North American Bancard Review

Why We Chose North American Bancard as the Best Credit Card Processor for Fast Setup 

North American Bancard promises an easy application process, fast approval, and straightforward setup for businesses that want to start accepting credit card payments. Notably, unlike many competitors, North American Bancard will work with businesses in high-risk industries, including CBD, debt collection, peptides, telemedicine and credit repair.

Additionally, we like that the company offers next-day funding with cut-off times as late as 12 a.m. EST. You can also choose from various free equipment options upon signup to get up and running with credit card processing immediately. For these reasons, North American Bancard is our pick for the best credit card processor for fast setup. 

North American Bancard focuses on simplifying the payments process.  Source: North American Bancard

Ease of Use

North American Bancard uses a merchant portal called Payments Hub as its customer-facing software. We liked the user interface — it’s well-designed and intuitive, with a modern and sleek dashboard featuring collapsible menus. 

From the Payments Hub main screen, you can easily view data analytics and key statistics like gross sales, transactions, refunds, disputes, and other recent activities. You’ll also access the virtual terminal, invoicing, and other tools from the main screen. We believe business owners and their employees won’t face a steep learning curve when using Payments Hub for the first time. 

North American Bancard’s merchant portal is called Payments Hub. Source: North American Bancard

North American Bancard Features

North American Bancard offers several services and features that businesses of all sizes will find valuable, especially those seeking flexibility. Here’s an overview of North American Bancard’s key features. 

Reporting

Small business data analytics can paint a picture of what is going on with your business, and we liked Payments Hub’s reporting feature for this reason. Here you can view data on gross sales, transactions, average transaction amount and more. You can also run and export reports using various preset or custom fields. One particularly neat feature is that you can sort your employees by various factors, including sales, discounts, tips and more. 

Virtual Terminal 

You’ll find the virtual terminal on Payments Hub. This is where you can manually key in credit card information. For businesses that want to accept credit card payments over the phone, the virtual terminal tool is indispensable. We liked that you can also use this feature with a card reader to accept payments with a physical credit card. 

Payments Hub’s virtual terminal allows you to enter transactions manually. Source: North American Bancard

E-Commerce

If you’re looking to create an online store, Payments Hub’s developer portal provides the resources you need to create a payment solution on your website, even if you don’t have web design prowess. We liked that more tech-savvy business owners can integrate North American Bancard’s processing services into their online stores to add checkout functionality, integrate terminals with internal software, process payments on WooCommerce, and more. 

Inventory Management 

You can use the Payments Hub portal to manage your inventory and create a catalog of your products. Set multiple prices, add modifiers and product images, track your in-stock items, and itemize your receipts. We like that you can integrate this system with a barcode scanner, so retail businesses can sync their POS operations with inventory management. 

Security

Credit card payment processing laws business owners must understand include PCI compliance. We like that North American Bancard simplifies the PCI compliance process by eliminating the need for annual reports if you use a Payanywhere device. The company also partners with SecureTrust to provide a team of service professionals to help you with the technical aspects of PCI compliance. We were impressed by North American Bancard’s added PCI Plus service, which includes a more personalized, white-glove treatment so business owners don’t have to worry about staying in compliance. 

Hardware

North American Bancard provides an impressive amount of third-party POS devices. New customers will receive free equipment when they sign up for a contract. Options include the Payanywhere Bluetooth credit card reader, which can accept EMV, magstripe and NFC contactless payments, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Other Payanywhere devices offered include the handheld Smart Terminal, the Smart Keypad and the Smart Flex. The Smart POS+ functions as a full cash register, complete with a customer-facing touchscreen, receipt printer and optional port for a cash drawer. North American Bancard also offers the handheld Ingenico iCT 220 terminal. 

The Payanywhere Smart Terminal is one of North American Bancard’s hardware offerings. Source: Payanywhere

Cash Discounting Program

Although there are many benefits to going cashless, some businesses still accept most of their payments in cash. Unlike many competitors, North American Bancard offers a unique service called EDGE that’s designed to reward customers for paying in cash. Additionally, when merchants face the cost of accepting transactions from rewards credit cards, they often must raise prices to compensate. The EDGE program is designed to automatically adjust the transaction to reflect the payment method, which boosts your profit margins. We think this feature could prove especially useful for businesses that still deal with many cash transactions. 

North American Bancard Pricing

In regard to credit card processing fees, North American Bancard offers both interchange-plus pricing and tiered pricing. Interchange-plus consists of a percentage of the transaction charged by the credit card issuer and an additional percentage tacked on by the credit card processor. This pricing model often also includes a small fixed fee per transaction. The tiered pricing model separates credit card transactions by type and charges different rates for different transaction types. 

Unlike other credit card processors we reviewed, North American Bancard doesn’t publicly disclose its rates. The company says it offers rates as low as 0.29% per transaction. This is a very low rate compared to other credit card processors, but factors such as your business’s total transaction volume determine your actual rate. Speak to a North American Bancard representative for a customized quote. 

Implementation and Onboarding

We were impressed by North American Bancard’s quick setup, including a straightforward application process and fast approval. You can apply online and receive approval in as little as one day, or call the company directly to get started. North American Bancard works with various businesses, even those in controversial and high-risk industries. New customers also have the option to receive free equipment upon signup. 

Customer Support

North American Bancard maintains a 24/7 customer service helpline. We appreciate that the company offers round-the-clock technical support by phone, especially in an era where many credit card processors have outsourced their customer service to automated systems or curtailed their hours. Additionally, North American Bancard has an online knowledge base and FAQ section where customers can find answers. 

North American Bancard hosts an online knowledge base where customers can find answers.  Source: North American Bancard

Limitations

North American Bancard doesn’t disclose a full range of processing rates, which we see as a downside. Instead, you must call the company for a quote. The software also lacks some of the bells and whistles of competitors. For example, North American Bancard doesn’t offer a fully integrated POS system and credit card processing solution like some competitors, including Clover. Learn more in our in-depth Clover review. 

We also noted that some customers complained about high termination fees and other undisclosed charges on user-generated review sites. Although North American Bancard doesn’t publicly advertise fees, we advise customers to read the fine print in their contracts to avoid misunderstandings. 

Methodology

We researched and analyzed leading credit card processors to find the best credit card processors for small businesses. We investigated by exploring demos and free trials, carefully examining user reviews, and interacting with each vendor’s customer service team. We looked at the usability of each company’s hardware and software offerings, as well as how fair the contract terms are to merchants. Additionally, we scrutinized the rates and fees each processor charges. To identify the best credit card processor for fast setup, we paid particular attention to the application process, ease of approval and free equipment provisions. 

Bottom Line

We recommend North American Bancard for …

• High-risk businesses that want to get started quickly with a credit card processor. 
• Businesses that still deal with many cash transactions. 

We don’t recommend North American Bancard for …

• Business owners that want an integrated POS and credit card processing solution. 
• Merchants in search of rate transparency before they call to sign up.