Cornerstone Merchant Services Review

The company offers basic services, a large variety of equipment, and can outsource extra services to third parties, like gift and loyalty cards, cash advances, or ATMs to name a few. The company has recently gained attention due to publicity from groups like the Florida Family Policy Council, who endorse Cornerstone because of the company’s alleged commitment to not offering processing for "morally objectionable" businesses like adult entertainment. In this Cornerstone Merchant Services review and profile, we will discuss the services it offers and what others are saying about the company.

• What Services does Cornerstone Merchant Services offer?
  • Credit and Debit Card Processing
  • Virtual Gateways
• What about the third party services?
  • ATMs
  • Check Programs
  • Cash Advances
  • Gift and Loyalty Cards
  • Fully Integrated POS Systems
• Does Cornerstone Merchant Services offer any equipment?
• Are there any security benefits with Cornerstone?
• Cornerstone Merchant Services Rates and Fees
• Cornerstone Merchant Services Reviews

What Services does Cornerstone Merchant Services offer?

Cornerstone Merchant Services offers a range of solutions for businesses, including credit and debit card processing and virtual gateways. The company also provides free on-site terminal installation and on-site hardware maintenance and repair.

Credit and Debit Card Processing

Cornerstone Merchant Services allows you to process payments from all the major credit card brands, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, JCB, and Diners’ Club as well as debit cards from major debit networks. American Express may require separate approval from Cornerstone Merchant Services.

Virtual Gateways

Cornerstone Merchant Services offers virtual gateways through their own customizable gateway, CornerPay.NET. Designed for e-commerce businesses, CornerPay.NET integrates your existing website to payment processing networks, allowing you to accept payments online as easily and securely as in-person. CornerPay.NET offers electronic invoicing to bill customers by email, and integration with QuickBooks for easy accounting.

What about the third party services?

Cornerstone Merchant Services also offers more services indirectly, through third parties. Such possible services include ATMs, check programs, cash advances, gift and loyalty cards, and fully integrated POS systems.

ATMs

Through the company’s third party service, you can get an ATM machine installed at your business. This is good for those who prefer to deal with cash but don’t want to miss out on a sale.

Check Programs

While paying with checks is dwindling in popularity, there are still many people who prefer to use them. If you want to make sure you have the capability of accepting checks, Cornerstone Merchant Services can help.

Cash Advances

For those who need working capital, Cornerstone Merchant Services offers cash advances. That being said, we suggest reading “Should You Get a Merchant Cash Advance?” from CardFellow before making a decision you may regret, as cash advances are often an expensive way to get funds.

Gift and Loyalty Cards

Gift and loyalty cards are a great way to encourage sales and repeat business. With Cornerstone Merchant Services third party providers you can offer one or both to your customers.

Fully Integrated POS system

If you want more than just the equipment, like a system for organizing your transactions, reports, and other aspects of your sales, then the option of a fully integrated POS system might be right for you. Cornerstone Merchant Services offers this option through its third party providers.

Does Cornerstone Merchant Services offer any equipment?

Cornerstone Merchant Services has a fairly large range of equipment options including all-in-one POS machines and stand-alone terminals. The terminals are from popular brands like PAX, First Data (including the popular Clover), Nurit, and Verifone. Models vary in capability, but may include features such as LCD screens, backlit keys, integrated PIN pads, and more. Contactless and Apply Pay compatible models are also available.

Are there any security benefits with Cornerstone?

Cornerstone Merchant Services dedicates part of their website to PCI compliance education, helping businesses ensure compliance with regulations and laws as required. The company helps with all aspects of compliance to help protect your business and your customers from fraud and identity theft.

Cornerstone Merchant Services Rates and Fees

Cornerstone Merchant Services doesn’t publish rate or fee information on their website, but claims that there are no hidden fees beyond the original quote. If you’re thinking that you’ve heard that before, take advantage of CardFellow’s free quote request tool to get a fully-disclosed Cornerstone Merchant Services quote specific to your business.

Using our quote request tool is simple – just sign in to your CardFellow account and click “request quote” in this Cornerstone Merchant Services profile. (If you don’t have a CardFellow account yet, you can get one for free. It only takes a few minutes, and we won’t share your contact information. Sign up here.)

Cornerstone Merchant Services Reviews

Cornerstone Merchant Services is not currently accredited with the Better Business Bureau but its profile has an A+ rating. The company’s profile lists only 1 complaint lodged with the BBB in the past 3 years. The sole complaint is in the "Problems with Product/Service" category. Details of the complaint aren’t available, but the complaint is listed as resolved with assistance from the BBB.

Cornerstone also has a clean slate with Ripoff Report. There are 4 glowing reviews on Google, each one giving 5 stars. Another 6 perfect reviews from Yelp give the company a 5 star rating and claim amazing service. The clients speak highly of Chuck (the CEO) and feeling like they are in good, trustworthy hands.

Reviews like this aren’t always common, and that could be a good indication of Cornerstone’s services. However, keep in mind that reviews don’t always give the full picture and that you could wind up with different rates or terms than the business that wrote the review. To be sure you’re getting a fully disclosed quote from Cornerstone, request one through CardFellow.