Processor Directory > Bluefin Payment Systems

Bluefin Payment Systems Review

Bluefin Payment Systems (also known as Capital Payments) is headquartered in Atlanta and has offices Waterford, Ireland. Bluefin partners with several POS software companies as the exclusive or preferred processor. In some cases, you may need a merchant account with Bluefin if you want to accept credit cards through a partner POS system. Bluefin's clients include small to medium-sized businesses, large retailers, healthcare organizations, colleges and universities, government agencies, and utilities.

What services does Bluefin Payment Systems offer?

Bluefin prides itself on going above and beyond PCI compliance. The company’s payment processing service boasts the latest in security technology and maintains that keeping up with the latest trends and advancements is of utmost importance.

bluefin homepage

PayConex Platform: This option aims to be an all-encompassing package for payment processing and security. The intention is to be multifunctional and beneficial to a range of clients, from standard retailers to Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and every service in between.
Payment processing features:

  • Card processing of all major payment cards
  • ACH and E-checks- checking account payments and mobile processing of checks
  • Recurring and Subscription Payments
  • Omni-channel POS- Point of Sale for Retail, Mobile, Kiosk/unattended, and Call Centers
  • Ecommerce- card not present online purchases
  • MOTO- Mail Order or Telephone Order
  • QuickSwipe Mobile- a PCI compliant way to do mobile transactions

POS Software Integrations

Bluefin partners with various POS software companies and other business services as either an exclusive or preferred payment processor. In cases where Bluefin is the exclusive provider, you will need a merchant account with Bluefin in order to the use POS software. If Bluefin is a preferred partner, you may be able to choose another payment processor and still use the POS system/software. Examples of services that have partnered with Bluefin include Medtask, Applied Systems, SalonTarget POS, and others.

Bluefin’s Equipment, Software and Sandbox Environment

All of Bluefin’s equipment will be PCI Compliant and feature EMV chip card compatibility. Bluefin services work with a range of equipment, including existing PCs for virtual terminals and hosted payment pages, and Apple and Android devices such as smartphones and tablets for mobile processing.

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 also offers the PayConex for Salesforce. This is an app designed to integrate with the PayConex Platform. It is called a “native app” because it was developed specifically for the PayConex Platform for people who use Salesforce.

But what about Bluefin’s “cutting-edge” security?

Bluefin Payment Systems is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, and makes use of tokenization, point-to-point encryption, and transparent redirect for security.
What that means for you:

  • Tokenization- This transforms the actual credit card information into a code (“token”) that can only be recognized by your system. It is a safe way of storing payment information for returns, refunds, chargebacks, recurring billing, etc.
  • PCI Validated P2PE (Point to Point Encryption)- Encryption means that the cardholder data at the Point of Interaction (POI) is scrambled to be indecipherable to hackers. This is done in a PCI-approved P2PE device and the decryption (piecing the scrambled information back together) is done off-site in an approved Bluefin Hardware Security Module (HSM). This would mean your business is less vulnerable to a breach since the actual card information is not held in your system.
  • Transparent Redirect- Essentially, this means that your customer’s information never enters your system without being tokenized first by BlueFin.

Bluefin’s Rates and Contracts

Interested in learning about rates and contracts? Unfortunately, you won’t find them on their website. Rates and contracts can fluctuate depending on the client. Not to worry though, you can get a fully disclosed quote from Bluefin right through this profile. 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.

Learn more about our service on our website or try it now.

Bluefin Reviews and Online Reputation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bluefin closed its physical offices in Tulsa, Chicago, and New York. It's remaining offices are located in Atlanta, Georgia Waterford, Ireland. However, Bluefin still has online profiles referencing its now closed offices.

Bluefin Payment Systems has 3 profiles with the Better Business Bureau for 3 of its 5 locations. Bluefin Payment Systems’ New York location has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2008 and currently has an A+ rating. Bluefin Payment Systems has only had 1 complaint closed with the BBB in the past 3 years, with 0 in the past 12 months. The sole complaint is in the ”Billing/Collections Issues” category. The complaint alleged that the client cancelled their account in 2010 but received a bill from them in 2014. The issue was resolved soon after it was reported in 2015.

The now closed Tulsa location does not currently have accreditation with the BBB, but does have a profile with an A+ rating. Bluefin Tulsa has only had 1 complaint closed with the BBB in the past 3 years, with 0 in the past 12 months. The sole complaint is in the ”Billing/Collection Issues” category but the details have not been made available. The complaint is listed as answered with assistance from the BBB, but the consumer either did not accept the response or was unsatisfied.

As for Bluefin’s headquarters location in Atlanta, it is accredited with the BBB and has an A+ rating despite having a single customer review of just one star from February of 2021.

