FlashBanc Review

• Introduction and History
• Processing Platform
• Types of Payments Accepted
  • Check Processing
• Equipment
  • POS Systems
  • Payment Gateway and Online Payments
  • Portable Credit Card Machines
• Other Services
  • Loyalty
  • Merchant Cash Advances
• Contracts and Costs
  • Cancellation Fees
• Customer Reviews

Introduction and History

FlashBanc, LLC is a supplier of electronic payments technology and loyalty marketing software that provides solutions for both brick-and-mortar and ecommerce businesses. The company’s menu of offerings includes debit and credit card processing; point-of-sale (POS) products; mobile payment technology; check acceptance; payment gateways for ecommerce sites; gift card and loyalty programs; as well as terminals and other hardware. FlashBanc can also accept payments made through Apple Pay, when paired with the Clover Station. All solutions and products the company offers are PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant.  

FlashBanc, a registered ISO of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., was co-founded by Michael Gross and Jason Wright in June 2008.

Processing Platform

FlashBanc operates on the First Data platform. Website copy proclaims “we are powered by First Data, a global technology and payments processing leader with more than 6 million merchant locations”

That means the company is a “reseller” of First Data’s payment processing services, as well as its equipment. However, it also works with other processors such as TransFirst, TSYS and Vantiv.

Types of Payment Accepted

FlashBanc can accept payments made with cards from the most widely used card networks, including American Express, Diners, Discover, JCB, MasterCard and Visa. With a touch of humor, the company promises “no hidden fees or monkey business…unless of course you’re in the monkey business; just honesty, integrity and commitment.”

The company enables payment acceptance through all common methods, including in-person using POS systems and credit card machines, online, or over the phone.

Check Processing

FlashBanc can accept and process paper checks just as if they were card payments. This means that two important stages in processing checks – verifying the customer has sufficient funds and depositing the funds – can be done electronically. FlashBanc makes accepting paper check payments as simple as accepting card payments. This avoids the risk of bounced checks and “not sufficient funds” fees. 

Equipment

When it comes to equipment, you’ll have a number of choices, including universal options that work with multiple processors. (This is a great choice if you think you may want to switch processing companies in the future.)

The company markets First Data’s Clover line of point-of-sale (POS) products, but also other products, such as the FD130 and PaxS80, from other vendors.

There are terminals of many types available, including for store-front locations where the credit card is going to be physically present and swiped and terminals where the transaction is ‘keyed’ in or manually entered. Most terminals have built in printers and will communicate through a standard phone line, or in some cases via an internet connection. FlashBanc sells equipment and does not engage in leasing.

POS Systems

For brick-and-mortar businesses, FlashBanc offers the Clover POS system to allow you to accept payments smoothly, track inventory and revenue, analyze customer transaction data to assist marketing strategy, as well as internal issues, such as managing employees. However, if you don't need a full point of sale solution, you can also choose from credit card terminals, including portable options for on-the-go payment acceptance. 

Payment Gateway and Online Payments

FlashBanc enables secure online payment acceptance for ecommerce businesses through payment gateways. A payment gateway is the counterpart to a card terminal at a brick-and-mortar business. On a website, it can be integrated with an online shopping cart. A shopping cart allows website visitors to pick and choose the items they wish to purchase. The shopping cart function then collects the customers address, prices the product with applicable taxes and shipping; ultimately connecting to a payment gateway to process the credit card order.

A payment gateway is a remotely hosted software application that transmits transaction data (either from your website or from a virtual terminal where you manually enter or key in transactions) to a credit card processor. Data is forwarded to the gateway via your shopping cart and a secure (SSL) connection.

FlashBanc’s “payment gateway of… choice” is Authorize.Net, the most popular universal gateway. Authorize.net offers a robust feature set, and includes a virtual terminal for manual entry. With Authorize.Net, businesses using FlashBanc can accept online payments securely. Additionally, you’ll have the option of setting up a “virtual terminal” to accept phone payments with Authorize.

Looking for an alternative to Authorize.Net? FlashBanc also supports the NMI, TrustCommerce, and USAePay gateways.

If you’re taking payments over the phone, you’ll still use a gateway but you’ll add a virtual terminal. A virtual terminal is a web-based platform designed to accept card payments. The main difference between the two is that a payment gateway has a customer-facing interface, while virtual terminals typically used to accept telephone orders entered by your staff.

