PaymentCloud Review 2023: Features, Pricing, Top Alternatives

PaymentCloud is a payment service provider for low-, medium- and high-risk businesses. It also offers point-of-sale solutions, payment gateway services and payment processing for alternative payment methods such as crypto.

PaymentCloud doesn’t publicly disclose prices for hardware, software or payment processing, so you’ll have to call and talk to a salesperson to get a quote.

PaymentCloud also works with independent sales organizations, or ISOs, which act as third-party sales teams. Those organizations tend to work on commission, so be cautious of price quotes and shop around. If possible, sign up with PaymentCloud directly rather than through an ISO to try to avoid potential additional fees.

Point of sale

PaymentCloud offers multiple POS options for businesses, including in-person, online and mobile payments.

In-person transactions are doable with PaymentCloud to swipe, insert and tap credit cards, as well as accept QR codes. The company sells third-party countertop terminals from Clover and credit card readers from Verifone, Ingenico, Poynt, Clover and others. PaymentCloud can reprogram existing credit card readers to work with its system. It also offers Paysley, which allows merchants to use QR codes for payment.

Virtual terminals, which allow merchants process over-the-phone orders, are also available. For recurring charges, businesses can set up automatic payments with recurring billing and send invoices to customers.

Online transactions work with PaymentCloud, and there are integrations with e-commerce platforms including WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, WordPress, Shift4Shop and more.

» MORE: Best point-of-sale systems for small businesses

Payment gateway

PaymentCloud offers PCI-compliant payment gateways from Authorize.Net.

Alternative payment methods

PaymentCloud allows businesses to accept payments by ACH, e-check and cryptocurrencies.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best small-business apps

Hardware variety

PaymentCloud will sell you a variety of third-party hardware, so there’s no doubt that most businesses will be able to find what they need. It’s also a bonus that PaymentCloud can reprogram existing card readers.

Shopping cart integrations

PaymentCloud says it can integrate with tons of shopping carts for online stores, making it a nice solution for those who are already plugged into a preferred provider.

Options for high-risk businesses

PaymentCloud can be a good option for high-risk businesses that might have difficulty finding a merchant services provider.

Lack of transparency

PaymentCloud discloses very little pricing or spec information to the public. Although it isn’t the only quote-based company, this lack of transparency can be a red flag for some.

Long approval times

PaymentCloud requires customers to be approved for an account, which can take a while for some businesses.

» MORE: How much are credit card processing fees?

Payline Data

Pricing:

Why we like it: Another high-risk merchant services provider, Payline Data offers in-person and online transaction solutions, shopping cart integrations and custom reporting. You won’t need to sign a contract for this service, so you can use it month to month without worrying about a termination fee.

National Processing

Pricing:

Why we like it: National Processing prices its plans based on your type of business and also has plans that let merchants offer cash discounts and ACH transfers. With cash discounts, you can pass processing fees along to your customers on card payments and charge less for cash transactions.