Savings quote without the full fee schedule
Ask for activation, batch, monthly, PCI/non-compliance, chargeback, account inactivity, gateway, equipment and closure charges in writing.
MERCHANT PROTECTION
Before you sign, test the parts nobody advertises.
Payment companies sell checkout and growth. Merchants also need clarity on reserves, exit terms, hidden fees and who is accountable when funds are delayed.
SIX CONTRACT OBJECTIONS
These are the questions worth asking.
Auto-renewal and early termination
Ask for term length, cancellation notice method, renewal terms, residual fees, liquidated damages, and how to obtain written confirmation of cancellation.
Separate terminal leases
Equipment financing or terminal rental may outlast the processing contract; get independent cancellation terms and the total equipment cost.
Risk reserves and payout holds
Clarify permitted reserve triggers, release schedule, percentage held, communication timeline and appeal process. A held balance is a liquidity risk even if it is not a fee.
Marketing says “all countries” or “all methods”
Request merchant-domicile eligibility, countries where shoppers are accepted, payout destinations, methods and settlement currencies as separate dimensions.
No documented support or exit path
Ask for incident SLAs, escalation contacts, disaster recovery, migration and data-export path and who owns dispute evidence.
Why this is not hypothetical
In November 2026 the US FTC and Washington announced action alleging a payment processor omitted material fees, used difficult cancellation practices and obscured equipment lease obligations. These are allegations described by the agency; they are not a finding about any provider listed on PaymentSolutions.app.
Read the FTC announcement ↗Stripe separately documents reserves as potential temporary funds holds to cover refund and dispute exposure, demonstrating why merchants should ask about liquidity even when card fees are clear.
Review Stripe's reserve explanation ↗