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Valued Merchant Services review

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Kelly Waggoner
Last updated:  

No shortage of products and services, but look elsewhere if you want bells and whistles.

VMS provides the tools to help business owners accept payments via credit or debit card, EMV, mobile payment app, online or by check or ACH. The company offers small business loans and custom gift cards, but — unlike many competitors — it doesn’t offer inventory management and services are otherwise basic.

Details

SolutionsIn-store, Mobile, E-commerce
ProductsPayment processing
Monthly fees start at$25/month
Processing fees start at2.69% plus $0.19 per transaction
Contract required?Yes
Processing time1-2 business days
High-risk merchants accepted?Yes

What does Valued Merchant Services offer?

The features that Valued Merchant Services offers include:

  • Merchant accounts. VMS holds proceeds of your electronic sales until you transfer them to your business checking account. It also offers merchant logins for online account management.
  • Check and ACH services. Business owners can safely accept checks from customers.
  • Mobile payments. Accept payments using third-party apps like ApplePay and AndroidPay.
  • EMV. Chip readers allows business owners to quickly accept customer payments.
  • Business loans. Valued Merchant Services offers secured and unsecured loans, merchant cash advances and lines of credit for businesses that need capital to expand.
  • Gift cards. Get customized gift cards and establish customer loyalty programs.

Features

  • Online merchant account management
  • E-commerce plug-ins
  • Optional on-site ATMs

What hardware is available?

Valued Merchant Services doesn’t offer proprietary hardware. However, it offers several well-known POS systems, credit card terminals and mobile payments from a number of reliable third-party providers including:

  • Clover
  • Verifone
  • Vital

Business owners who already own hardware before getting set up with VMS could use their own hardware. Confirm this before signing up.

Valued Merchant Services pricing and fees

VMS doesn’t share its pricing information on its website, but rates and fees reportedly include:

VMS doesn’t share its pricing information on its website, but rates and fees reportedly include:

  • Minimum monthly processing charge. $25/month
  • Processing charge for card-present transactions. 2.69% plus $0.19
  • Processing charge when card info is keyed-in. 3.69% plus $0.19
  • Early termination fee. $395
  • American Express fee. If you plan you accept American Express, there may be additional fees.

How do I open an account with Valued Merchant Services?

Business owners who want to get set up to accept VMS should:

  1. Reach out to Valued Merchant Services through its website
  2. Speak with a sales representative to confirm details and select equipment
  3. Wait for equipment to arrive
  4. Set up equipment and start accepting transactions

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Rate guarantee. VMS will beat competitor’s rates or pay you $500.
  • Quick setup. Get started in as fast as one day.
  • Check and ACH services. Safely accept check payments from customers in conjunction with Clover hardware.
  • Variety of products. In addition to its merchant account services, Valued Merchant Services offers ATMs and in-house options for business loans.

Cons

  • Basic services. VMS offers relatively few features or add-ons, making it more of a no-frills option.
  • Tiered approval. VMS states that separate approval is required to accept American Express, but doesn’t give much information on that process.
  • Fees. An early cancellation fee of $395 may apply if you need to move on from this provider.

What other products will I need?

Valued Merchant Services offers a comprehensive lineup of services to accept electronic payments. However, small business owners may also need:

  • Checking account. The company offers merchant accounts to manage receivables, but business owners will need to link an account to transfer the proceeds of processed payments.
  • Online shopping cart plug-in. VMS reportedly offers the ability to accept payments online, but business owners may need a separate plug-in for customers to build and place orders through the business’s website.
  • Inventory management system. While some payment processing companies have built-in inventory management systems, we could find no evidence that VMS offers this feature.

What is Valued Merchant Services?

Valued Merchant Services was established in 2006 to help businesses across the country accept various types of electronic payments. It’s a top 1,000 honoree on the Inc. Magazine List of the 5,000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America and, according to the company, has a 99% merchant approval rate.

The company is headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and has agents across the US.

Valued Merchant Services reviews and complaints

Despite the company having been founded more than 12 years ago, customer reviews of Valued Merchant Services are fairly difficult to find online. However, the company has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), as of October 2020. While there is only one review, there are no complaints registered through the BBB as of this writing.

Among the reviews available online, customers highlight VMS’s ability to get them set up to accept payments quickly — reportedly in as fast as one day.

How do I contact Valued Merchant Services support?

To get in touch with VMS, small business owners can:

Compare other payment processors

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Fattmerchant
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Helcim
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Bottom line

Valued Merchant Services allows small business owners to accept many types of electronic payments. It has agents across the US and offers your business $500 if it can’t beat your current rates and fees. But its services are relatively basic. If you're looking for bells and whistles, you'll want to compare other payment processors.

Frequently asked questions

Are there any industries that VMS won’t serve?

VMS claims on its website that it serves all types of businesses.

Which point of sale systems does VMS offer?

VMS can provide your small business with hardware from Clover and software from the cloud-based Vital POS.

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