So far there are no complaints on Ripoff Report which is a little surprising since they have had media recognition. In March of 2014, Bluefin was featured in Forbes magazine, and was portrayed as a leader in secure payment technology. This indicates that most people have been at least satisfied with the company’s service.

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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0/5

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SATISFACTION
RATES & FEES
CUSTOMER SERVICE
2/5

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Posted by Orchid Integrative Medicine on Apr 11, 2023

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1/5

I was quoted a $10/month fee in addition to 1.75% per transaction plus 25c per transaction. I was actually billed 8% for the transaction. They said I need to pay $20 in minimum credit card processing fees per month and then the quoted rate will kick in. ABSURD. Do not use them. There are more hidden fees than you can imagine.

Posted by Ashley on Jan 25, 2023

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1/5

Terrible customer service. Terrible!!

Posted by Slava L on Apr 15, 2022

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CUSTOMER SERVICE
1/5

In the middle of payment the system had a glitch/freeze and the customer ended up making duplicate payment. Once noticed a refund was issued to customer; however, Elavon and Bluefin still charged my company processing fees for both, even though the error was on their side. I contacted Elavon (Case#15874024) and requested refund for the charges that were for duplication. Request was denied. Terminated account

Hello Slava, we are very sorry to hear about your experience with Bluefin. I have escalated your review to our manager of customer service so that we can avoid situations like this in the future. If there is any additional detail you would like to provide, please don't hesitate to email us at bd@bluefin.com.

Posted by Emily Jiang on Jan 22, 2022

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1.3/5

Called 3 times to request a rate review as I felt I was paying too high a fee. Took them 1 month to get back to me. Spoke for 1 hour with the customer service representative who was professional but could not explain many of the fees to me as they are not transparent. About 40% of the fees could not be explained. I was told my fee was 1.69% due to the hidden fees or double charges, it is closer to 3.7%. It feels like I am being misled to get a lower rate than I actually am.

Posted by Rivka on Aug 05, 2021

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1/5

As part of my dance studio management software, I was basically forced to use Bluefin. I absolutely hated it! Their fees are ridiculous, and their compliance requirements and scans are only for businesses with a proper IT team - not for a small business like mine. Also, there were no notifications when a card was declined, and if I hadn't signed in and reviewed all the transactions myself, I would never have known that the cards were declined. Horrible company and difficult to navigate!

Hi Rivka, I apologize that you did not have a positive experience with Bluefin. We are a security-focused company and compliance requirements and scans are required by the PCI Security Standards Council (SSC), not by Bluefin. They apply to any company who accepts credit or debit cards, regardless of size. I also apologize that you did not feel your rates were fair and that you had to review transactions in the gateway. We hope that you have found a processor that better fits your needs. Thank you!

Posted by S Guthrie on Apr 12, 2021

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4.3/5

Have enjoyed using bluefin. It is simple to use and setup. The rates are good compared to others.

Thank you for your great review on Bluefin, we are so happy you have had a positive experience!

Posted by Mary Tseng on Mar 30, 2021

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CUSTOMER SERVICE
4.2/5

We use Bluefin as part of our payment system and service has been great, we haven't had any issues with communication, payments, or billing. Would recommend Bluefin because they streamline and make things easy. The only thing is the fees are complicated with 10+ rates for Visa cards alone, so you have to kind of keep track of that.

Hi Mary, thank you for your great review! We appreciate your feedback.

Posted by Angie Bisong on Mar 24, 2021

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5/5

Bluefin is a great company. They have been extremely helpful with the training on how to use their services. I definitely recommend other businesses to use Bluefin.

Hi Angie! Thank you for your great review on Bluefin, we are so happy you have had a positive experience!

Posted by Fisha on Sep 12, 2020

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1/5

I've only been with Bluefin for 2 months and it has been a nightmare from the beginning. My representative was totally incompetent. They miscalculated my fees and misspelled my business name and never corrected it despite numerous calls and attempts on my part. I get different information every time I speak to customer service. They have lots of hidden fees and everyone you ask says something different. Beware of Bluefin!

Hi Fisha! We sincerely apologize that you had a negative experience with our team. We would like to learn more about your experience and whether you are still processing with Bluefin. Please reach out to bd@bluefin.com if you have the time to quickly correspond and a member of our senior management will contact you via email or phone, your preference. Thank you so much!

Posted by Mary Damato on Jun 12, 2020

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CUSTOMER SERVICE
1/5

Left Bluefin for their unreasonably high fees. A month after cancelling, received ANOTHER bill for additional fees. Apparently, they require a form to cancel; however, the person that I spoke with when cancelling never informed me that they needed a signature. Beyond frustrated - would not recommend.

Hi Mary! Thank you for providing feedback. We are very sorry that our fees were too high and that you had difficulty closing your account. We would welcome any additional feedback you have regarding your experience, if you would like to email bd@bluefin.com and share your thoughts. Thank you!
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