Stax by Fattmerchant Review: Is It Right for Your Business?

Stax by Fattmerchant is a subscription-based merchant services provider with wholesale interchange-plus pricing rates, low-cost ACH processing, and integrated payments. Other features include invoicing and billing software, recurring and stored payment options, customer relationship management (CRM), text-to-pay, and analytics reporting. Best for small to medium-sized retailers and professional services, Stax by Fattmerchant subscription starts at $99 and also offers a custom pricing model for businesses that process more than $500,000 annually.

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What We Recommend Stax by Fattmerchant For

After reviewing dozens of merchant account providers over the past several years, we can say Stax by Fattmerchant offers some of the most transparent and predictable pricing on the market. Its business dashboard and software solutions are very easy to use and are much more robust than what most processors offer. Overall, Stax by Fattmerchant is the best merchant services for growing businesses.

Specifically, Stax by Fattmerchant is ideal for:

• Small and medium-sized businesses with growth goals: If you’re actively growing your business, Stax by Fattmerchant has tiered custom pricing plans that offer lower transaction fees as your transaction volume increases. Custom pricing plans and powerful software add-ons make Stax by Fattmerchant a great overall value for growing businesses.
• Established professional services: Stax by Fattmerchant’s invoicing and billing software, along with its affordable transaction fees and ACH bank transfer payments make it a great choice for businesses like professional services that process recurring payments.
• Subscription-based retailers: Stax by Fattmerchant’s stored payment and recurring billing options also make it a good choice for subscription-based retailers and storefronts.

When Stax by Fattmerchant Would Not Be a Good Fit

• New businesses who need to get up and running: Stax by Fattmerchant uses custom pricing, and requires an application and setup process, so it’s not ideal if you need to start accepting payments fast. Instead, look for one of these easier credit card processing options.
• Occasional sellers or sole proprietors: While Stax by Fattmerchant’s subscription-based pricing does result in really low per transaction fees, the monthly fee can be too steep for micro businesses. You can find lower rates and more flexibility with these free merchant accounts.
• Businesses that take payments over the phone: Because Stax by Fattmerchant requires a separate software subscription for virtual terminal (or keyed-in) transactions, these fees can add up if you take phone orders. Our recommended virtual terminals offer more affordable solutions for phone orders.

Stax by Fattmerchant Overview

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Stax by Fattmerchant’s application process requires you fill out a form on their website so they can assess your needs and provide you with custom pricing options. Other options may get you up and running more quickly, but Fattmerchant’s pricing often aligns with your current stage of growth, which can be affordable while you scale.

Stax by Fattmerchant Pricing

Stax by Fattmerchant claims to be the first flat monthly subscription model that allows you to save up to 40% on credit card processing. Each monthly plan covers the first $500,000 of your annual processing and offers 0% markup on direct-cost interchange. This means you pay a monthly membership in exchange for the direct cost of transactions and authorizations by card providers.

Stax by Fattmerchant Small Business Plans

There are also no additional costs for 24/7 customer service, next day funding, or online reporting. Custom quotes are available for businesses that process more than $500,000 annually.

Optional add-ons to boost your business operations are also available, but you will need to contact Stax for pricing details:

• One-Click Shopping Cart
• QuickBooks Online Pro Sync
• Terminal Protection
• Custom Branding
• Same-Day Funding
• Digital Gift Cards

Contract Length & Early Terminations

Stax by Fattmerchant’s subscription model runs as a month-to-month contract and doesn’t charge any early termination fees, but you will need to give them 30 days’ notice if you’re canceling your subscription.

Stax by Fattmerchant Payment Processing Fees

With a subscription plan, you only pay for the direct cost of interchange and authorization determined by each major card brand (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), and cents per transaction.

For businesses processing up to $500,000 annually:

• $99 – $199 Monthly fee
• Interchange plus 8 cents per card-present transaction
• Interchange plus 15 cents per card-not-present transaction

Other cards types and brands supported by Stax by Fattmerchant are:

• Discover
• Pin Debit
• JCB Dining
• EBT
• Health Flex
• Wex
• Voyager

Stax by Fattmerchant Hardware

Stax by Fattmerchant supports a number of hardware options for in-person payments including mobile card readers as well as mobile and traditional terminals. However, not all of these hardware options are readily available from Fattmerchant’s website. Contact their sales team for more information.

