Frequently asked questions

An ISO (Independent Sales Organization) is an authorized partner of larger payment processors and sponsor banks. We help businesses and software companies accept card and electronic payments, and we do it through enterprise processing platforms like Fiserv and CardConnect rather than reselling a single rigid product.

Practically, that means we guide you through choosing the right setup, getting approved and onboarded, integrating with your software or POS, and optimizing what you pay. We act as your expert advocate for payments — before, during, and long after you're set up.

Payment pricing depends on real factors — your industry, average ticket, monthly volume, how cards are accepted (in person vs. online), and the mix of card types your customers use. Any single published rate would be misleading for most businesses.

Instead, we start with a free cost & workflow analysis. We review your current setup (or your goals, if you're just starting out) and put together a clear, honest quote tailored to you — with no obligation and no pressure.

It's a no-cost, no-obligation review of how you accept payments today. We look for two things: where you may be overpaying, and where the workflow can be smoother (fewer manual steps, better reporting, cleaner reconciliation).

The most helpful thing to have is a recent processing statement, since it shows your real effective rate and fees. If you don't have one — or you're a new business — that's fine; we can still walk through your goals and recommend a path. You'll never be asked for card numbers or full bank-account numbers to get an analysis.

Flat-rate charges one simple percentage (sometimes plus a small per-transaction fee) for every sale, regardless of the underlying card. It's predictable and easy to understand, but you may overpay on cards that actually cost less to process.

Interchange-plus passes through the true wholesale cost set by the card networks (interchange) and adds a clearly disclosed, fixed markup on top. It's more transparent and often more cost-effective as volume grows, because you see exactly what's cost and what's markup.

Which is better depends on your business. We explain the trade-offs in plain language during your analysis — and in more depth in our guide to flat-rate vs. interchange-plus.

Many straightforward businesses can be approved and set up quickly, while more complex situations — multiple locations, custom integrations, or additional underwriting review — can take longer. Because timelines genuinely vary, we won't quote a guaranteed turnaround up front.

What we will do is tell you exactly what's needed, keep things moving, and give you a realistic timeline for your specific situation. Having your business details and a recent statement ready usually helps speed things along.

You're not locked into any one device. Clover is a great fit for many in-person businesses, and we offer the full lineup — but we also support online and card-not-present acceptance, recurring billing and invoicing, ACH, and integrations with existing software and point-of-sale systems.

Part of our job is to meet you where you are. During your analysis we'll recommend what genuinely fits your operation, whether that's new hardware or simply improving what you already run.

Yes. Beyond in-person POS, we support online and card-not-present acceptance (gateway, virtual terminal, hosted checkout and payment links), recurring billing and invoicing with card-on-file, and ACH / eCheck for bank-to-bank payments. Many businesses use a combination, and we'll help you fit the pieces together.

We work with software companies that want payments built into their product rather than sending users off to a separate processor. That can mean integrating a gateway/API for card-not-present and recurring transactions, supporting tokenized card-on-file, and handling settlement — while we shoulder the compliance and processing complexity so your team can stay focused on shipping.

Every integration is different, so the best next step is a conversation with our integrations team. Start on our ISVs & Developers page or reach out directly.

We partner with other payment agents who want strong processing platforms, real expertise, and hands-on support behind them. You bring the relationships; we help structure deals, navigate underwriting and integrations, and keep your merchants well supported for the long term.

Tell us about your book and how you like to work on our Partner With Us page, and we'll take it from there.

PCI DSS is the security standard every business that accepts cards is expected to follow. For most smaller merchants it means completing an annual self-assessment questionnaire and meeting some basic safeguards; the specifics depend on how you accept payments.

We help you understand which requirements apply to you and point you to the right tools to stay compliant. Choosing acceptance methods that keep card data out of your own systems — like hosted checkout, tokenization, and modern terminals — is one of the most effective ways to reduce both your risk and your PCI burden. Our PCI explainer covers this in more detail.

Terms vary by setup, and we believe in being upfront about them. Rather than bury anything, we'll walk you through the agreement before you sign so you understand any commitment, and the specifics are always spelled out in writing in your processing agreement.

If transparency and flexibility matter to you, say so — it's exactly the kind of thing we factor in when recommending a setup.

You can accept all major card brands — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover — including debit, credit, and contactless (tap-to-pay) and mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay where supported by your device or checkout. We'll make sure your setup is configured for the payment types your customers actually use.

These are different approaches to offsetting card-acceptance costs. Cash discount offers a lower price to customers who pay with cash. Surcharging adds a fee to certain card transactions. Dual pricing displays both a card price and a cash price so customers can choose.

Each has its own rules, card-network requirements, and state-by-state considerations, and availability varies. We'll explain what's permitted for your business and whether it makes sense for you as part of your analysis — neutrally, so you can decide what's right.

Payments run on PCI DSS Level 1 compliant infrastructure, and modern acceptance methods use encryption and tokenization so sensitive card data is protected and kept out of your own systems wherever possible.

This website itself is intentionally low-risk: it never collects card or bank data, only the business-contact details you choose to share through our forms. You can read more in our Privacy Policy.