Updated on January 18, 2022

Analysis Rating

Quality & Features

Excellent

Rates & Fees

Excellent

Month-to-Month & Cancel Fees

Excellent

Transparency

Excellent

Customer Support

Excellent

Reviews:

Great

Save with Square when you take $5,000 or less per month in card payments

Fair and competitive pricing, month-to-month contracts and no hidden fees.

Dera Joseph | Jan 18, 2022 | Advertiser Disclosure

Payline Data Reviews: Payline Data Review, Features, Pricing, Comparisons & Complaints

reviews of payline data

When searching for the best credit card payment solution, you might come across Payline data services. Payline Data is a payment processor based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and known for its hassle-free upfront interchange-plus payment pricing structure. Payline is also a Pineapple Payments company, so you can expect superb payment solutions tailored to diverse business environments. You don’t have to worry about contractual fees, cancellation fees, setup, or application fees. There are also no hidden fees and they guarantee the lowest rates. Another reason Payline Data is a popular choice is that it donates 10% of its profits to providing funding for diverse non-profit organizations.

Payline is also a registered Independent Sales Organization (ISO) and acts as a financial service platform for huge clients and an aggregator for small clients. This means they cover a lot of customer ground. It’s no wonder they handle over 33.3 billion transactions for over 240,000 merchant accounts, making them one of the most popular payment processors in the U.S.

They also offer free 1099K reporting which is now a necessity in 2022 for freelancers, independent contractors, small business owners, e-commerce merchants (including eBay, Amazon, and Etsy sellers). However, there’s a lot more you must consider before selecting your ideal payment processor.

In this Payline data review, we will talk about Payline data’s fees, payline data login, payline phone number, and entire customer service. To access payline data reviews, we will also evaluate numerous customer reviews including positive and negative reviews about Payline data to help you get a clearer and unbiased picture of what you get from Payline Data.

Payline data review overview – Payline definition

The first thing you need to know in this payline data reviews page is that Payline operates as a front-end processor. This means Payline Data would work on your behalf to process all credit, debit, online, ACH payments, and lots more. What’s more, it also means that they connect you to credit card networks, and handle the authorization and settlement services for your merchant account. Beyond this typical definition of a front-end processor, they also provide diverse solutions depending on the nature of your business and the channels you use. Generally, there are solutions for in-store, online and mobile payments, non-profit, franchises, high-risk merchants, enterprise businesses, and healthcare services.  You can also expect other features such as invoicing, automated clearing house (ACH) payments, and point-of-sale systems as well.

A snapshot of payline data reviews

At its core, the best thing about Payline data is its highly responsive customer support and fair prices. Lots of positive customer reviews also talk about their easy-to-use payment software solutions that are beginner-friendly.  Some customers especially talk about their extensive support for diverse mobile payment channels including Apple Pay, Android, and Samsung Pay. There are also no setup fees, cancellation fees, or early termination fees which makes Payline data one of the best out there. Another reason Payline data stands out as one of the best payment service providers is that they don’t use pushy or confusing marketing tactics. Their website and representatives are entirely professional and transparent.

Overall, they present a decent reputation in terms of features, software, and hardware solutions. But we always recommend reading the fine print and calculating the actual processing fees you will pay within your unique business environment before selecting any payment processor. Once you sign up with Payline Data, you authorize the company to process credit cards, ACH, debit cards, and e-check transactions to deliver whatever funds you earn to your bank account. Depending on the nature of your business and the sales channels you use, there are a variety of ways to ensure that you can accept any type of payment. Payline Data offers solutions for online, mobile, and in-store payment.

Payline data credit card processing solution – pros and cons

Pros

  • Monthly contracts that can be canceled at any time without additional fees
  • 24/7 Payline data phone number support
  • Robust guides, tutorials, and a dedicated blog to ensure you maximize the impact of Payline on your business
  • Payline data offers a free calculator to determine the unique fees your business would pay for using this payment processing solution.
  • Payline partners with Verifi’s card holder dispute resolution network to offer fraud and chargeback protection.
  • Specialist payment option with hassle-free HIPAA compliance for healthcare companies.
  • Payline gives you access to diverse hardware solutions from different brands, which means you have control over all the equipment you choose to use.
  • Payline data’s Interchange pricing structure with payments between 0.2% + 10 cents per transaction and 0.4% cents + 20 cents per transaction. This flat-rate pricing structure helps keep your financial records straight and simple.
  • Software cost begins from $10 per month
  • Payline data’s gateway interface is also user-friendly.

