given the absence of complaints filed against the company, however, we are awarding it an “A” at this time.

American Payment Systems Customer Service Number

Other Support Options

American Payment Systems Online Ratings

Here's How They Rate Online

Online Ratings Summary
BBB Reports 0

Under 5 Complaints

American Payment Systems has been an accredited business of the Better Business Bureau since 2001. The BBB is awarding the company an “A+” rating. Over the last 36 months, no complaints have been filed against American Payment Systems.

An “A” Performance

Considering the company’s low complaint total and resolution ratio, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.

American Payment Systems Fees, Rates & Costs

A Closer Look at The Contract

Cost & Fees Summary
Cancellation Penalties Yes
Monthly & Annual Fees Yes
Processing Rates Variable
Equipment Leasing Yes

Variable Contract Terms

As of this update, there is not a lot of publicly available information regarding the American Payment Systems rates or contract terms. Because the company appears to employ independent sales agents, certain contract provisions are likely to vary depending on the agent and the type of business.

It appears that American Payment Systems relies on First Data (Fiserv) for its processing and will therefore provide a standard contract very similar to the standard First Data (Fiserv) contract. Businesses that process up to $50,000 each month will receive a swiped rate of 2.69% plus $0.19 and a keyed-in rate of 3.69% plus $0.19. Businesses whose monthly charges exceed $50,000 will receive a swiped rate of 2.29% plus $0.19 and a keyed-in rate of 3.29% plus $0.19. A typical First Data (Fiserv) contract also includes an early termination fee of $495 and a monthly PCI compliance fee of $19.95. Business owners are advised to read their contracts carefully and remember that many fees are negotiable.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, American Payment Systems also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising its virtual terminal and payment gateway. According to the company’s website, its virtual terminal is hosted through a system called EFSNET services. However, pricing is not disclosed for this platform.  Additional rates and fees, including gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and additional transaction rates typically apply to these e-commerce services.

Equipment Lease Allegations

One complaint in the comment section of this review accuses American Payment Systems of leasing a $500 terminal for a total of $3,000 over the course of three years. These types of equipment leases are fairly common among First Data (Fiserv) resellers, but there is a chance that this complaint was actually intended for a different company called First American Payment Systems. For one thing, First American Payment Systems has been receiving complaints about its long-term equipment leases for years, while this is the only American Payment Systems complaint of its kind. For another, the American Payment Systems website lists the retail prices of its credit card terminals (sample amount: $349.99), which is a good sign that the company sells rather than leases equipment.

No Red Flags

The general absence of legitimate complaints filed against American Payment Systems indicates that most of its clients are satisfied with their pricing. However, businesses should not expect it to approach the savings offered by the cheapest merchant accounts without a little negotiation. If you have any knowledge of the company’s contract terms, please share that information in the comment section of this review.

We also encourage readers to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.

American Payment Systems Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs

Should You Work For Them?

Jobs & Marketing Summary
Uses Independent Resellers Yes
Telemarketing No
Misleading Marketing No
Discloses All Important Terms No

Outside Sales Team

APS appears to hire independent sales agents to market its services. This is a common practice in the industry that can often result in a sales force comprised of untrained, unregulated agents who fail to disclose important contract terms. As of this update, there are very few negative American Payment Systems reviews, so it would appear that the company oversees its agents with a greater degree of diligence than is typical of the industry. According to the company’s response to a complaint posted beneath this review, American Payment Systems does not utilize telemarketing as part of its sales strategy.

This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

No Deceptive Rates

APS also does not promote any misleading rate quotes or unrealistic guarantees in its official materials. If you suspect that the company is adding hidden fees to your contract, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate undisclosed charges.

Our American Payment Systems Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts

American Payment Systems rates as an above-average credit-card processing provider according to our criteria. Additionally, readers should note that a processor with a similar name, First American Payment Systems, has a much worse reputation and could easily be confused with APS in search results. Overall, there are nearly zero complaints about this provider, so businesses should feel comfortable using APS for their merchant accounts. To obtain the best deal, we recommend comparing APS’s pricing to that offered by top-rated overall credit card processors.

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Which is Most Important for You?

If you had to pick one, which quality would you say will be the most important with your next credit card processor? Tap or click your selection to register your vote:

  1. Low Transaction Fees
  2. No Monthly Fees
  3. No Contract
  4. Reliable Customer Support
  5. Quick Signup

Testimonials & Complaints

How Did American Payment Systems Treat You?

6 User Reviews

    • Jim Barnes

      American Payment Systems

      My American Payment Systems, Inc located in Omaha, Nebraska, for past 25 years has never had any contract terms. From day one, we have only offered MONTH-TO-MONTH contracts and have NEVER had any early termination fees. And we also have never just arbitrarily cancelled any of our merchants accounts. This is false information and probably has us mixed up with the other 5 or 6 companies in the U.S. that have also used the name American Payment Systems. We had our name trademarked so not sure how other companies are able to choose that name, but they have.
      Respectfully,
      Jim Barnes
      President/CEO
      (402) 502-9985
      [email protected]

  • eric nakamura

    American Payment Systems cold call and actually will harass you. I received 5 phone calls in a row from an agent who said, “If you’re listed, how can I be harassing you? She proceeded to say, I’ll keep calling until you listen to me.” It’s this type of company that you should not work with.

    • Jim Barnes - CEO

      Mr. Nakamura, I’m sure sorry you had a bad experience, but I can assure you it was not with my company American Payment Systems in Omaha, NE. My surety comes from the fact that w do not do any telemarketing whatsoever and never have. And being family owned for over 30 years I can also assure you that we never would allow any staff member of APS to talk with or conduct business with one of our merchants or even a prospective merchant in that manner. Again my apologies for your experience but it was not with my company.
      Jim Barnes – President / CEO American Payment Systems

      • Ronnie Herrera

        Jim Barnes – President / CEO American Payment Systems

        Your company just called me and portrayed themselves as the business above my merchant bc I have attained a new credit rating.

        The agent goes on to list my business to me as if he is familiar with me I ask him ok well who is my merchant? cold not answer that but stayed with that my credit score is great, he continues to try to book an appointment with me and I ask him is this a sales call he goes no not at all!

        so we book a time and at the end he ask what is my current check amount at? I tell him he does not need to know if this is not a sales call. more BS from him then I hang up.

        then a third call sure sounds like harassment, so 1. Tiffany called my business freaked out my employee by saying it was urgent that I call, She is so new I hear her beg the manager to please take the call then I talk to him he asked for check amount then I said no and hung up, 2. He calls me again, he asked again for the check amount I hang up on him again. 3. call from your company for a third time, she states that she is a floor supervisor and wants to clear things up, I ask her “are you above my current processing company” she says Yes! I ask really then why can you not name them bc we are a national company and they are a local company then says heartland I’m like nope. I flat out ask is this a sales call? she says no! but if you like what we have you may want to switch LOL!!!!!!!

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