NPC Review

• History
• What services does NPC offer?
  • Card Processing
  • Check Processing
  • Gift Cards
  • Cash Advance
• How can I take cards?
  • In Person
  • Online
  • Mobile
• Any other features I should know about?
• What about equipment?
• Is it secure?
• What’s it going to cost?
  • EMV Non-Compliance Fees
• NPC Reviews
  • NPC at the Better Business Bureau
  • NPC’s Yelp Reviews

History

NPC was founded in the 1960s and acquired by Vantiv in 2012. Headquartered in Kentucky, the company offers a wide range of payment services.

What services does NPC offer?

NPC’s payment services for businesses include credit and debit card processing, contactless payment processing, checks processing, gift cards, and cash advances.

Card Processing

NPC offers the ability to accept major credit cards (including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and more), major debit cards, and contactless card technology like Apple Pay or Android Pay. Cards can be accepted in person using point-of-sale processing equipment, by mobile device, and online.

Check Processing

If you want to be able to accept checks, NPC offers electronic check processing services, turning a paper check into a safer electronic transaction. You scan the check and it’s approved and authorized by NPC with your funds electronically deposited, eliminating the need to take the physical check to the bank. Check guarantee and verification is also available, helping ensure safety against invalid checks. NPC also offers Check 21 Plus with remote deposit capture to accept check payments in a customer-not-present situation.

Gift Cards

NPC’s gift card program lets you sell gift cards at your business. Cards come in a variety of styles and designs, and can be customized with your business name and logo.

Cash Advance

If you need access to working capital, NPC offers a merchant cash advance program specifically tailored for small and medium businesses, but CardFellow does warn that merchant cash advances can be expensive.

Cash advances can be used for almost any business expenses, including equipment upgrades, marketing and advertising, purchasing inventory, expanding or remodeling, and more. Cash advances are not loans, and don’t require upfront fees, personal guarantees, or fixed monthly payments.

How can I take cards?

Whether you want to take credit and debit cards in person, online, or with your smartphone, NPC can get you set up.

In-Person

For in-person transactions, you can either use traditional point-of-sale terminals and equipment, or take advantage of NPC Secure, NPC’s internet-based payment application. (NPC Secure is also ideal for payments by phone and mail order.) A card reader can be attached for additional convenience.

Online

E-commerce website card processing is available with NPC’s e-commerce solutions. NPC can help you set up online shopping carts and a payment gateway for card acceptance. NPC’s e-commerce solution is compatible with nearly 100 popular online shopping carts.

Mobile

For convenience, NPC offers mobile processing using your existing smartphone or tablet. The NPC mobile app is available for both iPhone and Android operating systems and is supported by all major wireless providers. You can accept payments quickly and securely from almost any location and send a receipt directly to a customer by email. Additionally, you can view transaction history, calculate taxes, and capture signatures electronically. An optional NPC mobile card reader can be added for quick and secure card swiping instead of manually keying in card information.

Any other features I should know about?

NPC offers recurring billing options, letting you set up recurring payment processing for goods and services charged to customers on a set schedule. Recurring billing is ideal if you offer weekly, monthly, or yearly subscriptions, or monthly "clubs" of product delivery.

Online reporting is also available, allowing easy business management from any internet-connected device. You can view transaction information, chargebacks, daily and monthly sales reports, deposit histories, batch summaries, and more. Reports can be exported as Excel, CSV, or PDF formats for integration with existing accounting systems.

What about equipment?

NPC leases equipment, a practice frowned upon by CardFellow for reasons explained in our article Don’t Lease a Credit Card Machine! If you insist on leasing despite the expense, NPC’s offerings include wired and wireless point-of-sale terminals, contactless terminals, PIN pads, check readers, and card readers. Features vary by model, but may include options such as built-in PIN pads for debit cards, rechargeable batteries, wireless connectivity, LCD screens, suggested tips for restaurants, and more. NPC leases popular brands like Verifone and Magtek.

Is it secure?

NPC leases PCI compliant equipment, including PIN security compliant PIN pads. Additionally, NPC offers a PCI compliance section of its website designed to help you learn how to become and stay compliant with changing security regulations. Some programs, such as advanced check processing, may include additional fraud prevention features like pre-acceptance authorization.

Rates and Fees

NPC doesn’t publish rates or contract terms on their website, but you can get a quote directly through your CardFellow account and easily compare it to other quotes. Sign in to your CardFellow account and click the “Request Quote” button to get a processing quote from NPC.

Don’t have a CardFellow account yet? It’s completely free, with no sales calls, and only takes a few minutes. Sign up now and you’ll be able to request quotes from any processors you want as you continue browsing our processor directory.

EMV Non-Compliance Fees

We should also mention that NPC is the first company to impose EMV non-compliance fees. This means that if you don’t use EMV chip card capable equipment when swiping a customer’s card, you’ll be subject to a non-compliance fee starting in January of 2016. Non-compliance fees will be charged as a percentage of your sales, effectively meaning that the more you process without an EMV terminal, the more you’ll owe in non-compliance. You can avoid this fee by using EMV compliant equipment.

NPC Reviews

NPC has been in the payments industry for a long time, and has a mixed reputation online. Many businesses that post reviews or lodge complaints with the BBB accuse NPC of practices ranging from simple poor customer service to hefty cancellation fees and unauthorized debits from business’ accounts.

NPC at the Better Business Bureau

NPC has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2009 and currently has an A+ rating, the highest available. The high rating comes despite the fact that NPC has had 163 complaints lodged with the BBB in the past 3 years, mostly in the categories “Problem with Product/Service” at 72 complaints and “Billing/Collection Issues” at 69 complaints. The remaining 22 complaints fall under the “Advertising/Sales Issues” category.

Complaints allege that NPC advertised no contract but still charged contract termination fees, and complain of unauthorized debits, extremely high cancellation fees, higher rates than similar processors, undisclosed fees, and difficult customer service.

There are also 6 customer reviews for NPC on the BBB’s review section. 5 reviews are listed as negative, and 1 review is listed as neutral. Reviews reiterate many of the complaints found in the complaint resolution log, including high fees, unexplained fees, dishonest practices, cumbersome compliance requirements, accusatory sales staff and customer service, and deceptive practices.

NPC’s Yelp Reviews

Reviews for NPC on Yelp are scattered among several NPC pages/names, but all are negative. The Yelp page for NPC with the Kentucky headquarters location only has 1 review, for a one-star rating. The review alleges that the customer tried to cancel with NPC but was still charged, and that the cancellation department lied.

What’s it really like to work with NPC? If you’ve done it, let other businesses know your thoughts by leaving a review!