Stax by Fattmerchant Review
Stax by Fattmerchant could save you up to 40% on credit card processing fees. But is it good for your small to medium-size business? Read this review to find out.
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Overall Score | 4.3 | ||
Price | 4.5 | ||
Customer Service | 5.0 | ||
Contract | 5.0 | ||
Ecommerce | 4.5 | ||
High Volume Business | 5.0 | ||
Low Volume Business | 2.0 | ||
Pros and Cons
- Flat monthly subscription fee, starting at $99
- 0% markup on Interchange
- No long-term contract
- Extra add-on fees
- Not for low-volume businesses
Bottom Line
Simple subscription-based processor for higher volume businesses
What is Stax?
Stax by Fattmerchant has an interesting subscription-based pricing model. You only pay direct interchange costs on your transaction. Stax does not add a mark-up, and in exchange, you pay a monthly membership fee.
No markup is pretty unique in the world of merchant account providers. You can save a lot on processing fees. This structure is ideal for larger businesses processing at least $20,000 per month.
Stax offers a variety of credit card processing equipment and solutions for businesses of all types - whether you operate solely online, take phone orders, or take in-person sales.
Keep reading to learn more.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Subscription-based Pricing; no mark-up
You pay a flat monthly fee starting at $99 per month. There is no per-transaction markup. The only fees you will pay is your subscription fee and the direct interchange costs per transaction. - No Contract
With month-to-month billing, you don't have to worry about being locked into a long term contract. - Lots of Way to Accept Payments
Fatttmerchant offers processing for mobile, contactless, online, invoicing, recurring billing, over the phone, ACH, and more. No matter how your business operates, there's a solution for you. - Custom Statements and Invoices
You can align your paperwork with your business' brand and logo. - Integrated Payment Platform
You can produce custom reports, manage inventory, and monitor sales data and customer retention across your business from every terminal in one centralized place.
Cons
- Extra Add-on Fees
There are extra fees for add-on features like QuickBooks integration, equipment, and same-day funding. - Expensive for Smaller Business
Subscription pricing is not ideal for smaller businesses with unsteady sales. If you process less than $20,000 per month, you may find better value elsewhere.
Stax Products & Services
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Here's a list of the features Stax offers:
Mobile Processing
Accept payments from your phone or tablet from anywhere. You can accept swipe, chip, and contactless payments with the mobile reader. You can even scan an image of customer credit cards with your phone's camera.
Virtual Terminal
If you take phone orders often, the virtual terminal can be a good option. You can:
- Accept payments over the phone and key in the payment information.
- Sync the sales with your physical terminal or mobile device to complete the sale for greater security.
The virtual terminal also includes access to invoicing, inventory, and your customer database.
Physical Terminals
If you accept payments in person, the Stax terminals make it easy to process card present transactions. You can accept swipe, chip, and contactless payments with the Stax terminals.
The Stax physical terminals integrate with the virtual terminal or mobile processing for a unified solution.
Invoicing and Recurring Billing
Create custom invoices and statements and set up recurring invoices for future billings. For subscription based businesses, you can create payment schedules, adjust payment amounts, and pause subscription billing.
Ecommerce Shopping Cart
Create your custom shopping cart to integrate your brand and logo. Customers remain on your website for the entire transaction, increasing the likelihood of a completed transaction.
ACH processing
Collect funds electronically directly from the customer's bank account.
Surcharge
You can add transparent surcharge fees and offset your processing costs by passing them onto your customers.
Developer API
If you have complex software needs, the Stax API makes it easy to integrate their processing with your software needs.
Backup Processing
Even if your Wi-Fi signal is weak or the power or internet goes down, keep on processing on the Stax mobile app.
Stax Packages & Fees
Stax by Fattmerchant offers three subscription tiers:
- Growth: $99 per month
Includes digital invoicing, recurring invoices and scheduled payments, virtual terminal, ACH payments, free surcharging capabilities, backup processing, and basic analytics. - Pro: $159 per month
Includes everything in Growth plus: Text2Pay, website-hosted payment links, credit cards on file, accounting reconciliation, API capabilities, and enhanced analytics. - Ultimate: $199 per month
Includes everything in Pro plus: auto updates for stored credit cards, one-click shopping cart with catalog management, data exports, advanced analytics, and dedicated account manager.
If you process more than $500,000 annually, you can talk to Stax about custom pricing.
There are extra fees for certain add-on features. For example, if you're on the Growth plan but you'd like one-click shopping cart setup, you can add that feature. Payment gateway also has an additional fee.
When you talk to a Stax rep, all the add-ons will be clearly communicated so you know what your final monthly subscription price is.
- Same day funding
- Synchronization with QuickBooks
- Advanced customization
- Terminal protection plan
- One-click shopping cart
- Digital gift cards
- Level 2 Processing
- Equipment
Contract
Stax does not require a contract. It's month-to-month billing. You can cancel your service without worrying about an early termination fee. However, you must submit a 30-day written notice before the cancellation date.
