10 Best Merchant Account Providers for 2024

A merchant account is a must for businesses of all sizes to accept electronic payments and access efficient transaction processing and settlement services. The most helpful merchant account providers offer value-added services, including seamless security to mitigate data breaches, omnichannel transaction capabilities, the ability to accept popular payment types, and POS solutions.

Platforms should be easy to integrate with existing accounting and business management software and offer transparency in contracts, hardware, and fees. Providers should also offer convenient support to keep your business running and handle unexpected challenges.

Choosing a merchant account provider to work in your best interest is a big job. This handy list of the 10 best merchant account providers can help.

#1 Merchant Account Provider for Fee Transparency

Helcim focuses on helping small businesses save. Customers receive payment options, subscription and invoicing services, hardware, and business management tools.

Helcim’s Interchange Plus pricing places a set margin atop the actual cost of transactions to beat competitors’ flat-rate pricing.

Why We Love Helcim

Helcim understands small-business challenges. We love that its mission is to build the most loved payments company because that’s not a word you often hear in payments.

Helcim provides what it calls a radically transparent and honest solution that saves money while treating business owners with care.

#1 Merchant Account Provider for Enterprise Insights

Adyen provides omnichannel payments, platform enhancements, and financial products to help leading businesses worldwide meet daily challenges.

Its unique data ecosystem detects fraud, streamlines transactions, and helps businesses convert more customers.

Why We Love Adyen

We love that Adyen analyzes payment data across all channels to increase customer understanding and streamline account management by predicting cash flow and managing chargebacks.

The platform allows businesses to compare performance across channels to determine the most effective payment method and easily reward the highest-spending and most frequent purchasers.

#1 Merchant Account Provider for Integrated Banking

Square is a modern financial technology provider with merchant account services and products that boost business effectiveness.

Square’s business banking products include checking, savings, and loans and integrate payments, banking, and cash flow on the same platform.

Why We Love Square

Square has solutions for large and small businesses in every industry. We love that it provides tools and services that work for everybody.

Square’s banking suite serves the largest and smallest businesses equally well in different ways. It can be a lifesaver when cash flow challenges arise.

Key Stats

• In business since: 2009
• Phone support: 855-700-6000
• Online resources: https://squareup.com/help/

#1 Merchant Account Provider for Global Access

Paysafe provides businesses worldwide with payment processing, digital wallet, and online cash solutions.

Proving that the world runs on more than the dollar, it supports 250+ payment types and 40+ currencies. That allows businesses to operate in more than 120 markets.

Why We Love Paysafe

Paysafe is a global enterprise with more than 25 years of experience. Yet it can quickly switch gears when the market changes.

We love that Paysafe maintains an entrepreneurial sprint and a customer focus in the digital transformation era.

Key Stats

• In business since: 1996
• Phone support: 888-709-8753
• Online resources: https://www.paysafe.com/us-en/merchant-welcome-portal/

#1 Merchant Account Provider for Charge Cards

Stripe serves merchants from the startup to the enterprise stage with global and embedded payment solutions and revenue and finance automation tools.

Stripe’s charge card program allows fintech-focused businesses to offer charge card options to their customers, increasing flexibility and revenue generation.

Why We Love Stripe

Stripe’s card issuing program is one of the most far-reaching in today’s market. That prominently positions Stripe among fintechs aiming for innovation.

We love that Stripe offers seamless service to enable businesses that use cards to thrive.

Key Stats

• In business since: 2010
• Phone support: 888-926-2289
• Online resources: https://support.stripe.com/

#1 Merchant Account Provider for Third-Party Integrations

Platforms must play well together to make sense. Elavon‘s WorksWith program is a solution community designed to allow customers to pick and choose with certainty.

WorksWith Elavon allows businesses of all sizes to incorporate Payment solutions that work with what they have.

Why We Love Elavon

Elavon works with more than 2 million customers in 36 countries, so interoperability is mandatory.

We love that Elavon marshals its expertise to put technologies that work in front of customers who need them.

Key Stats

• In business since: 1991
• Phone support: 800-725-1243
• Online resources: https://www.elavon.com/resources.html

#1 Merchant Account Provider for eCommerce

Finix allows businesses to integrate payment solutions using its reliable, intuitive application programming interface technology.

Finix APIs allow platforms to embed payment technology and businesses to accept electronic payments and send money.

Why We Love Finix

Finix calls its solution a global operating system for fintech. Finix solutions accommodate companies of all sizes and create more equitable global financial access.

We love that the team provides ample documentation and service to assist clients at every stage in growing and gaining efficiency.

Key Stats

• In business since: 2015
• Phone support: support@finixpayments.com (callback available)
• Online resources: https://finix.com/resources/guides

#1 Merchant Account Provider for Business Operations

PayPal has a long history of building consumer and business solutions through payments. PayPal’s Business Resource Center offers strategies to increase profits, gain efficiencies, and compete more effectively.

The Business Resource Center helps customers understand how to best use PayPal’s many products and services.

Why We Love PayPal

PayPal incorporates merchant account services in solutions that serve businesses of all sizes.

We love that PayPal has tools and integrations that enable even the smallest businesses to thrive while supporting some of the world’s largest enterprises.

Key Stats

• In business since: 1998
• Phone support: Available to registered users
• Online resources: https://www.paypal.com/us/brc/

#1 Merchant Account Provider for Back-Office Management

Bill.com started as a bill-paying and bookkeeping solution that grew into a full-fledged payment solutions provider.

Millions of businesses and accounting firms trust Bill.com to automate spend management and build better relationships with vendors and customers.

Why We Love Bill.com

Many businesses, nonprofits, and organizations need to move money. When infrastructure resources are scarce, Bill.com makes doing business the modern way feasible.

We love the simplicity of Bill.com and that it allows mission-minded teams to take care of business without asking them to train endlessly.

Key Stats

• In business since: 2006
• Phone support: Available to registered users
• Online resources: https://help.bill.com/

#1 Merchant Account Provider for 0% Credit Card Processing

Businesses usually eat credit card interchange fees in one way or another. When margins are tight, interchange fees as high as 4% can significantly dent margin.

CardX By Stax allows businesses to pay fees only for debit card transactions, keeping 100% of every credit card sale. Customers may always choose debit as a no-fee alternative.

Why We Love CardX By Stax

The major card issuers are so consumer-friendly that they can harm small and local businesses. But customers may be more than happy to support a small or local business by paying interchange fees.

We love that CardX By Stax lets small businesses control their card program for maximum financial flexibility.

Key Stats

• In business since: 2013
• Phone support: 877-885-2097
• Online resources: https://www.cardx.com/for-business

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Whether you’re an eCommerce business, transacting with customers face to face, or both, you need a merchant account provider to connect your banking to your customers.

The market is diverse, and digital transformation has led providers to bundle value-added services in many ways.

Keep this 10-best list handy to help you assess your priorities and initiate or change your merchant service provider partnership.