Global Payments Review

As the name implies, the company has locations all over the world, including in the United States, Asia, Brazil, Canada, central Europe, Malta, Spain, and the United Kingdom. For the purposes of this profile and reviews, we’ll be focusing on Global’s US offerings. If you’re researching credit card processing companies and are considering Global Payments, this profile will provide important details about Global’s services, pricing, reviews and reputation, and more.

Global Payments is a registered ISO of Wells Fargo Bank. Global Payments (doing business as Global Payments Direct, Inc.) is a registered ISO of PNC Bank.

• What services does Global Payments offer?
  • Online processing
  • Subscription Payments
  • Virtual Terminal
  • In person processing
  • Mobile processing
  • Equipment
  • Gift Card and Loyalty Programs
• Security
• What does it cost?
• Is there a contract and termination fee?
• What others think of Global Payments
  • Global Payments at the Better Business Bureau
  • Global Payments on its Website
• News

What services does Global Payments offer?

Global Payments is a large processor and offers all the usual payment options, including processing online, in-person, and via mobile devices. You’ll be able to take major credit and debit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express, through direct entry or digital wallets.

You’ll also be able to offer gift and loyalty card programs and take advantage of advanced reporting capabilities.

The company serves a lot of large clients, including sports arenas and national chains, but businesses of any size can use Global.

Online Processing

If you need to process transactions online via your website, Global Payments has options for both “no-code” plugins and full custom solutions. The company integrates with several major ecommerce platforms, including WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, and more.

If you don’t have a developer and want a quicker “out of the box” online payment experience, Global’s hosted payment page will serve that purpose. A hosted payment page is customizable so you can add your logo and match your branding, but you won’t need to do any programming. Global Payments hosts the page, minimizing your security risks. You can offer multiple payment methods, including saved cards using a secure vault.

If you prefer to send your customers a payment link, you can choose that instead. Ideal for businesses that invoice customers and want to provide a one-click experience, the payment link option can send links via email or text. Links can also be set as single-use or multi-use, depending on whether you want that link to expire once you’ve been paid.

On the other hand, if you have in-house developers, you might want the fully custom solution. A developer-friendly API and SDK let you create a fully custom checkout experience, connect your in-store POS system, and more. This option is best for larger businesses or those with specialized payment needs. Most smaller businesses don’t need this level of functionality, but it’s a good option as you grow.

Subscription Payments

If you run a business based on memberships or subscriptions, you’ll need a convenient solution for recurring billing. Global offers an option for that, too. You’ll be able to securely store customers’ payment information in order to charge them for their membership on a set schedule.

Virtual Terminal

If you need to take payments over the phone, you’ll need a virtual terminal. You’ll be able to securely key-in card information, choose whether to securely store it for the future, see transactions, issue refunds when necessary, and more, all through a simple web-based interface.

In-Person Processing

If you take cards in person, Global Payments gives you the ability to accept a variety of payments, including credit and debit cards, gift and loyalty cards, contactless payments, and checks. The company also references industry-specific features, such as online ordering for takeout restaurants or pay-at-the-pump card acceptance for gas stations.

The company also offers point-of-sale equipment and terminals. Note that if you want to take American Express, you may have to get special approval. Also, if you currently accept Discover, you can take PayPal’s purchasing card. If you don’t currently accept Discover, you can get set up to accept both Discover and PayPal’s purchasing card at the same time.

Mobile Processing

For businesses on-the-go, Global Payments offers mobile payment solutions to turn your smartphone or tablet into a processing device. It offers Heartland mobile card readers paired with its mobile app to allow you to securely accept cards using your smartphone or tablet.

No matter where business takes you, a mobile processing solution will let you accept credit cards, track inventory, calculate discounts, and more.

Equipment

Global’s website has pages dedicated to equipment, particularly for in-person transactions, though you’ll have to click through several links to actually get there. The company lists offerings that include standard countertop terminals, wireless terminals, POS systems, and machines that accept NFC (contactless) payments.

One of the things the company promotes is its Genius line of equipment, which includes handheld terminals, countertop terminals, and kiosks.