Stax Equipment
Stax offers a small selection of payment processing equipment, including:
- Dejavoo terminals
- First Data terminals
- Ingenico Desk terminals
- Clover POS system
- Stax Pay Mobile card reader (BBPOS Chipper 2X BT)
Stax offers various equipment models like standard terminals, smart terminals, mobile-only card readers, and POS solutions. You can accept dip (chip cards), swipe (traditional magnetic card), and tap (contactless) credit card payments as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
How Stax by Fattmerchant Compares
Payment Depot
Like Stax, Payment Depot offers membership-based pricing. Both of them don't charge a percentage markup on interchange.
Payment Depot operates on a month-to-month basis. Pricing plans start at $79 per month. You'll pay a monthly subscription fee based on your annual sales volume, plus the interchange rates for each transaction without percentage markup.
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Stax by fattmerchant | Payment Depot | |
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Save Up to 40% - | Save 40% or More - | |
Benefits and Features | ||
Customer Service | Phone, Email, Fax, Live Chat Support, Fattmerchant Support Center | Phone, Email, Ticket Center, Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) |
Good For | Businesses processing $15,000 or more per month | Businesses processing $20,000 or more per month |
Equipment | POS (EMV, Magstripe, Contactless, NFC), Mobile Payment Processing, Online Processing | POS (EMV, Magstripe, NFC, Contactless, Smart Terminals), Mobile Payment Processing, Online Payment Processing |
Pricing Model | ||
Swipe Rate | ||
Online Rate | ||
Monthly Fee |
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Keyed-in Transaction Fee | ||
Deposit Time |
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Stripe
Stripe offers flat-rate pay-as-you-go pricing, rather than a monthly subscription fee. This works out better for smaller businesses. However, large businesses can get custom pricing.
Stripe is mostly known for being an online processing provider (for eCommerce, B2B, mobile apps, etc.). They offer excellent developer API tools that lets you completely customize your online checkout experience.
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Stax by fattmerchant | Stripe | |
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Save Up to 40% - | Online Payment Processing - | |
Benefits and Features | ||
Customer Service | Phone, Email, Fax, Live Chat Support, Fattmerchant Support Center | Phone (by request), Email, Live Chat, IRC |
Good For | Businesses processing $15,000 or more per month | Online businesses; Customized checkout experience |
Equipment | POS (EMV, Magstripe, Contactless, NFC), Mobile Payment Processing, Online Processing | Online Processing, Terminal, Stripe for Marketplace & Platforms, Billing Services (subscription & invoicing) |
Pricing Model | ||
Swipe Rate | ||
Online Rate | ||
Monthly Fee | ||
Keyed-in Transaction Fee | ||
Deposit Time |
| 7-14 days after the first successful payment |
Chargeback Fee | ||
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PayPal
PayPal is one of the most popular options for small businesses. It has different flat-rates based on the processing method. There is no monthly fee.
The biggest advantage of choosing PayPal is that you can accept PayPal and Venmo payments on your website and in-person. You even get a reduced processing rate for PayPal and Venmo QR code transactions. It offers the most payment options to customers.
The platform excels in online credit card transactions, but you do run the risk of cart abandonment, as your customer must leave your website to complete the payment.
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Stax by fattmerchant | PayPal | |
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Save Up to 40% - | ||
Benefits and Features | ||
Customer Service | Phone, Email, Fax, Live Chat Support, Fattmerchant Support Center | Phone, Email, Live Chat Support, PayPal Community |
Good For | Businesses processing $15,000 or more per month | Accepting Paypal payments; Small businesses with average transaction under $100 |
Equipment | POS (EMV, Magstripe, Contactless, NFC), Mobile Payment Processing, Online Processing | POS (Chip, Swipe, Tap), Marketplaces & Partners, Invoicing, Online Processing |
Pricing Model | ||
Swipe Rate | ||
Online Rate | ||
Monthly Fee | No monthly fees; $30/month for PayPal Payments Pro | |
Keyed-in Transaction Fee | ||
Deposit Time |
| Instant access to the funds in your PayPal account; Or instant deposit to your bank account for 1% fee or 1-2 business days for no fee |
Chargeback Fee | ||
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Bottom Line
Stax by Fattmerchant is best suited for the mid- to larger-size business that processes more than $20,000 per month. By having no per-transaction markup, you can save a lot on processing fees. And the flat-rate monthly subscription pricing keeps things simple.
Save Up to 40%
- Flat Monthly Subscription Price, Starting at $99
- 0% Markup on Direct-Cost Interchange
- 24/7 Support
Square Reader: Free Mobile Credit Card Reader
- Pay 2.6% + 10¢ Per Swipe for Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express
- Accept Credit Cards Anywhere
- Fast Setup, No Commitments
Eliminate Credit Card Processing Fees With Surcharging
Accept Credit Cards at 0% Cost and Increase Your Margins Instantly
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