Cons

  • Must meet a minimum processing requirement of $25.
  • Customer support only available from Monday to Friday
  • No 24/7 support which can be a big deal for restaurant businesses
  • You must purchase equipment separately.
  • No access to business management tools

Who can use payline data merchant services?

As said earlier, Payline Data caters to a variety of clients ranging from high-risk establishments to low-risk merchant solutions. It’s one of the superb credit card payment solutions that offer an upfront, interchange-plus pricing solution to diverse businesses. Nevertheless, let’s talk about the different businesses that can use Payline data service in detail.

1.     Non-profits and educational businesses

Payline Data is an ideal payment processing solution for non-profits and educational establishments. You can access plug and play solutions including discounted processing rates and a full in-house support at your beck and call. Payline Data gives you everything you need including hardware options to take both online and in-person payments flawlessly. That way you no longer have to suffer through donations. You can have them collected by adding the Payline data gateway to your website or shopping cart.

2.     Medical offices

Healthcare businesses require a stringent HIPAA compliant payment processing at all costs.  Patients want to know that their transactions are simple, seamless and secure. With Payline Data, healthcare businesses can look forward to iron-clad security supported by the latest technology. Payline Data stands out for being one of the most affordable solutions for healthcare businesses while ensuring they remain compliant. Payline Data makes it possible to accept larger transactions ($10,000 and above) through all hosted payment channels including ACH. You will also love the simple easy-to-navigate payment dashboard where you can view all transactions, and toggle between a variety of reports to keep an eye on the financial health of your business. Healthcare businesses will also benefit from free hardware, valued at $16,000 with a three-year contract.

3.     Brick and mortar establishments

If you own a grocery store, gas station, retail store, and lots more, you can enjoy using the Payline solution. Payline Data makes it easier to accept all card-present and card-not-present transactions using Payline’s flexible hardware solutions at an affordable and flat price. Again, their processing fees are one of the lowest, so growing businesses can truly benefit from using this solution.

4.     Franchises

Having a unified payment processing solution for your franchise is a challenge. This is because you deal with a multitude of potential costs. The costs vary for accepting pin or swiped transactions. It also varies according to the card type (Visa, MasterCard, etc) used. All these processing fees can add up and make your financial records a mess to navigate. With Payline Data you pay a fixed and flat interchange pricing. That way you have an idea of your revenue and processing costs ahead of time while working hard to keep your costs lower. Payline Data’s interchange pricing formula is also reputed to help you rake in enormous savings as they are one of the lowest in the industry.

5.     High-risk merchants

Payline Data simplifies the process of getting a merchant account for high-risk merchants. Presently, they don’t fully cover all high-risk merchants. In truth, you won’t be working directly with them. So expect a higher processing rate and stricter contract term than advertised. You will be working with their partner merchant service provider SMB Global, which is also reputed to be one of the best high-risk merchant account providers. This actually looks confusing since Payline data still advertises high-risk accounts on their website, but in truth, you will be sent to their partner. Expect, however, that they cover merchants in travel, high ticket and large delivery times, tobacco, CBD, vitamins/supplements credit repair, collection agencies, adult industries, and e-cigarette sellers. Simply contact Payline today to get started and enjoy access to seamless processing solutions tailored to your unique environment.

6.     E-commerce establishments (or Omnichannel brands)

Payline data is also a suitable credit card processing solution for omnichannel brands that want to provide all forms of payments for their customers. With Payline data, you can receive payments online, via direct mail, online ads, and off-course in-person. With Payline’s online payment processing system, you can expect your payment options and enjoy ease of use, convenience, and optimal security. Presently, Payline data is offering new e-commerce merchants, 2 months free trial to get a taste of the system. That’s an amazing offer. Nevertheless, you should contact their sales team to confirm if you are the right fit.

In the same vein, you might not consider Payline Data the best if you are a very small business with low sales volume or a business that processes international sales. If you don’t like paying a monthly fee (although there’s is one of the most affordable), you can consider choosing Square.

