Questions and Answers

I have been with The Merchant's Matchmaker© since 2002 and have had every question answered promptly. This company is the best to work with because they do everything they say! I have never been dissatisfied with them, though I once was suckered into switching because I was promised cheaper rates, but found out the opposite. I called The Merchant's Matchmaker© right away and switched back the next month.

Mike Abrahamson
Owner Highway 18 Collision Center
Brainerd, MN

The Merchant's Matchmaker© is one of the most honest and forthright companies that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Although we do not currently use their services, we had them review our rates that we are currently paying on credit card transactions. They analyzed our current statement and, very honestly, told me that the rates that we have are excellent and that they would be unable to improve on them. It was very impressive to see a company that was truly looking out for the good of their potential customers, and not just their profit. I would recommend The Merchant's Matchmaker© to anyone I know looking for merchant services.

Kris King
Commercial Sales Floor to Ceiling
St Joseph, MN

Working with The Merchant's Matchmaker© has been an absolute joy. They make it so easy and assist us every step of the way. They are always looking out for our best interests and proactively come to us with suggestions and recommendations for saving us money. They even shop for the best prices on equipment and don't encourage us to get more than what is within our means. They always make the time to return your phone call personally, which really means a lot. I would have no reservations about referring anyone to do business with The Merchant's Matchmaker©. In fact, I do!!

Amy Albers
Finance Finken Companies
St. Cloud, MN

Q: How do I find out if I am bound to a termed contract with my current credit card processor, and if there is an Early Termination Fee?

A: There are a couple of ways to determine your existing contract terms: 1) Find your original paperwork you signed with the current processor and look in the “Terms and Conditions”; this is sometimes a separate document, or it may be located on the back of the carbon copy of your agreement (you will need to find a paragraph entitled “Terms” or “Termination”); or 2) Call your current processor and ask them if they show that you are in a contract, and if so, when does the contract expire and what would be the Early Termination Fee, if any; whatever they tell you, ask for a copy of your signed paperwork that reflects the terms; if they tell you that you are not in a contract, get the name and extension number of the person to whom you spoke, as merchants are often charged a fee even when they were told there wouldn’t be one because processing companies are notorious for miscommunications, and if you have no proof, you are out of luck.

Q: If I am currently locked into a contract, should I even look at other processing options?

A: Absolutely! Often, if you find a significantly lower EFFECTIVE RATE, you can determine how much your savings will be each month on average; many times you will have saved the cost of the Termination Fee within several months or less. Other times, you may only have a few more months in your existing contract, but the savings are so significant that if you just paid your Monthly Minimum (if applicable) and your statement fee on the old account while using the new account, you will be hundreds of dollars ahead; then you can cancel at the end of your term without a penalty.


A: If you divide your monthly processing COST by your monthly SALES VOLUME, this will give you your EFFECTIVE RATE. If you are paying more than 2.5%, call The Merchant's Matchmaker© and we can analyze your potential savings, at no cost to you and without obligation! This is the most accurate method of overall cost analysis, and then each rate and fee category can be compared and analyzed more closely to determine the specific areas of savings for your individual business.

Q: Is it cost effective to lease a credit card terminal?

A: NEVER!!!! This is the biggest legal scam ever in our opinion, and any salesperson or representative that even suggests it to you is not someone you should be doing business with, as they are not considering what is best for your business; rather, they see it as an opportunity for huge profit, direct from your pocket. (An average profit to the salesperson that got you to sign a lease is $1200 and more, with additional profit going to the company they represent, and more profit going to the leasing company!)

Q: If I signed a Lease Agreement, can I cancel it? Or can I pay it off early?

A: No, and Yes. No, you cannot cancel a Lease Agreement. Yes, you can pay it off early; however, it does not save you any money to pay it off early, as the leasing company will just multiply how many months left in the lease agreement by your monthly payment, and this is your payoff amount.

Q: If I signed a Lease Agreement, how will I know when it is paid off?

