Bluefin Payment Systems Review 2023


What services does Bluefin Payment Systems offer?

Bluefin prides itself on going above and beyond PCI compliance. The company’s payment processing service boasts the latest in security technology and maintains that keeping up with the latest trends and advancements is of utmost importance.

bluefin homepage

PayConex Platform: This option aims to be an all-encompassing package for payment processing and security. The intention is to be multifunctional and beneficial to a range of clients, from standard retailers to Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and every service in between.
Payment processing features:

  • Card processing of all major payment cards
  • ACH and E-checks- checking account payments and mobile processing of checks
  • Recurring and Subscription Payments
  • Omni-channel POS- Point of Sale for Retail, Mobile, Kiosk/unattended, and Call Centers
  • Ecommerce- card not present online purchases
  • MOTO- Mail Order or Telephone Order
  • QuickSwipe Mobile- a PCI compliant way to do mobile transactions

POS Software Integrations

Bluefin partners with various POS software companies and other business services as either an exclusive or preferred payment processor. In cases where Bluefin is the exclusive provider, you will need a merchant account with Bluefin in order to the use POS software. If Bluefin is a preferred partner, you may be able to choose another payment processor and still use the POS system/software. Examples of services that have partnered with Bluefin include Medtask, Applied Systems, SalonTarget POS, and others.

Bluefin’s Equipment, Software and Sandbox Environment

All of Bluefin’s equipment will be PCI Compliant and feature EMV chip card compatibility. Bluefin services work with a range of equipment, including existing PCs for virtual terminals and hosted payment pages, and Apple and Android devices such as smartphones and tablets for mobile processing.

Bluefin says it can integrate your business’s current software and interface with the PayConex Platform. They have APIs and SDKs to accomplish this, meaning they have tools for building programs that can help make that happen. They also have a Sandbox Environment, a safe space to test out the software, before putting it into use.

Bluefin also offers the PayConex for Salesforce. This is an app designed to integrate with the PayConex Platform. It is called a “native app” because it was developed specifically for the PayConex Platform for people who use Salesforce.

But what about Bluefin’s “cutting-edge” security?

Bluefin Payment Systems is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, and makes use of tokenization, point-to-point encryption, and transparent redirect for security.
What that means for you:

  • Tokenization- This transforms the actual credit card information into a code (“token”) that can only be recognized by your system. It is a safe way of storing payment information for returns, refunds, chargebacks, recurring billing, etc.
  • PCI Validated P2PE (Point to Point Encryption)- Encryption means that the cardholder data at the Point of Interaction (POI) is scrambled to be indecipherable to hackers. This is done in a PCI-approved P2PE device and the decryption (piecing the scrambled information back together) is done off-site in an approved Bluefin Hardware Security Module (HSM). This would mean your business is less vulnerable to a breach since the actual card information is not held in your system.
  • Transparent Redirect- Essentially, this means that your customer’s information never enters your system without being tokenized first by BlueFin.

Bluefin’s Rates and Contracts

Interested in learning about rates and contracts? Unfortunately, you won’t find them on their website. Rates and contracts can fluctuate depending on the client. Not to worry though, you can get a fully disclosed quote from Bluefin right through this profile. The quote will be specific to your business, not a general chart of fees. There’s no cost and no obligation to view pricing, and we never sell or share your contact information.

Learn more about our service on our website or try it now.

Bluefin Reviews and Online Reputation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bluefin closed its physical offices in Tulsa, Chicago, and New York. It’s remaining offices are located in Atlanta, Georgia Waterford, Ireland. However, Bluefin still has online profiles referencing its now closed offices.

Bluefin Payment Systems has 3 profiles with the Better Business Bureau for 3 of its 5 locations. Bluefin Payment Systems’ New York location has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2008 and currently has an A+ rating. Bluefin Payment Systems has only had 1 complaint closed with the BBB in the past 3 years, with 0 in the past 12 months. The sole complaint is in the ”Billing/Collections Issues” category. The complaint alleged that the client cancelled their account in 2010 but received a bill from them in 2014. The issue was resolved soon after it was reported in 2015.

The now closed Tulsa location does not currently have accreditation with the BBB, but does have a profile with an A+ rating. Bluefin Tulsa has only had 1 complaint closed with the BBB in the past 3 years, with 0 in the past 12 months. The sole complaint is in the ”Billing/Collection Issues” category but the details have not been made available. The complaint is listed as answered with assistance from the BBB, but the consumer either did not accept the response or was unsatisfied.

As for Bluefin’s headquarters location in Atlanta, it is accredited with the BBB and has an A+ rating despite having a single customer review of just one star from February of 2021.

So far there are no complaints on Ripoff Report which is a little surprising since they have had media recognition. In March of 2014, Bluefin was featured in Forbes magazine, and was portrayed as a leader in secure payment technology. This indicates that most people have been at least satisfied with the company’s service.

News

In February 2016, Bluefin Payment Systems announced a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in connection with a telemarketing scheme. The FTC alleged that Bluefin ignored red flags when providing processing for certain clients. Bluefin will pay up to $2.6 million as part of the settlement, and is prohibited from providing processing services to certain types of businesses in the future.