Business products and services by payline merchant services

Merchant accounts

Payline Data offers a full-service merchant account with a unique merchant ID number for your business. The company currently uses Worldpay as its primary back-end processing. WorldPay is one of the world’s largest and most reputable back-end processing companies. So you are in good hands. However, if your hardware solutions are Clover devices, you might expect Fiserv to handle some of your back-end processing.

Payline data gateway review

One of the most unique products that Payline Data offers is its payment gateway. Payline data gateway is remarkably flexible. With Payline Data, you can choose to use either the NMI, CardPointe or Authorize.net gateway solutions. This is a necessary tool for all e-commerce merchants wishing to accept payments online. This in-house solution can integrate with diverse shopping carts and e-commerce platforms including BigCommerce and Shopify. With a gateway, you can use it for accepting credit debit and electronic payments, processing invoices, and arranging recurring payments.

Virtual terminals

The Virtual Terminal from Payline gives merchants tremendous flexibility.  It supports multiple payment methods, such as credit cards (including business credit cards), debit cards, and ACH.  The Virtual Terminal allows merchants to process transactions anywhere in the world from web-enabled devices.  It is fast and efficient. Merchants can use encrypted card readers for added security. Merchants can use Check scanning devices, so they can accept and process multiple checks.  This helps them prevent expensive mistakes associated with typos.  This also opens up the door to make more money. Merchants can also set up a “Customer Vault” for highly sensitive customer data, which can be used for future or recurring billing situations.  The default Virtual Terminal is actually CardPointe, but you can also request an unbranded version. Both store customer data, set up recurring billing, tailored reporting, send invoices, accept ACH payments, and access support directly.  Beyond that, Payline data virtual terminal also works suitably for enterprises. It provides everything from a unified dashboard to storing customer data securely. You can also create custom receipts for diverse scenarios.

Mobile payment solutions

Payline Data has a fantastic program, Cardpointe mobile POS system. that provides safe and secure mobile processing.  The first thing to know is that Payline has the lowest rates in the industry for this service.  It’s all quite very easy.  Payline’s Mobile Payments program converts your cell phone into a secure Point of Sale (POS) terminal that can take even Android, Samsung, and Apple Pay.  You can use all kinds of smartphones, regardless of the brand or make.  It also works for both Android, IOS, and even tablets. All you need is the Payline data card reader and Payline mobile applications (downloaded from Google or Apple play store) to get started. The mobile reader is portable and compatible with the apps. Together they allow you to securely accept all kinds of payments.

This enables you to have a secure, easy-to-use, and efficient process where you can process electronic transactions on your mobile phone.  And, when the merchant uses Payline Data’s card reader, the merchant can also qualify for the best rates available. You can choose from diverse hardware device offerings including tap, swipe, and chip capabilities. You will also love that the payline mobile app allows you easily filter and pull reports to manage all transactions. It’s also efficient for setting up recurring billing, alongside dealing with a void, refund, and surcharge scenarios.

Credit card terminals

Payline Data offers a wide variety of hardware solutions from Clover, FD, Verifone, IDTech, Ingenico, and lots more.  So you have a wide variety of solutions for your in-store payments. If you already have a POS and only need a terminal. Payline also provides other options for you. Your terminals will also work with the Payline online dashboard allowing you to maintain real-time vigilance overall activities.

Nevertheless, Payline advertises offering ‘free’ terminals. This doesn’t mean you own the terminals. The reality is that you will return the terminal promptly if you decide to close your account. However, there are terms and conditions such as the possibilities of a stringent locked-in contract. So you should always read the fine print before accepting such an offer.

Point-of-sale (POS) solutions

Before now, Payline was known for offering Clover hardware and POS solutions. Now you can choose from many different POS companies including Clover, Oracle/Micros, NCR, Vend, and lots more. That way, it’s quite possible for the payline processing system to work with your existing setup. You won’t have to change your existing POS. You may only be required to change the system for your back-end. Payline advertises that they can also help tailor their software to a myriad of hardware devices not listed on their website. But we always recommend contacting the sales representative to have a clear picture of your compatibility power.

