How to Vet a Payment Processing Partner Before You Sign

Start with your current statement. Calculate effective rate: total fees divided by card sales. Any partner worth your time will walk through that number without flinching. If they push a quoted "1.59%" before seeing your mix, slow down.

Processing fundamentals

• Who is the acquirer or processor behind the agent? Croft boards through Omega Bank Card Services.
• Interchange-plus or transparent cost-plus vs. opaque tiered buckets.
• Funding timelines, reserve policies, and chargeback handling.
• Equipment: purchase, rental, or free placement—and what triggers fees later.

Support and stability

Call the support line before you sign. Ask a real question. Google the leadership team. Cody Croft has led merchant services since 2006; longevity is not the only metric, but it beats a pop-up ISO that might sell your contract tomorrow.

Growth services if you need them

If you also need web and marketing, ask whether those are separate contracts or bundled. Swipe & Grow includes custom website, local SEO, GBP, reviews, social support, and POS with qualifying processing—ask for the scope in writing so you compare apples to apples.

Croft Business Solutions helps with merchants doing due diligence on processing partners who want transparent Omega-backed pricing. We explain options in plain language, review statements when useful, and stay one call away, not a ticket queue.

Contract and exit

Read termination clauses, early termination fees, and equipment return rules. Ethical partners explain exit paths up front. If a rep pressures you to sign today before you call your current processor, that urgency is about their quota—not your business.

Vetting is not cynicism; it is how you avoid signing twice. Take a week, run the checklist, then decide.