A: Normally, you will not know unless you are watching very closely, and you are proactive. Leasing companies do not generally give notification of term fulfillment, but will instead continue to charge the same amount for as many months, and even years, as you let them by not realizing that you need to cancel.

Q: When I have fulfilled the terms of my lease, do I own my terminal?

A: NO, most of the time. If you look in the Terms and Conditions of your lease agreement, you will find that usually there are three options when you fulfill your lease terms: 1) unplug the terminal and return it to the leasing company, which means you will need to get another terminal; 2) if you want to buy out the terminal, there is usually an additional 10% buyout option; 3) if you want to keep using the terminal without buying it out, you can agree to continue to pay the monthly payments month to month, indefinitely. (In our opinion, there is not one single advantage to you, the merchant, in leasing a terminal.)

Q: Can I buy a credit card terminal up front?

A: ABSOLUTELY!!! And it is our only recommendation. However, be very careful in making your purchase. Most processing companies and their representatives will sell you a terminal at a hugely marked up price. You can get an excellent terminal for $350 or less, depending on the model, and depending on where you purchase the terminal. These same terminals are sold by most companies for $800 and higher. Many companies will inflate the purchase price to $1200 and higher in order to make the leasing option more palatable. At The Merchant’s Matchmaker, we sell our terminals for $350 or less, and we also warranty our terminals at no additional cost against technological failure for the duration of your processing agreement with our recommended processor.

Q: Because there are so many thousands of processing companies out there, how can I know who to trust?

A: Unfortunately, this is the most important question of all, and our recommendation is to NOT TRUST ANYONE that wants to lock you into any kind of termed contract. Everyday merchants are blatantly lied to, robbed, and intentionally misled by credit card processors and their representatives. Of course, there are a few honest ones, but in our experience, the honest ones have no problem writing your business without a termed contract. And just because someone tells you that you “can cancel anytime”, does in no way mean that you are not in a termed contract. Of course you can cancel anytime!!!! But they fail to disclose to you the fact that if you terminate prior to the termed date, you will be charged an Early Termination Fee, usually starting at $250 and upwards of several thousand dollars! (We know of a grocery store that was charged over $30,000 in penalties for canceling early.) ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT, AND NEVER SIGN ANY CONTRACT OR AGREEMENT WITHOUT LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT THE “TERMS AND CONDITIONS” SECTION TO DETERMINE YOUR ACTUAL CONTRACT TERMS AND PENALTIES. Processors are required to give you these Terms and Conditions prior to signing, and if they do not, then do not sign until you have read them. Never take the representative’s word, because it is their job to get you to sign the contract, not give you the facts.

Q: I can’t understand the fine print. Who can help me?

A: Well, you could hire a lawyer, which for many would have saved them thousands of dollars in the long run. Or you could call The Merchant's Matchmaker©, and we will be happy to review your terms for free and without obligation. Because of our industry knowledge and years of first-hand experience, we know what to look for and where to find it within the fine print.

Q: I am thinking about buying or leasing an ATM for my business. How do I know if the ATM company is trustworthy?

A: Research and recommendations are very important in the ATM industry. Very few ATM companies are trustworthy, and your decision should be carefully examined. Merchants have literally lost tens of thousands of dollars because of unethical ATM companies. At The Merchant's Matchmaker©, we have done the research that most merchants do not have the time to do, and can help guide you to a profitable partnership with a reputable and reliable ATM company.

Q: I seem to be getting a lot of NSF checks at my business, and I am having a difficult time collecting on them. Is there a program or service that can help me with this without costing me lots of money?

A: Absolutely!! The Merchant's Matchmaker© has discovered an amazing check recovery service that is available to business owners across the nation at no cost. It is a service that is not only free of charge, requires no equipment, has a high recovery ratio and is extremely easy to use, but business owners get a portion of the recovery fee back in addition to the face value of the recovered checks!! Contact us today for more information!