Again, you will have to purchase these POS solutions separately from your Payline contract. But it’s also possible to get the machine for ‘free’ from Payline. By free, we mean, you will have the machine for as long as you are on the platform. If you decide to change your payment processor, you might have to return it. Regardless, we always recommend consulting with the sales representative if you decide to use this option.

ACH payment solutions

Payline data ensures that you can enjoy dedicated solutions for processing ACH payments. With Payline data, you can reduce your paper footprint by doing away with checks and frequent trips to the bank. Payline ACH solutions are also encrypted to mitigate the possibilities of identity theft as there is no need for paper statements. Plus you will love that your ACH processing costs are less than $0.10 per transaction due to batch processing as against processing a paper check. This notable cost reduction adds up to help your business maximize revenue. Beyond that, the Payline ACH network ensures you can convert your customers faster, reduce the frustrations of accepting recurring payments, and lots more.

Other features by payline data as best credit card processing solutions

Next day funding

Another feature that makes Payline Data one of the best is that you can receive your funds deposited to your business bank account. This payline fund strategy allows you to sustain your cash flow for running your business.

Dedicated account manager

One of the most fascinating things that makes Payline data stand out from the crowd is the ability to provide a dedicated account manager to work with you every step of the way, from onboarding to support.

Chargeback prevention and fraud protection

Payline Data also offers a variety of features tailored to help you present fraudulent transactions and minimize chargebacks to your account. The company partners with Verifi and Ethoca to provide specialized programs for real-time protection. Some of these features you can expect to include CVV verification to authenticate the verification number at the back of your customer’s card, address verification, and easy configuration of filters to determine and differentiate suspicious transactions from legitimate ones.

Diverse software integrations

Payline Data also integrates with diverse POS systems and e-commerce platforms. Presently, Payline can work with over 175 shopping cart options and counting. Concerning e-commerce platforms, you can use payline data to accommodate platforms like Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce. You can also integrate accounting software solutions such as QuickBooks which is a fascinating advantage. DO realize that even as this integration is free, you still have to pay for QuickBooks. 

Payline API

Developers will also love the API that Payline Data offers for integrating Payline’s payment system into other software products.

Invoicing and recurring billing

Recurring payments are now a fixture for every business. Loyal customers want to be able to buy from you repeatedly without the hassles of entering their credit card details.

Payline data provides you with secure and compliant software for storing sensitive customer data securely. This allows you to store and tokenize your customer payment information with their secure storage. That way your loyal customers can conveniently purchase your products repeatedly. It also provides an avenue for consistent payment processing using expanded, traditional, or modifiable eCommerce processing.

Small business loan (Payline fund)

Payline data offers small business loan through the Payline Capital program. It works just like a student loan refinance scheme but in this case, it’s for businesses. To get started, simply go to your payline data login page, sign in to your merchant account, and request accessing financing from the company. Once you fill the form made available to you, you become eligible to receive business credit from over 75 vetted lending partners including Lendio. You will be presented with diverse options and once you make the selection, you can access the funds within 24 hours. If you ever checked the personal loans compare against others page, then you will be able to navigate Other loan options you can access besides business credit, are merchant cash advances, equipment financing, term loans, and even equipment financing.

Payline data pricing

Payline data stand out from the crowd for its super transparent disclosure of their pricing structure.

Payline Data offers a flexible pricing structure based on the type of card your customer uses, the average ticket amount, and the volume you control every month. At its core, it’s a gorgeous interchange plus structure and dependent on three main factors;

One, is your customer coming to you in person or paying online?  Two, what is the average ticket amount?  Three, what is the average monthly payment volume you expect? They are very above board.

But then it even gets better. Not only can you quickly see their typical rates for processing different payments right there on their website, but you can also even use their unique calculator to define what happens in your unique environment. All you have to do to estimate your business’s monthly fee is use the free calculator, enter the payment method you wish to check (in person or online), average transaction amount, average payment volume, and calculate. But then let’s breakdown the typical Payline data fees you should expect:

In-person payment transaction rates

This works for merchants who take payments using in-store POS systems, countertop readers, and mobile readers. Generally, your software cost should begin from $10 per month. Concerning payment processing cost, you pay an interchange rate plus 0.2% plus 10 cents.