The countertop POS solution is designed to be fast and user-friendly. It features either an Android or iOS operating system with a 15.5” touchscreen. You can optionally add accessories like a cash drawer, receipt printer, or barcode scanner.

The handheld machine can be used as a basic countertop card reader or a portable machine for line-busting or accepting payments on-the-go. The lightweight design offers a built-in receipt printer in addition to the card reader. Similar to the countertop POS system, you can add a cash drawer, receipt printer, and barcode scanner. 

Aside from the payment processing functions, the company touts inventory management features, letting you easily track and manage stock levels and get reports on best-selling items. The systems also feature reporting on other key business metrics, such as revenue, COGS, and margin.

You can also set discounts and offer “order ahead” options for customers to purchase online and pickup in-store.

Gift Card and Loyalty Programs

Looking to drive more business to your store? Gift cards and loyalty programs are a proven solution. Loyalty programs have been shown to improve customer retention and encourage more frequent visits. Global offers a customizable loyalty program so you can tailor rewards to your base. You can choose whether to incentivize customers on number of visits, total spend, or specific items. You can also create perks for signing up to entice customers to get into the program.

If you’re more interested in the gift card route, you can choose between physical or virtual cards, both of which can be redeemed in-store or online. Customers can check the balance of their cards and reload as needed.

Security

Global Payments has several tools to help you with security, fraud, and PCI compliance. The company offers an extensive Fraud Awareness Guide, and a section of their website is dedicated to PCI compliant questions and solutions. 

Additionally, Global offers 3D Secure 2, for enhanced security with minimal disruption to the checkout process. The company also mentions real-time fraud monitoring to help with early detection of problems.

What does it cost?

Like many processors, Global Payments doesn’t publish rate and fee information on their website. The company sets pricing individually, on a per-business basis. Many different factors impact costs, including your industry, average transaction size, typical monthly processing volume, how you take cards, and more. 

The best way to get a fully disclosed quote with no sales calls or obligation is to request one through CardFellow. Just log in to your CardFellow account and click “request quote” right here in Global Payments’ profile.

Don’t have a CardFellow account yet? It’s free, only takes a few minutes, and we keep your contact info private. Sign up here.

Is there a contract and termination fee?

Yes and yes. Global Payments’ standard contract term is 3 years, and automatically renews. You’ll typically be looking at a termination fee up to $500 for ending your contract early.

Note that while there are some “usual” terms, contracts can also vary by business. Be sure to carefully review your merchant agreement before signing.

What others think of Global Payments

The general opinion of Global Payments can best be described as lukewarm. The company is quite large, but doesn’t seem to have amassed much of a dedicated following, nor a large group of angry customers. That means that generally, customers don’t hate working with Global but they don’t love it, either.

Global Payments at the Better Business Bureau

Global Payments became accredited with the Better Business Bureau in 2021, and currently has an A+ rating with the BBB despite a 1-star rating from customer reviews on the BBB’s own site. The BBB website typically attracts more consumers who are upset with a business than ones who are happy with it, and that’s reflected in Global’s reviews as well.

The complaints allege difficulty cancelling contracts and high cancellation fees, refusal to deposit merchants’ funds, unresponsive customer service, new fees, and unauthorized charges. Some outright accuse the company of fraud or breach of contract. Global Payments responds to all of the reviews, but only to thank the customer for the information and state that someone is looking into it further.

Global Payments on its Website

On its own website, Global Payments intersperses customer quotes among features and details. The reviews (which include the reviewer’s name and company, typically a larger organization) praise Global for professional service, meeting needs quickly, and always being available to help.

News

In early 2016, Global Payments announced plans to purchase rival Heartland Payment Systems. 

In the spring of 2019, Global Payments announced a merger with payment processor TSYS. The all-stock deal is expected to close in late 2019 and will see a new board of directors comprised of 12 members: 6 from TSYS and 6 from Global Payments. The combined company will operate under the name Global Payments according to a Reuters article. 

Do you process with Global Payments? Leave a review!