SwipeSimple is a mobile card reader equipped with EMV encryption technology. First one is free with subscription while additional readers can be purchased for $75 from your account manager.
(Image Source: SwipeSimple)

Chipper 2X is a Bluetooth capable mobile card reader and supports all magstripe and EMV payment functions. It's compatible with both Android and iOS devices so you can easily turn your smartphone into a payment terminal.
(Image Source: BBPOS)

The PAX A920 is a stand-alone payment terminal with full-featured Android tools, an integrated camera, and high-speed thermal printer.
(Image Source: Stax by Fattmerchant)

From left to right: Dejavoo Z8 ($250), Dejavoo Z9 ($500), and Dejavoo Z11 ($300). Dejavoo systems countertop terminals support swiped, dipped, and tapped in-person payments. The higher priced models are WiFi ready and provide contactless payment options. Available for purchase at Stax by Fattmerchant website.
(Image Source: Stax by Fattmerchant)

Stax by Fattmerchant Alternatives & Fees Comparison

Stax by Fattmerchant Features

Stax Pay is Stax by Fattmerchant’s solution for secure-in person and online credit card processing. It is loaded with tools and features to help small businesses accept a wide variety of payment types:

• Payment types: Stax by Fattmerchant accepts all major credit and debit cards, ACH payments, invoicing, Text2Pay, virtual terminal, and contactless payments.
• Invoicing: You can easily create and manage digital invoices straight from the Stax platform. It lets you customize your invoice, schedule recurring payments, send to customers via email or text message, and set automatic payment reminders.
• Mobile Payments: The Stax Pay toolkit includes a free iOS and Android mobile POS app and Bluetooth-enabled card readers. You can use your mobile phone or tablet camera to accept credit cards, manage invoices, track products, create catalogs, accept tips, scan barcodes, and send digital receipts.
• ACH Payments: ACH processing is available upon request and has no interchange or markup percentage per transaction. You can enable ACH payments by requesting the built-in Stax app marketplace listing.
• Deposits: Same-day funding is available. In general, customers will be approved for either next day or 48-hour funding. However, Fattmerchant also offers same-day funding for clients who want to receive deposits on a debit card instead of in a bank account.
• Ecommerce: Stax Pay offers customized ecommerce integrations, personalized check out pages and easy one-click shopping carts with popular software such as Woocommerce, Shopify, and BigCommerce. It then connects with top gateways like NMI, Authorize.net, First Data, TSYS to power your online sales.
• CRM: Stax Pay allows you to create and save full customer profiles. If you prefer a third-party option, it also integrates with more than 90% of CRMs on the market such as NetSuite, Salesforce, and Infusionsoft.
• Analytics and reporting: The Stax Pay dashboard shows sales trends in your business and determines where you have the most potential for growth. You can also use the tools to manage customers, measure your growth, and learn about when you’re busiest.
• Dispute management: Stax by Fattmerchant Dispute Manager notifies retailers of chargebacks quickly and facilitates an efficient resolution. You’ll hear about the chargeback on the same day it’s claimed, and you can upload supporting documents through the user portal. Contact their support team to request for this feature.

Fattmerchant Ease of Use

• Grows with you: Stax by Fattmerchant has tiered pricing and also shows analytics reporting with growth in mind.
• Advanced third-party integrations: There is no shortage of Stax by Fattmerchant integration options. The payment processor works with a variety of outside hardware and software platforms. However, access to third-party integrations requires a monthly subscription fee.
• Excellent customer support: Users find the Stax by Fattmerchant support team to be responsive and helpful.
• Predictable pricing: Though you need to get a custom quote for your business, subscription-based pricing makes it easy to understand and forecast payment processing expenses.
• Mobile payment: You can use mobile card readers, send text payment reminders, and accept payments from mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

While Stax by Fattmerchant itself is a powerful tool, there are added benefits in its wide range of integration options. You can connect it to Zapier, Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Authorize.net, and QuickBooks Online. You can also use the open API to create your own custom integrations.

Fattmerchant Customer Support

You can reach Stax by Fattmerchant customer support via phone or request form on their website. There’s also a live chat tool, though it’s hard to say during what hours you’ll be able to get in touch with a human as opposed to a chatbot. Stax by Fattmerchant uses Zendesk to manage support tickets, and you can also self-serve with the online Knowledge Base that has support content. Ultimate subscription plan includes a dedicated account manager.

What Users Think of Stax by Fattmerchant

There are not a lot of reviews for Stax by Fattmerchant, but those that exist mostly awarded this provider 4- and 5-star ratings across most review platforms. It is rare for merchant accounts to have lots of positive reviews.

• Software Advice: Stax by Fattmerchant earns a rating of 4.79 out of 5, from at least 20 reviews.
• G2: Ranks Stax by Fattmerchant with an overall rating of 4.9 out of 5, based on five user reviews.

People love the helpful and responsive customer support team—they’re helpful from the moment you sign up. Other feedback to note:

Bottom Line

Stax by Fattmerchant’s subscription pricing model allows its users to enjoy low per transaction fees which makes it well-suited to growing businesses. This easy-to-use processor has features like dispute management, CRM, invoicing, saved and recurring payments, and reputation management. There are tons of integrations, and qualifying merchants get next-day funding. To find out if it is a fit for you, contact Stax by Fattmerchant for a free savings assessment.

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