Online payment transaction rates

This works for e-commerce merchants or any business accepting payment online. Again using the Payline data software costs $20 per month. Concerning credit card payment processing costs you pay an interchange rate plus 0.4% plus 20 cents.

Medicals and non-profits qualify for a reduced rate of $10/month for software and processing cost of interchange rate plus 0.1% plus 10 cents.

All plans include a payments page, middleware account, virtual terminal, payment gateway, solutions engineer/account manager, and Quickbooks integration. Nevertheless, Payline data’s minimum fee requirement is to meet a $25 minimum fee and transaction volume of $1,500.

Please note that the interchange rate is always fixed by Issuing Banks and is not dependent on your payment processor. The interchange rate is also the same for all businesses as well. There might also be another variable cost called assessment fee which is a flat transaction fee usually associated with cards such as Visa and MasterCard.

Other payline fees

Typically, you pay for using the Payline Data software to power your system, alongside fees whenever you process any payment. Beyond that Payline does not require you to pay a setup fee, application fee, or setup fee. You don’t also pay a cancellation fee or early termination stipends. However, you might be required to pay $25 for chargeback fees (a standard across the industry).  Again all Payline plans include PCI compliance at no extra cost to you. But you may pay a PCI non-compliance fee if ever you allow your account to become non-compliant. 

Overall, Payline data fees are pretty decent for small to medium-sized businesses with incredibly low fees and free equipment (or software) which means your overall costs will be significantly less than other competing providers. Conveniently, Payline data currently waives the first month free for new merchants, so you can go over the first statement with the account manager and ensure you are comfortable with the fees/rates.  Regardless, we always recommend carefully reading every contract document before signing up to ensure you have a clear view of what you are signing up for.

Do also note that the company’s pricing structure has changed over time. Before now they offered different pricing plans. But they recently simplified their pricing to feature interchange rates for ‘in-person’ and ‘online’ transactions to offer a flat-rate and straightforward financial outlook.

Hardware fees

Another fee you might be concerned about is how much you pay to use hardware devices offered by Payline. Unfortunately, Payline provides no proprietary hardware solutions. You will have to purchase your hardware from their partner’s hardware companies such as Ingenico, Clover, and lots more. But this is in reality a sweet advantage. This ensures you can use your existing hardware without needing to purchase a new one. If you buy hardware too and wish to stop using Payline in the future. You can simply move on to a new provider without also purchasing new hardware as well.

Payline data customer service & technical support

Payline Data Customer Service is provided by in-house staff. However, you can access them through email and the payline data phone number from 8 AM until 5 PM (CST), Monday through Friday. Naturally, we would want to have access to 24/7 telephone support which helps for inevitable after-hour emergencies, we hope for such support in the future. At the time Payline focused on delivering top-notch customer support during working hours.  Their customer representatives are extremely well-trained about the types of businesses that their customers own and manage.  You can also use their handy FAQ on the company’s website for clarifying a few details. However, their FAQ isn’t currently a full-blown knowledge base, which we might consider more beneficial. However, developers will love the extensive API reference available.

Concerning technical support, if you are using any of Clover solutions, you can expect robust technical support handled directly by Clover that is also available 24/7.

Payline data reviews

Payline data negative review & complaints

Payline data earns great ratings.  For example, they have an “A” rating from the Better Business Bureau (since 2014) and they are rated “A+” by www.cardpaymentoptions.com a leading organization in the card payment space. They also have a low complaint volume, which is a great indication for a company of its size. On BBB they only have about 4 negative reviews in the last three years. However, here are common complaints and negative reviews we found:

  • Sales tactics: Though an isolated event, one customer complained about being offered an additional service if they signed up for Payline data.
  • Fees: Older reviews talk about changes in fee structure which changed in 2019 when the company introduced monthly fees. There are no recent complaints about their payment fees.
  • Customer service: Although the company seems all-around responsive to customer complaints, there are a few cases where customers expressed frustrations about not getting their issues solved timely.
  • Account freezes & holds: THis is a common complaint about any merchant account provider. However, if you take time to read the contract carefully and honestly then it’s possible to minimize the chances of that happening. Nevertheless, funding hold or rolling reserve isn’t caused by your merchant service provider but the issuing bank and back-end processor.

