Heartland Payment Systems may be publicly touting that they continue to acquire new customers, but those in payment processing are getting a noticeable increase in calls from merchants wanting to out of Heartland now.

Restaurants and T&E are big industries for Heartland Payment Systems. Most of these also have a POS system. In order to change processors, the new processor typically completes a standard form and gives this to the POS company for the change. The form essentially changes where the transaction will occur. This is a very simple step. However, as the rush to exit Heartland grows, the processing of these changes will put a burden on third party POS providers to get them done.

Some merchants may have concerns about the ‘difficulty’ of changing. As stated above, it’s normally just a couple line items that change the processor. The rest of the programming set up is done at the processor. If an adjustment needs to be made after the initial set up, the processor does not need to get back in line with the POS company.

Most 3rd parthy POS providers charge a fee for the change. To ensure a quick and smooth transition, find a contact with your POS company. They will need you to sign off on the change. Our company will prepare the paperwork to change processors, the POS company will verify with you (faxed document) it’s OK to make the change, and then you get put in their queue for the change over. It’s instant once the POS company makes the software update.

If you’re considering leaving Heartland Payment Systems because of the 2008 data breach fall out, make your decision now rather than later and you’ll have a short wait with your POS provider. Three class action lawsuits have been filed and it could get ugly to get out later.

I’ll match any pricing you have, provided it is reasonable and we can make a profit.

We frequently encounter companies in the hospitality industry using Shift4 software, that could significantly benefit from our FPS payment processing services. There’s no need to change what’s working for you. You can enjoy all the benefits of Shift4 and additionally benefit from our expertise in the payment processing industry.

It’s rare that we find a shift4 customer (personally, I haven’t see one yet) that would not receive immediate financial savings with our help. There are two specific critical issues:
1. Chargeback management
2. Better price plan

It’s not just a matter of one company matching a specific offer by another. We have specific industry expertise to help you permanently control your credit card processing costs. And the best part? There is no cost to you! Even if there is a fee for a software update, you’ll recoup that fee and more in the first month.

You may think this article is a bit vague, but we do have to keep some secrets from the internet to maintain our competitive edge. When you share some of your information (who you are, merchant statements) we promise to share some of our information - specific enough for you to act on.

I don’t have the answer for which Retail POS Solution you should choose, but I do have some extremely important tips.

1. Do not enter into a long term contract for your payment processor unless you have been in business for at least 3-5 years.
2. Do not choose a POS solution that has limited choices for who will do your credit card processing.

This is a true story. I contacted a specialty retail shoe store that I shop at to discuss their credit card processing. They are using http://www.ricssoftware.com/ which seems like an excellent solution for this merchant store. In fact, it seems like a great solution for any shoe retailer, their target audience. But no where does it mention, that I could find, that the customer has NO CHOICE about who their payment processor is. That’s right, no choice! RICS is only compatible with ONE merchant service provider.

I talked to RICS about who they use. It’s a quality company, but they don’t necessarily provide the best solution for the retailers. In fact, I’d bet that 50-70% of their retailer merchant accounts could save significantly on credit card processing with a different merchant service provider. I’m not guessing. I know that a certain portion of them are too small to realize any significant benefit. Most of the rest of them are on a price plan usually reserved for very small businesses, or new businesses.

New businesses always pay a premium for merchant card processing fees. That’s because they are higher risk than established businesses. The most stringent underwriters, those that you can get the best deals from, require two years healthy financial statements. Once your business is established you are in a better position to get a permanent solution for managing credit card costs. What do I mean by permanent? One that enables the merchant to see how they are qualifying for interchange levels and what interchange levels they are hitting. Without that transparency, you can’t even begin to manage your costs.

In summary, make sure you choose a retail POS solution that is OPEN and doesn’t lock you into a single vendor solution- whether it be hardware, merchant service provider, or some other service. The more flexibility you have, the easier it will be to grow and expand later without disruption to your business.