With FlashBanc, you get a “virtual terminal” which gives you the ability to manually process any credit card order anywhere, as long as you have access to the internet.

Portable Credit Card Machines

For businesses on the go, a portable credit card machine offers an easy and secure way to take cards. Available options include built-in PIN pads and printers that are ideal for street vendors, trade shows, conferences, and food delivery services. FlashBanc’s wireless payment solutions allow fast, secure, error-free transactions and can support a variety of payments, such as debit, credit and gift cards, as well as marketing services like loyalty cards. Presently, FlashBanc offers two mobile POS terminals, the FD410 and Verifone Vx680.

The FD410 is a wireless, hand-held point-of-sale solution that provides a full range of payment options. The device has a touch-screen interface, which makes learning its capabilities and using it easy. The FD410 can accept payments made by debit and credit card; gift cards; paper checks, and even electronic benefits transfer (EBT) transactions. It has a “store-and-forward” capability, so you can ensure card-present rates when there is no signal at the time of the transaction. FlashBanc’s wireless payment solutions come with in-built printers and can be carried around easily.

The Vx680 offers similar capabilities, allowing for secure transaction processing with magstripe or chip cards as well as NFC (contactless) payment methods. The primary difference between the two machines is that the Verifone is a “universal” machine that can work with many different processors while the FD140 is limited to First Data and its resellers.

Other Services

In addition to payment processing, FlashBanc offers related business services, including loyalty programs and merchant cash advances.

Loyalty

FlashBanc can be integrated with a variety of loyalty rewards platforms, for an extra monthly fee, most notably SpringBIG for cannabis marketing. SpringBIG was designed with the needs of the marijuana dispensaries in mind. It integrates loyalty management and digital marketing software directly into your POS, offering the promise of increased revenue and greater customer loyalty. Several packages are offered, from a simple email marketing setup, to an on-site kiosk where customers key in their phone numbers to rack up rewards. Earlier this year, SpringBIG announced it had “reached a 5,000,000 customer milestone, establishing the company as one of the fastest growing CannaTech companies in the cannabis industry.”

Merchant Cash Advance

FlashBanc can make working capital a lot easier to get for small businesses. The company will fund short term loans on the basis of future debit and credit card receipts, even if - as its website says - “your credit is less than perfect.” Businesses are able to access low documentation financing, with amounts of up to $300,000. The company claims its application process is simple, taking just a few minutes to complete. Funding is approved quickly and repayments occur automatically, since they are deducted from future cash flows. Moreover, no liens are made on equipment or other property. And there are no restrictions on how the funds are used.

That said, while merchant cash advances are generally easy to obtain, they’re still a major financial decision that you should weigh carefully. For more details be sure to read our article Should I Get a Merchant Cash Advance?

Contracts and Costs

Like many processors, FlashBanc doesn’t publish specific pricing, as it will vary by business. The company's website stresses that it offers fair pricing and has no hidden fees, but doesn’t provide information on pricing model or other details.

Not to worry! You can request a quote to see FlashBanc rates and fees right in your CardFellow account to see how it compares to other companies’ pricing.

Not a CardFellow member yet? It’s free to join, and our members shop the same processors but at better rates and with better terms. Ready to be part of the wholesale credit card processing club? Join now!

Cancellation Fees

There are reports that FlashBanc’s termination fee, at $499, is much higher than the contract indicates. However, this termination fee appears to apply only when FlashBanc pays a merchant’s termination fee through their previous processor before opening their account with FlashBanc.

In any event, be sure to read your contract thoroughly. It’s also a good idea to try to get cancellation fees waived, in writing. CardFellow prohibits cancellation fees for our wholesale club members.

Customer Reviews

FlashBanc has been an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau since 2011. As at summer 2019, the company has an “A+” rating with the BBB and has had no complaints filed against it in the last 36 months.

The few complaints against the company were about the high early cancellation fee, heavy-handed sales tactics, and misrepresentations that no contract is required. Nevertheless, the incidence of complaints is quite low for a company that’s been in business for over a decade.

Have you used FlashBanc as your credit card processor? What did you think? Tell us about your experience! Leave a FlashBanc review!