Payline data reviews & testimonials

Payline Data doesn’t advertise its customer’s testimonials enough, which is why you won’t find them on their website. They only advertise unique business cases on their website and YouTube channel. A business use case , in this case, is given by a Payline employee on behalf of the businesses they represent. This kind of testimonials help newer businesses have clearer expectations of what to expect, but we often prefer raw, unscripted testimonials by the actual clients. Regardless, of the customer reviews we found, here are some of the central themes:

  1. Prompt customer service: A good number of customers raved about how responsive Payline is to their issues, concerns, and questions. Customers also praised their dedicated onboarding and application process which is super-efficient.
  2. Get software solutions: Although Payline data software solutions aren’t as robust as Square, most customers praise that the solutions they actually provide, especially their mobile payment service, are outstanding.
  3. Fair and transparent rate: Payline may not offer the lowest prices but their interchange-plus pricing is super competitive and transparent.
  4. A good number of integrations: Customers also talk about the benefits of being able to use a huge number of software integrated with their payment processor which is seamless.

Getting started with payline data – payline login

Of course, the first step to enjoying this payment solution would be signing up. However, we do recommend using their free calculator to get an idea of your processing costs before moving forward. Payline also provides a rate compare current payment processors chart where you can view what you stand to gain for choosing them against their competitors such as Paypal, Square, and Stripe. Once you have an idea of what you pay for choosing Payline, go ahead and fill their online application form. You will be required to provide information such as your business website URL, business legal name, business phone number, type of business ownership, business industry, and lots more. Recently, using 3rd payment processors equally means ensuring that your 1099k form is filled by them and submitted to the IRS on your behalf. So, Payline will also request your federal Tax ID as well.  Once you have submitted your carefully filled online form, Payline customer support will reach out to you to begin the onboarding process. Don’t forget to ask questions and read the fine print before moving forward with any contract or agreement.

Concluding thoughts

Payline Data is an excellent choice if you consider the superb pricing and great customer support. You will also love the month-to-month billing structure, no gateway fees,  and no cancellation or early termination fees.

Overall, their processing fees are one of the lowest in the industry, but not the lowest entirely. So it might still be expensive for some businesses. We always recommend running the numbers to see how using this payment processor affects your own business. Fortunately, Payline data-free calculator is a gorgeous tool for that purpose.

Frequently asked questions about payline data

Is Payline legit?

Payline Data is a good credit card processor for any retail business. Their competitive pricing encompasses both small and medium-sized businesses, making them of incredible value.

How does Payline work?

Payline is a front-end processor which means they help you work directly with your customers. However, their backend processing is typically handled by another organization.

Is First Data Corp legit?

First Data or Fiserv is a large merchant service provider known for its variety of POS solutions. Fiserv provides the Clover hardware solutions that Payline offers to you.

What is a merchant credit held for review?

One of the most devastating circumstances is if your processing bank (not merchant account service provider) decides to freeze your merchant account. This incident usually happens if you have had excessive chargebacks, or your business is considered ‘too high-risk”. Usually, your contract should stipulate this move. When the account is frozen, you won’t be able to access the account and make a deposit for an undisclosed amount of time. So it means you can’t accept new credit card transactions and your income from recently processed transactions may take weeks before they are deposited. Do realize that holds are slightly different. In that case, you may continue accepting cards. In this case, only the money from a specific or a group of credit sales will be held for some time. Holds happen when your processing bank finds you breaking part of your agreement or are investigating chargebacks or suspected fraudulent activities. Also, note that holds are different from rolling reserves and ACH delays. They are usually requirements imposed upfront as a condition for providing a merchant account to your business.

Payline versus Square

Payline Data offers a more affordable rate than Square. However, Square doesn’t charge a monthly fee and you might access a robust array of proprietary POS software and hardware that Payline Data lacks. Nevertheless, Payline Data gives you the flexibility to integrate with diverse software solutions. This is lacking in Square because you have to contend with having all your commerce needs handled by one vendor.

Who uses Payline Data?

Although Payline Data accommodates a variety of businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 500s, their larger customer databases are from small businesses and e-commerceClover’smerchants.

Square, Best Choice
for Low Volume
Credit Card Processing

Starting at 2.6% + 10¢ per swipe for Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.


"*" indicates required fields

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 1 GB.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.