Bluefin Payment Systems Review

• What services does Bluefin Payment Systems offer?
  • Bluefin Products
• Bluefin’s Equipment, APIs and Developer Tools
• Bluefin’s Rates and Contracts
• Bluefin Reviews and Online Reputation
• News

What services does Bluefin Payment Systems offer?

While Bluefin is itself a registered ISO / MSP, the company’s website heavily focuses on security and safeguarding your business when you accept payment information, touting itself as the first PCI-validated company to provide a point-to-point encryption solution more than a decade ago. It includes almost no information about merchant accounts or directly accepting payments 

Security is a concern for many small business owners in the age of data breaches and sensitive payment information becoming vulnerable to hacking, and Bluefin spends time outlining how it can protect you and your business.

To protect data, Bluefin offers point-to-point encryption (P2PE) for in-person payments (including contactless payments) and tokenization and 3D Secure (3DS) for online payments. Both online payments and ACH transaction data is protected by ShieldConex for encrypted tokenization, which removes unencrypted (clear text) data from your systems, limiting exposure. 

Encryption refers to “scrambling” cardholder data to be indecipherable to unauthorized parties, including hackers and other bad actors. Tokenization is a key component of modern security, as it transforms the actual credit card information into a code (“token”) that can only be recognized by your system. 

For in person (card-present) transactions, the customer’s data is encrypted upon entry into the P2PE device. This applies regardless of how the transaction is conducted - tapped for contactless payments, dipped for EMV chip card transactions, swiped for old-school magnetic strip cards, or keyed into a portal for phone payments. 

Because of its robust security measures, Bluefin claims that you can reduce your business’s PCI scope to a more streamlined self-assessment questionnaire. Learn more about PCI compliance. Additionally, Bluefin is compatible with existing gateways and processors to help ease the transition.

Bluefin Products

The company offers several products of their design, including:

• ShieldConex
• PayConex (and PayConex for SalesForce)
• QuickSwipe
• Decryptx

ShieldConex is for businesses processing card-not-present payments that include personally identifying information (PII) or personal health information (PHI.) It’s a vaultless tokenization solution, meaning your customer’s data is never stored in a database or “vault,” decreasing the chances of a data breach. 

PayConex is for businesses processing card-present or card-not-present payments that include personally identifying information (PII) or personal health information (PHI) but utilizes a vault. This allows for card-on-file payments with an automatic account updater. PayConex works with Elavon, Fiserv, TSYS, and more.

With either solution, you can process all major payment cards, take ACH payments, and process e-checks.

QuickSwipe is for businesses looking to provide secure, PCI-validated payment acceptance on the go. The mobile solution has fast setup and a user-friendly interface to enable easy and secure card payments from anywhere. The solution encrypts cardholder data using a P2PE approved point of entry device so it doesn’t go through your system as unencrypted / clear text payment data. You can optionally choose to build a catalog of products in the QuickSwipe interface, send email receipts to customers, and see transactions in a convenient reporting dashboard.

Decryptx is for the processor and payment gateway side of things and not as relevant to business owners directly. The solution provides an option for payment companies to connect to the Bluefin system and offer their P2PE solution to business owners. Bluefin claims to be the only current provider of P2PE as a standalone service apart from payment processing.

Bluefin’s Equipment, APIs, and Developer Tools

Bluefin offers a wide-range of PCI compliant equipment, including terminals and swipers from Anywhere Commerce, BBPOS, ID Tech, Ingenico, PAX, Verifone, and more. Terminals range from basic countertop and handheld devices to sophisticated multi-lane terminals for larger retail stores. Software can also work with existing equipment / devices, including Apple and Android. 

Bluefin says it can integrate your business’s current software and interface with the PayConex Platform. They have APIs and SDKs to accomplish this, meaning they have tools for building programs that can help make that happen. They also have a Sandbox Environment, a safe space to test out the software, before putting it into use.

Bluefin’s Rates and Contracts

Unfortunately, you won’t find rates or contract details on Bluefin’s website. Rates and contracts can fluctuate depending on the client. Not to worry, you can get a fully disclosed quote from Bluefin right through this review. The quote will be specific to your business, not a general chart of fees. There’s no cost and no obligation to view pricing, and we never sell or share your contact information. Try it now.

Bluefin Reviews and Online Reputation

There are many locations online with reviews for Bluefin, including Google Reviews, the Better Business Bureau, and the company’s own site. 

Google Reviews

As of 2025, Bluefin has more than 60 Google reviews with a 3.5-star rating out of 5. Positive reviews praise the company for being easy to use and secure. Some users report initial confusion at setup but being helped through it and finding it very satisfactory after that. Others report that they chose it for seamless integration with other systems and have been happy with the results. 

The negative reviews complain of poor customer service, billing issues, unexpected additional fees, and refusal to take blame for issues. Bluefin responds to many of the reviews, attempting to address customer concerns.

Better Business Bureau

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bluefin closed its physical offices in Tulsa, Chicago, and New York. Prior to that, the company had profiles with the BBB for 3 of its 5 locations, which generally boasted high grades (A+ for both New York and Tulsa) and low complaints. (1 each for New York and Tulsa over a rolling 3-year period.)

Bluefin’s headquarters location in Atlanta has an accredited BBB profile with an A+ rating despite not having customer reviews. 

Bluefin’s Own Testimonials

On its website, Bluefin provides customer testimonials that almost exclusively praise the company for security, stating that the customer markets that security to their own customers or that payment security isn’t something to risk on less experienced / new payments companies. None of the testimonials include a customer name or business name.

News

In February 2016, Bluefin Payment Systems announced a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in connection with a telemarketing scheme. The FTC alleged that Bluefin ignored red flags when providing processing for certain clients. Bluefin will pay up to $2.6 million as part of the settlement, and is prohibited from providing processing services to certain types of businesses in the future.

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