Performance Merchant Alliance Review

• What services can PMA provide?
  • In-Store Payments
  • Mobile Payments
  • Ecommerce Payments
  • Mail/Phone Order Payments
  • Check Acceptance
  • Gift Cards
  • Merchant Cash Advance
• What should I know about equipment?
• Performance Merchant Alliance Rates, Fees, and Contract Terms
• Performance Merchant Alliance Reviews

What services can PMA provide?

If you need a way of processing electronic payments, Performance Merchant Alliance can help no matter how you accept them. Credit, debit, EBT, and fleet cards are all accepted, and with the right equipment you can also accept EMV chip cards and contactless payments like Apple Pay. Check acceptance, gift cards, and merchant cash advances are also offered services.

In-Store Payments

Credit, debit, and beyond; more payment options mean easier sales. All you need is the right equipment, and PMA can do the processing. PMA says it can reprogram existing terminals and point of sale systems or provide options for new equipment if needed.

Mobile Payments

On the go with a food truck? Selling goods and different fairs? Out offering home repair services? No matter what keeps you moving, mobile payments allows you to take payments anywhere you go. Performance Merchant Alliance offers both wireless terminals and card readers that can attach to your smartphone or tablet.

Ecommerce Payments

Take payments 24/7 and anywhere your customers have internet access. Whether you are new to ecommerce or a virtual veteran, Performance Merchant Alliance can provide services for accepting payments through your website.

Mail/Phone Order Payments

Performance Merchant Alliance states it can accommodate mail/phone order businesses with services and support, but doesn’t provide further details on what those services include.

Check Acceptance

With a check reader you can convert paper checks into electronic transactions. Performance Merchant Alliance helps you process them and promises next day funding directly to your bank account. Along with eliminating trips to the bank, the authorization process means no more bounced checks.

Gift Cards

Gift cards allow your customers to share your business with other potential clientele. If you are interested in offering them, PMA has a program that can help.

Merchant Cash Advance

If you need working capital, and fast, you might consider taking a merchant cash advance through PMA. The funding is faster than a traditional loan, and the process is easier, but the price tag will be much higher. It’s worth weighing the costs before accepting one.

What should I know about equipment?

PMA suggests that it can outfit you with whatever equipment you might need or reprogram existing equipment. In some reviews customers allege that Performance Merchant Alliance offers a free credit card machine when you sign up. Offers like these can seem enticing, but are often paired with hidden fees and pricing that is more expensive than it seems.

Also indicated in reviews is that PMA leases equipment through a third party. After reviewing the merchant agreement, we advise to stay away from such offers. The contract is non-cancellable and you will be on the hook for liquidated damages. With leases like this you can end up paying thousands of dollars for a piece of equipment that is only worth a couple hundred.

Performance Merchant Alliance Rates, Fees, and Contract Terms

While PMA does not publish any pricing on its website, there are some things you can discern from the merchant agreement. The first is the use of the terminology “qualified,” “mid-qualified,” and “non-qualified.” This indicates that Performance Merchant Alliance uses a tiered pricing model; a model that is opaque and can be easily manipulated to appear less costly in print than it will be in practice.

Performance Merchant Alliance does not disclose all of its fees or how much you would pay if you decided to end the contract early. The contract is listed as a 3 year term, but whether or not it auto-renews is unknown.

If you are interested in learning exactly how much your business would pay for PMA’s services, request a Performance Merchant Alliance quote through CardFellow. With our free service, you will receive fully disclosed pricing information that is tailored to your business and be able to compare it with any other processors you choose. Sign up here!

Performance Merchant Alliance Reviews

PMA is young in the industry of credit card processing. Its file with the Better Business Bureau was opened in September of 2015 and it is not yet accredited. It is unclear when the company was actually founded, but there are no reviews anywhere online that pre-date 2015.

Since opening the BBB profile, 6 complaints have been closed and PMA currently holds a C+ rating. Most of the complaints allege misleading pricing, undisclosed fees, and difficulty cancelling. Two complaints result from confusion regarding equipment in the contract. In most cases PMA responds by saying it will uphold the signed contract, even when there is indication that the client did not know what it entailed.

On Yelp, there are 3 Yelp-recommended reviews (each giving PMA the lowest possible rating) and 2 complaints on Ripoff Report. On Yelp the reviewers warn against this company, saying that the contract terms are misleading, binding, and result in significant financial loss. One reviewer says that in battling to cancel the contract, thousands of dollars in erroneous fees were discovered. The reviews on Ripoff Report echo the complaints of deceptive contracts. One review claims that they could simply not afford to cancel the services because it would cost $2,000 to cancel the processing and $13,000 to cancel the equipment lease.

If you have worked with this company and can shed some light on its practices, we want to hear from you. Leave a review!