TSYS Review

We chose TSYS Merchant Solutions as the best credit card processor for professional service providers because it has affordable rates, few fees and provides a secure way for medical practices to accept credit cards from patients at the time of service or over the phone. 

TSYS partners with the American Medical Association as part of its Member Value Program (AMA MVP) to provide discounts and perks to medical practitioners, and also works with other regional, state and national healthcare associations. For businesses in the medical industry, there are no setup fees, no monthly minimum processing requirements, no cancellation fees and no batch fees. TSYS also includes a virtual terminal for no additional cost. 

It has healthcare-trained customer service agents in-house, and the company has experience providing payment processing solutions to general practitioners, specialists, dentists, veterinarians and other professional service providers in the healthcare industry. 

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For small businesses in other industries, TSYS partners with T-Mobile to offer GoPoint, an all-in-one mobile POS system that includes credit card processing. This program also has flat-rate pricing with no other fees and no contract. 

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Founded in 1983, TSYS has been in the payment processing industry for over 35 years. It serves businesses in 80 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., China, India, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. It acquired TransFirst in 2016 and Cayan in 2018, and has recently announced a merger with Global Payments, making it one of the largest credit card processors in the U.S. 

TSYS works with businesses of all sizes across many industries, such as retail, restaurant and professional services, including mail and telephone order businesses and those that are internet- or home-based. It also works with some high-risk businesses. 

Pricing and Terms

Like many full-service processors, TSYS Merchant Solutions doesn't post its rates, fees or equipment prices on its website, so you'll need to call for a quote. When we called for pricing, posing as a new medical practice, the company representative provided us flat rates. He said that for businesses that are already processing, they have a meet-or-beat pricing guarantee, so depending on the specifics of your business, you may receive lower rates than those we were quoted in our testing. New companies can request a pricing review to see if they qualify for lower rates after they've been processing with TSYS for one year. 

Flat Rates for Medical Practices

This pricing model is simple to understand and there are no other fees, no monthly minimums and no long-term contracts. But, industry experts caution that it's more expensive than interchange-plus pricing. This rate is higher than the flat rate you pay with other processors for in-person processing but lower for the cards you accept using a virtual terminal. 

Here's what it costs to accept credit cards using TSYS's flat rates. 

• 3% for all credit and debit card payments 

Fees – For businesses in the medical industry that accept flat-rate pricing, there are no other fees:

• No monthly fee
• No application or setup fee
• No integration fee (to connect to practice management software)
• No monthly minimum processing requirement
• No PCI compliance or noncompliance fees
• No early termination or account closure fee
• No batch fee
• No virtual terminal fee 

Flat Rates for Other Small Businesses

Pricing for the GoPoint system is posted online but not on TSYS's website. Instead, you'll find it on the business section of T-Mobile's website. Here's what it costs. 

• 2.75% for all in-person credit and debit card payments. 

Fees – As with the medical plan, there are no other fees for the GoPoint plan. 

Payouts

After you begin accepting credit card payments, it takes TSYS two days to deposit your processed funds into your account, which is an average amount of time. If your business is high-risk, it may take longer. 

Terms

The rep told us that the standard contract is for three years, automatically renews at the end of the initial term and carries an early termination fee. However, for medical businesses, there's no contract and no cancellation fee, so if you want to close your account early, you can do so without incurring an expensive fee. 

The GoPoint program through T-Mobile also doesn't require you to sign a contract, but to use the service, you are required to have either the Magenta for Business or T-Mobile One wireless plan. 

Features

Medical practices have unique needs, and TSYS caters to them with its flexible credit card processing solutions. Whether you operate a doctor's office, outpatient facility, clinic, medical spa or offer other types of healthcare services, you can accept credit card payments in your office, over the phone or online. 

