Constellation Payments Review

• Constellation Payments’ Services and Features
• Equipment
• Security
• Customer Support
• Rates and Fees
• Constellation Payments Reviews

Constellation Payments’ Services and Features

Like most processors, Constellation Payments’ services include point-of-sale card processing for traditional retail stores, mobile processing for businesses that accept credit cards in multiple locations or on-the-go, ACH check transactions, and debit card support. It also partners with popular equipment manufacturer Ingenico to provide hardware.

Credit Card Processing

Constellation Payments offers point of sale (POS) credit card processing services that accept the latest EMV chip cards. It also can process mobile NFC (contactless) transactions, and offers a line of terminals to process all these transactions through its partner Ingenico.

The company offers a secure website shopping cart and card transaction services for its customers that sell their products online.

Contactless Payments

All payment terminals that are part of Constellation’s Wi-Fi Integrated Terminal Solution offering support Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Softcard and other popular mobile contactless payment apps. If your customers are paying with their smartphones, you’ll be able to easily and securely accept those payment types.

Electronic Check Services

Some customers still prefer to pay by check. Constellation’s electronic check imaging service is compatible with a range of terminals, software, and integrated payment acceptance devices. The company claims its service eliminates point-of-sale reconciliation processing for checks, features a fully automated exception item and returns handling, and lowers check acceptance costs. Funds are typically available within 24-48 hours, and won’t require a trip to the bank to deposit paper checks.

Fanfare Customer Loyalty Program

Fanfare is a seamless addition to Constellation’s point-of-sale checkout process that allows customers to participate in a rewards program managed by the company. It also gives you the option to use your own promotional cards and load a small dollar amount onto a card, to be distributed to your customer community and invites new shoppers to visit your business.

Dynamic Currency Conversion

Taking payments from customers overseas? Constellation supports 48 currencies. International Visa and MasterCard credit card purchases are instantly converted at the point of sale to the cardholder’s home currency at competitive exchange rates. This allows travelers see their total in their own currency and eliminates unpleasant surprises when their credit card bill arrives. A percentage of the conversion fee is rebated to you.

Recurring Billing

For businesses that take payments on a set schedule, Constellation offers the option of accepting automated recurring transactions through its gateway and through accounts so customers can schedule recurring monthly payments. It includes a web-based portal where you can update payment details for recurring payments. The company claims a growing percentage of utility companies as Recurring Billing Solution customers.

Constellation also offers all customers an easy-to-use portal to manage all their accounts which uses tokenization security.

Equipment

Since Constellation Payments’ end-to-end gateway is proprietary, you can only use it with Constellation and its processing partners Elavon and Vantiv.

For in-person equipment, the company “recommends” that you use its’ hardware partner Ingenico’s POS and/or wireless credit card devices. Note that Ingenico is not proprietary, so you may be able to use the machines with other processors or if you’re already using Ingenico terminals, Constellation may be able to reprogram them.

Security

Constellation Payments is certified as a Level one PCI compliant provider, which is the highest level of payment data security and compliance. All sensitive personal financial data is encrypted through tokenization, and protected with both advanced electronic and physical security.

Customer Support

Constellation Payments Support has a web portal for issues with EMV terminals, processing, or general account support. All categories have at least one toll-free contact number (some have several), as well as email address. Toll-free contact hours are generally 8AM to 5PM Eastern Time, and the company strives to respond to all queries within one business day.

Rates and Fees

Though Constellation Payments claims its’ brick and mortar and online credit card processing service is “low priced,” no information is published on its website. Pricing for some services is listed as follows:

• Contactless Payments – $10 per month, 2.75% per swipe and $.09 per transaction
• Dynamic Currency Conversion – No activation fees, monthly fees or monthly minimums.

These rates and fees don’t represent all of your costs to use Constellation Payments, but not to worry. To get a fully disclosed, no-obligation quote from Constellation Payments, you can use CardFellow’s free quote request tool.

Constellation Payments Reviews Online

Sometimes smaller companies don’t have a lot of reviews online, and unfortunately that’s the case with Constellation Payments. We found no complaints or praise with any of the traditional online evaluators (Yelp, Ripoff Report, Google Reviews) and the company doesn’t have a profile with the Better Business Bureau.

Maybe no news is good news. Constellation Payments does include customer testimonials on its website. Clients praise the company’s beginning to end account set up, and customer support. Have you worked with this company for your credit card processing needs? We (and other businesses!) would love to hear about your experience.

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