11 Best Credit Card Processing Services in 2025

Paysafe’s industry-specific approach makes it an excellent fit for many businesses. If you rely primarily on in-person transactions, Paysafe will recommend POS solutions for your business type, size, and unique processing needs. It also offers e-commerce solutions, including online shopping carts, gateways, customizable hosted checkout, and various integration options.

For example, through its software partnership with Vindicia, you can access advanced subscription billing tools. Additionally, Paysafe simplifies chargeback management with its Encytro Advantage Program. Instead of paying fees for every chargeback, you’ll pay a flat monthly fee per location, which makes you eligible to submit claims for reimbursement for covered chargebacks and costs.

Paysafe also suits businesses selling high-value items such as art, luxury goods, and antiques at low volumes. Its low transaction fees, starting at 0.50% + $0.10, and support for 120 markets and multiple currencies, including local payment methods, make it ideal for processing transactions of significant value without barriers. What’s more, Paysafe caters to high-risk sectors such as gaming, crypto, and forex.

Leaders Merchant Services aims to match – and often beat – your current processor’s rates. You’ll need to share your two most recent monthly processing statements, which the sales agent will use to put together a better offer. This makes it a strong choice if you’re already processing payments elsewhere since your existing rates give you leverage in negotiations.

New merchants can still benefit from Leaders Merchant Services’ low processing rates, quick approval, and impressive features, such as customer loyalty programs, business loans, and cash advances. On top of that, LMS offers 24/7 technical support, with an entire department dedicated to helping you effectively dispute chargebacks. If you’re a mid or high-risk merchant, this will likely save you a lot of money (and headaches) over time.

As for the actual payment processing services, Leaders Merchant Services is a reliable credit card processor for small businesses and growing companies alike. It offers solutions for both in-person and online transactions, from all-in-one terminals to iPad and Android card readers that allow you to accept payments wherever your business takes you. Its terminals integrate with a range of e-commerce software.

If you operate in a high-risk industry or have a poor credit score (or no score at all), you’ll probably find that many credit card processors won’t even speak to you. Thankfully, PaymentCloud has a 98% approval rate – one of the highest in the US.

While mid- and high-risk merchants are charged a slightly higher percentage markup per transaction, PaymentCloud’s rates are lower than those of other high-risk payment processors that often take advantage of your narrower range of choice.

In addition to providing a free POS terminal, PaymentCloud can set up a virtual terminal and payment gateway for you. Furthermore, PaymentCloud has one of the longest lists of accepted payment methods I’ve seen from a credit card processor. It even accepts crypto, including popular coins such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Monero. No matter the payment method, funds are typically deposited within 48 hours of the transaction.

CardX is a leader in surcharging, offering a fully compliant program that allows you to significantly minimize processing costs by passing credit card fees to your customers. Its automated compliance with state regulations and seamless customer disclosures make it one of the most hassle-free surcharging solutions available. This is especially beneficial for businesses with thin margins but may not be ideal if covering fees is expected in your industry.

While you’ll save on transaction fees, you still need to pay a small fixed monthly fee for using CardX’s hardware and software, but this setup makes it easy to predict your processing costs. Its technology integrates easily with existing systems, ensuring a smooth processing experience. On top of that, CardX releases your funds within 24 hours, allowing you to have real-time control over your cash flow.

CardX offers monthly agreements without cancellation fees, so you aren’t locked into a long-term contract. This flexibility makes it a low-risk option if you want to explore surcharging for some time before deciding whether it’s the right solution for your business.

If you’re tired of credit card processors taking a sizable cut of every transaction, you’ll like Stax’s simple monthly payment model. You just pay a monthly subscription with no markup. While there is a small flat fee per transaction in addition to the wholesale interchange rates, Stax’s per-transaction fees of 8¢ + interchange (in-person) are among the lowest in the industry.

Due to the higher-than-usual monthly subscription, Stax’s pricing model makes sense if you’re processing over $8,000/month in card sales. High-volume businesses processing around $500,000 a year can save up to 40% with Stax compared to a traditional processor that uses a percentage markup on every transaction.

Stax is one of the best credit card processing companies for online selling, featuring a tool that allows you to create a custom shopping cart in a few clicks. It also provides easy integrations for popular e-commerce and accounting platforms, though some aren’t free. Its flexible API even lets you build your own checkout system and create custom integrations.

Payment Depot has an affordable interchange+ plan with no monthly fees and transaction fees of 0.2%-1.95%. As a Stax subsidiary, it offers almost all Stax benefits, including omnichannel payment solutions, API integration capabilities, comprehensive dashboard and analytics, easy integration, and flexible contracts, without the high subscription fee.

With Payment Depot’s transparent interchange+ plan, you’ll know exactly how much you’ll pay per transaction, making budget management much easier. You could also benefit from its affordable subscription plans if you make more than $8,000/month, but for most merchants, the interchange+ plan will be better overall.