Here are several ways to accept credit cards using TSYS: 

• Credit card terminal – Accept payments at the front desk before or after patients are seen using a credit card machine and PIN pad. TSYS offers several models to choose from, but the model we were told about in our call costs $599, and can accept chip cards and mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Virtual terminal – If you have internet access, you can accept credit cards and ACH payments using your computer and TSYS's Transaction Express virtual terminal. There's no extra cost to use it, and the processing rate is the same as for cards accepted using the credit card machine. You can purchase a USB swiper to plug into your computer for $125, but it isn't EMV-compliant.
• Online credit card processing – You can use TSYS's hosted payment page to create a dedicated webpage that your patients can use to pay post-visit bills. To use it, they'll click on a link and enter their credit card information, which is easier than picking up the phone, sending a check or visiting your office again. If you already have a website, TSYS has an API you can use to integrate with your shopping cart. 

Accept More Payment Types

In addition to credit and debit cards, you can accept HSA and FSA cards. If your customers pay by check, you can process them electronically as ACH transactions instead of taking them to the bank for deposit. 

Recurring Billing

TSYS offers automated recurring billing through the virtual terminal. This can be a useful feature if your patients prefer paying large bills on an installment plan. 

Integration

TSYS integrates with more than 100 practice management software and electronic records management systems, though the rep we spoke with noted that many practitioners prefer to keep their payment system separate because it simplifies PCI compliance requirements. 

It also integrates with QuickBooks, saving you the time it would take to manually transfer your payment data to your accounting system. 

Training

TSYS will teach your team how to accept credit and debit card payments use your virtual terminal or credit card machine. 

Additional Considerations

Here are some additional factors to keep in mind as you choose a credit card processing company for your business. 

Application Process

When you call the company, the customer representative asks a few questions about your business and provides you with a pricing quote. If you decide to sign up with TSYS, the rep sends you an enrollment form to fill out. After you submit the application and supporting documentation, such as your business license and a voided check, it takes the company approximately 24 hours to approve or deny your application and set up your account. After your account is approved, the company ships your processing hardware. 

Security

As a professional in the healthcare industry, your business requires strong security measures to protect your patients' privacy and payment data. TSYS uses advanced security protocols to keep your patients' payment data safe and HIPAA compliant. These security features include end-to-end encryption, tokenization, account monitoring, a fraud detection system and PCI compliance. Like all processors, TSYS also requires you to achieve and maintain PCI compliance on your end. 

TSYS offers a data breach security program that covers expenses incurred from a data breach, such as card replacement and credit monitoring. Its Card Compromise Assistance Plan (C-CAP) covers up to $100,000 per merchant ID – up to $1 million for multilocation businesses – in annual damages to help you recover from a cyberattack. 

Customer Support

If you need help with your account, you can call or email your dedicated account executive or contact the company for 24/7 customer service. In our testing, we called the TSYS Health Solutions number and were able to get ahold of a representative right away. The rep was helpful and forthcoming with pricing, took the time to explain how pricing works, and after the call, followed up promptly by email. TSYS notes that its representatives are in-house, healthcare-trained and U.S.-based. 

TSYS's online resources include articles, white papers, an annual U.S. Consumer Payment Study, and information on its processing and data security solutions. The website is searchable but lacks some of the self-help resources its competitors provide, such as how-to guides to help you resolve issues on your own. The company has a YouTube account with several informational videos, but there aren't many tutorials. 

Limitations

Although TSYS Merchant Solutions offers competitive rates for cards you accept using a virtual terminal, charges no other fees and is a reliable credit card processor for professional service providers, specifically those in the healthcare industry, there are some things to think about before you decide if TSYS is the right payment processor for you. 

Consider the following: 

• This processor doesn't post its rates, fees or equipment pricing online, so you must call the company for a price quote. Although this is fairly common among full-service credit card processing companies, since they prefer to customize your pricing quote, it's inconvenient for busy merchants who prefer to find this information online.
• If you mainly accept payment in person, and particularly if most of your customers or patients prefer to pay using debit cards, you can find lower rates elsewhere. However, if you prefer to use the virtual terminal to process payments, the rate is lower than what many other flat-rate payment processing companies charge.

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