shouldiuse.io

Categories

VERDICT

Should I use Clearly Payments?

Award-winning credit card processor with low-cost payment processing and top service for merchants. - clearlypayments.com

Depends. Buy if you process real monthly card volume and want interchange-plus pricing instead of flat-rate; the savings math only favors higher-volume merchants. New or tiny sellers should skip it and start with Stripe or Square — no underwriting, no sales calls.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~30 public sources; most product claims come from Clearly Payments' own blog and pricing pages.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityOnly self-reported service claims found
  • Security posture

Pricing

Custom quote

Cost-plus (interchange-plus)

ModelCost-plus
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed

Best for

  • Established merchants with steady card volume
  • Retailers tired of flat-rate fees
  • Businesses wanting gross/net funding choice
  • Mid-size merchants replacing legacy processors

Not for

  • New businesses — underwriting and hold risk will slow you down; just use Stripe
  • Side hustles and solo sellers — flat-rate aggregators are simpler to start
  • Very low-volume merchants — interchange-plus savings won't cover account overhead
  • Anyone wanting instant, published pricing without a sales call

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Cost-plus savings vs 2.6%–2.9% flat-rate mainly appear at higher volume; low-volume merchants may lose money

medium

No rates visible in sources; pricing is custom-quoted — demand a full fee schedule before signing

medium

Expect underwriting and possible fund holds or credit review early on

medium

PCI DSS 4.0 obligations may carry extra fees; ask exactly what's bundled

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Interchange-plus (cost-plus) pricing aimed at undercutting flat-rate rivals charging 2.6%–2.9% + $0.30
  • Published case study claims one retailer saved $15,000 in fees
  • Lets merchants choose gross or net funding for cash-flow control
  • Publishes a security page plus PCI DSS 4.0 and fraud guidance
  • Independently reviewed by in April 2024

Cons

  • Requires merchant-account underwriting and approval; no instant sign-up like aggregators
  • Merchant accounts risk holds and credit reviews that can freeze funds
  • Most published evidence is the company's own blog; independent reviews scarce
  • Savings claims come from company case studies, not audited data
  • PCI DSS 4.0 shifts compliance work onto the merchant

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/01/2026 - 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x6review x2security x1news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • Not disclosed

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Cost-plus undercuts flat-rate; savings claims are self-published
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Merchant underwriting slower than aggregator sign-up
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Gateways, funding choice, alt payments; nothing standout shown
  • Support quality. Only self-reported service claims found
  • Security posture: 3/5. Security page and PCI guidance; no audits cited
  • Cost-plus Pricing model Rival flat-rate: 2.6%–2.9% + $0.30
  • $15,000 Claimed savings One retailer case study
  • CardRates.com Independent review Published April 2024

Pricing

Cost-plus (interchange-plus)

Not disclosed

  • Interchange plus fixed markup
  • Positions against flat-rate 2.6%–2.9% + $0.30
  • Volume-based savings claimed

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Independent user feedback is scarce; the third-party review found is CardRates.com's 2024 writeup.

Alternatives

Compare Clearly Payments with each alternative.

Companies that use it

  • Smile Innovations
Full analysis

Based on ~30 public sources; most product claims come from Clearly Payments' own blog and pricing pages.

Cost-plus processor for established, higher-volume merchants; new or tiny sellers should just use Stripe or Square.

Methodology

Based on ~30 public sources; most product claims come from Clearly Payments' own blog and pricing pages.

Sources

  1. Clearly Payments homepageclearlypayments.com
    official
  2. Cost Plus Pricingclearlypayments.com
    official
  3. Product security pageclearlypayments.com
    security
  4. A Review of Clearly Payments by CardRates.comclearlypayments.com
    review
  5. How to Slash Credit Card Processing Fees in 2025 (retailer saved $15,000)clearlypayments.com
    official
  6. Gross vs Net Funding in Payment Processing. You Choose.clearlypayments.com
    official
  7. How a Merchant Account Works in Credit Card Processingclearlypayments.com
    official
  8. PCI DSS 4.0: Facts and Compliance Insights in 2025clearlypayments.com
    official
  9. How to Manage and Prevent a Merchant Account Holdsecureglobalpay.net
    news
  10. Top 7 Best Retail Merchant Account Providers (Helcim)thriftypayments.com
    review

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.