National Payment Processing Review

National Payment Processing (NPP) is a credit card processing company based in California. In the past, the company has been known by other names, including First Alliance Payment Processing and Titan Merchant Services, the latter still used for business capital and funding. In this review, we’ll cover services, pricing and contracts, reviews, and more.

• Business Services
  • Zero Fee Credit Card Processing
  • Customer Financing
  • Business Capital
• Equipment
• Rates and Fees
• National Payment Processing Reviews
  • National Payment Processing at the Better Business Bureau
  • Google Reviews

National Payment Processing Business Services

You can expect all of the usual payment processing services, ensuring you’ll be able to take payments in whatever ways your customers prefer. The company offers both credit and debit card processing for major credit cards and fleet cards. You’ll also have a choice of methods for taking those cards: in-person (for retailers and other face-to-face businesses), online for ecommerce companies, or using a mobile device for businesses that need to take payments in a variety of locations, such as trade shows. For online payments, NPP is compatible with payment gateways Authorize.Net, NMI, eProcessing Network, and more. Not sure how to take online payments? Start with our guide on payment gateways.

Zero Fee Credit Card Processing

Like many other processors these days, NPP offers a “zero fee” credit card processing option, called Acceptcreditcard4free (yes, all one word.) As with similar programs, this is not actually a no-fee option, but rather passes fees on to your customers. The Acceptcreditcard4free program is a form of cash discounting. Here’s how it works: You’ll list credit card prices in your store and post signage that a 3% discount is available to customers that pay with cash. Optionally, you can list a cash and a credit price (known as dual pricing) but many stores find this to be cumbersome. If your customer pays with a credit card, you’ll automatically pass on a 3% fee as the cost of accepting credit cards, which is added to your customer’s total. This ONLY applies to credit cards. For debit cards, normal transaction fees apply and are paid by you. Cash discounting and zero-fee programs, when implemented correctly, are legal and permissible by the card brands, but it’s important to comply with any necessary signage and requirements for your state. NPP will help you ensure that you’re implementing your zero-fee processing in a compliant manner.

Customer Financing

If you sell high-ticket products, you’re familiar with the challenges it can pose to closing the sale. Some customers are hesitant to actually shell out the money or would prefer to do payment plans to make the purchase. With NPP, you can suggest a buy now, pay later option. NPP has partnered with Sweetpay to provide fast financing options for short-term loans. Customers can complete the application on their phone for loans in amounts from $1,000 to $100,000 with APR as low as 5.94%. Terms are available up to 84 months and all credit scores are welcome to apply. There are options for direct-to-customer funding (meaning your customer receives the loan money directly, purchases their item, and then pays back the lender) and direct-to-merchant funding (meaning you’ll receive the funds for the customer’s purchase without them having to do it separately, and then they pay back the lender.) NPP is available to discuss costs and terms for each option.

Business Capital

Need funds for marketing, equipment, inventory, or hiring and training? There’s no shortage of expenses for small businesses, and sometimes you need a hand with the financing. NPP offers business capital for almost any business purpose. The company lists clear minimum criteria on its website, specifically at least $10,000 in monthly revenue, 6 months in business, and a credit score of at least 550. There are three different options for financing: a standard term loan of up to $10,000,000 with a term of 6-36 months, a line of credit up to $10,000,000 with revolving terms, or a receivables advance of up to $750,000 and a 3-12 month term. Which of these options (if any) will be right for you depends on your business’s needs, cashflow, and other considerations. NPP states the initial application does not impact your credit score and funds can be deposited in as little as 24 hours for some borrowers.

Equipment

A picture of a Clover POS system features prominently as preferred equipment on NPP’s website, but a learn more link is broken at the time of this review. From other pages, it appears the company supports the entire Clover line - including POS and mobile solutions - but it’s unclear if NPP supports other equipment. In the past, they have offered Verifone and other universal devices as well. Curious about Clover? We’ve got you covered: Clover Station review. For mobile processing, NPP supports both the Clover Flex and Clover Mobile options. The flex is a little heavier and with more features, including a touch-screen, barcode scanner, and built-in receipt printer. While it can be used as a truly portable option, it’s also convenient as a countertop terminal or a line-busting option. The Mobile, on the other hand, is a card reader designed specifically for on-the-go transactions, allowing secure swiped or dipped EMV transactions through the reader and a compatible app. The app is available for Android and Apple devices. The Mobile offers email / paperless receipts.

NPP Rates and Fees

Unfortunately, NPP doesn’t post rate and fee information publicly, including details about available pricing models. However, it is active within the CardFellow marketplace. To get a fully-disclosed quote for your business, all you need to do is request one from your CardFellow account. If you don’t have a CardFellow account, no problem. You can sign up for free. It’s private and only takes a few minutes. National Payment Processing doesn’t publish information about cancellation fees on their site, but complaints at the Better Business Bureau website reference a $350 termination fee. Be sure to completely read any merchant services agreements before signing up.

National Payment Processing Reviews

While NPP is not as large as some processors, it does have an online presence with reviews in different locations. The company is accredited with the Better Business Bureau and has several dozen Google Reviews.

NPP at the Better Business Bureau

In the past National Payment Processing was accredited with the BBB, but is not currently. However, the company has an A+ rating and shows no complaints with the BBB over the past few years. There are two customer reviews, both giving the company 1 star out of 5. The reviews complain of long hold times with customer service and fund freezes.

Google Reviews

With more than 50 reviews on Google, NPP has a 4-star rating out of 5. Happy customers that rate the company highly say that NPP has great customer service with excellent support. Many customers simply list a 5-star review with no comments. The lower ratings state that customer service is rude, that cancellation fees weren’t explained, and that the company nickels and dimes their clients.

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