Unlike many self-proclaimed best credit card processing companies, who seem to disappear when issues occur, Payment Depot offers responsive and knowledgeable 24/7 phone support. It’s also one of the rare payment processors with live chat support. Moreover, Payment Depot’s dedicated risk monitoring team helps your business avoid roadblocks even before they occur by minimizing your risk of chargebacks and fraud.

Square stands out for businesses that sell across multiple channels, offering comprehensive features for both online and in-person transactions. Besides seamlessly integrating with various e-commerce platforms, Square is one of the few processors offering a proprietary website builder. This allows you to build a simple e-commerce store for free using Square Online. Square also provides a card reader, even on its free plan.

In addition, Square allows you to easily create a small business checking account and gives you instant access to your earned funds. It offers transparent pricing with a percentage markup and a flat transaction fee regardless of the card type, with different online and in-person sales rates. Its pricing model offers predictable costs, but businesses with higher volumes can often save more with an interchange-plus processor.

You can start with Square in just two minutes – there’s no lengthy vetting process. But there’s a catch – Square doesn’t work with high-risk merchants and might terminate your account at any point if it classifies you as one. That said, if you’re a low-risk merchant and have left setting up a processor until the last minute, this is one of the few processors that won’t delay the launch of your new business.

With no mandatory contracts, monthly fees, or hidden costs, Chase Payment Solutions is among the best credit card processing services for small to medium-sized enterprises. You won’t miss out on any core features, either. Your merchant account comes with various software to help you grow your business, including a customer buying habits tracker.

It uses simple, transparent flat rate pricing, but businesses with larger volume can save even more with a custom interchange-plus plan. Chase also stands out for providing rapid access to your funds. Next-day payouts come as standard, and Chase banking customers get same-day payouts. You may have to pay a small monthly fee for your bank account, but this can be waived if you meet certain criteria that are fairly accessible for mid-sized businesses.

All required hardware must be purchased directly from Chase’s limited POS selection, which comprises proprietary devices that may not be reprogrammable in the future. The good news is that Chase frequently offers promotions on its device range, allowing you to obtain equipment for your premises (or field technicians) at a discounted price.

Sekure Payment Experts is not a typical processor, but it leverages a broad partner network to provide tailored solutions for your business. It’s an attractive option for small businesses looking to minimize expenses because it offers free equipment, PCI compliance, and same or next-day payouts. Additionally, your business can benefit from a free virtual terminal and gain access to the trusted Authorize.net payment gateway for a fraction of the usual cost.

Sekure’s focus on budget efficiency is further backed by its zero-cost processing program, Edge. It allows you to save up to 100% on processing fees by passing a 4% fee onto customers who choose to pay with a credit card while still offering the option to pay with cash without extra charges. This model fully complies with credit card brand rules and provides a transparent way to eliminate processing fees.

Additionally, Sekure offers custom pricing for unique business operations and transparent interchange-plus pricing. For new businesses or those processing low volumes, Sekure’s Simplified Pricing model offers a single flat fee for all transactions, ensuring predictability in your processing costs. However, carefully review your contract terms before signing, as conversations with its sales team often lack clarity.

Starting an e-commerce business isn’t easy. Not only do you have to select a good payment processor, but you’ll also have to find a web hosting company that provides decent performance and store development tools. Helcim handles this for you by offering free web hosting, a store builder, and payment processing services.

This is great if you’re selling online, but the picture isn’t quite as rosy if you take payments in a brick-and-mortar store. Helcim only integrates with a limited range of third-party POS hardware, which doesn’t include any third-party card terminals. Essentially, you’re forced to purchase its proprietary card reader outright.

Still, if you’re happy to use Helcim’s hardware, this all-in-one solution definitely makes things easier. Helcim’s platform is super user-friendly – every aspect, from store and checkout creation to customer & inventory management, requires zero code and can be controlled with a few clicks. Best of all, Helcim doesn’t lock you into a contract – you can cancel anytime without paying a fee.

POS Pros’ industry-specific approach to POS solutions offers a lot to businesses that rely mostly on in-person transactions. Restaurants, retailers, hotels, and healthcare practitioners can all benefit from this approach, which takes into account not just your business type, but also its size and unique processing needs.

During an initial consultation, a POS Pros specialist will recommend several point-of-sale equipment options. You’ll then be able to test the interface and features of each POS system during a free virtual demo. This personalized approach can help both new and established businesses avoid buying the wrong equipment.

While POS Pros offers interchange plus, tiered pricing, and cash discount plans for both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce merchants, it doesn’t post pricing and fees on its website. While this quote-only approach has its advantages, it can make it more difficult if you’re comparing multiple processors to determine which is your best option.