2026 PaymentCloud Reviews: Pros, Cons, Pricing & More
High-risk businesses often face closed doors when they apply for a merchant account with providers like Stripe or Square. If they want to accept credit card payments and handle online transactions with ease, they have a choice of several established high-risk merchant accounts. PaymentCloud is one of those options, but it may not be the best for your unique requirements.
Today, we take a look at this payment processor to find out what real users say about the onboarding process, monthly fees, customer support and more.
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What is PaymentCloud and what makes it stand out?
PaymentCloud is a high-risk merchant account provider with one of the broadest banking networks in the category, which gives merchants a higher chance of approval. Many high-risk processors rely on only one or two acquiring banks, which limits who they can support.
PaymentCloud works with a larger group of banks, so they can place industries that competitors often reject such as CBD, supplements, coaching, subscription businesses, and certain digital services.
It offers free fraud and chargeback tools, no account setup fees, and flexible pricing. It is not, however, a free merchant account.
That may be enough to pique your interest, but there are some downsides we’re going to cover in a moment.
The customer support is solid
Many of the PaymentCloud customer reviews praise their customer support. You’ll hear about how fast and helpful they are, which is fair enough, as you’ll see a number of agents active on the PaymentCloud website whenever you visit.
“Nathan Wilkie, Senior Account Manager was absolutely top notch! He explains things clearly and transparently. He was extremely knowledgeable and patient getting me set up with my first account. Always at the ready, looking forward to working with him for the log run!” – Source
The problem is that most of the reviews on this merchant services provider are related to the customer support, instead of matters like transaction fees, credit card processing or how fast the approval is, for example.
The reason is simple: after a customer service call or chat, (potential) customers are directed to TrustPilot and similar websites to leave a review. As a result, many of the reviews touch upon CS interactions rather than merchant processing topics.
There is no publicly disclosed pricing for their merchant account
If you want to get started with payment processing ASAP, the lack of setup fees with PaymentCloud is a welcome sign. The problems begin as you accept payments and find out that there are fees which were never mentioned at signup.
Here’s what one TrustPilot user had to say:
“Everything seemed fine until setup then I was suddenly told about monthly fees that were never mentioned before. When I brought it up, I was just told to check the contract. That kind of cost should’ve been clearly explained before I handed over all my company’s info. Felt a bit misleading” – Source
And another user who wanted to tell how they really feel:
“They are terrible! They take A LOT of fees which are not even listed on the contract. They counted everything more to get higher fees, stay away from them!” – Source
And if you’re a business owner who got set up with a PaymentCloud account and you didn’t like it, you’re going to have to pay to get out. According to reviews, you’re charged a “cancellation fee” of a few hundred dollars just to get out of your contract.
“Lastly after 3 months of waiting and pestering them I found another company who got the whole thing done in a week with a new terminal thank you Flagship. They charged me 800 bucks to cancel with them for what you did almost nothing! I work in sales this kind of stuff should get me fired.” – Source
Much of the underwriting is outsourced to EMS
Many customers have positive comments about the underwriting, since there’s a dedicated account manager going through the process with you. However, there are some comments online stating that under the hood, most of the underwriting is done by third parties, while PaymentCloud merely passes documents back and forth.
“I worked with PaymentCloud as an ISO agent, but honestly I didn’t see the value. All the underwriting was done by EMS (the bank), and PaymentCloud just passed docs back and forth.
When a client’s account got reviewed, their manager told the client to just call EMS directly. So… why not work with EMS from the start? What’s the role of PaymentCloud here besides adding another layer of fees?” – Source
For you as a customer to Payment Cloud, this shouldn’t matter all that much… Except that you can just deal with the bank yourself and save yourself some time and money.
Dealing with PaymentCloud means dealing with EMS
In 2024, PaymentCloud was acquired by Electronic Merchant Systems. And while this means safety and faster underwriting (as mentioned before), some users aren’t fans of dealing with EMS instead of PaymentCloud.
“We read good reviews of Payment Cloud and approached them for a acquiring a merchant, their representative made us out to be fools and got us into an agreement with some stupid company Electronic Merchant Systems (EMSData), once we got into business, their account manager is vanished since then. Later we discover Payment Cloud was just an onboarding company and nothing else. Now we are still figuring out how to deal with EMS policies which has been holding our money since then. Do not trust this company – account manager will get you in bad hands.” – Source
This isn’t so much of a negative side of PaymentCloud, except for the fact you’ll have to deal with EMS policies on top of PC too.
Is PaymentCloud a good choice?
If you’re in a high-risk industry and want to accept payments on and off the web, it’s a solid choice. But the processing fees are not that clear and the large volume of positive reviews only reflects experiences with customer support, not actual use of the payment gateway.
Why not try TailoredPay instead? We have opaque pricing, high approval rates (with fast approvals to boot), 100+ supported high-risk sectors and fully tailored onboarding and support, as our name suggests.
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Frequently asked questions
What types of businesses does PaymentCloud support?
PaymentCloud supports a wide range of high-risk industries, including CBD, supplements, subscription businesses, coaching, digital services, and certain travel or continuity models. Its broad banking network allows it to place merchants that other providers often reject.
How long does PaymentCloud approval usually take?
Approval times vary based on industry, documentation, and risk profile. Some merchants report fast approvals when documents are ready, while others mention longer underwriting timelines. A dedicated account manager typically guides the process.
Does PaymentCloud publish its pricing publicly?
No. PaymentCloud does not publish transaction rates or monthly fees on its website. Pricing is shared during underwriting, which some users say makes it harder to compare costs upfront. Several reviews mention unexpected fees appearing after signup.
Are there cancellation or early termination fees?
According to user reviews, PaymentCloud contracts may include a cancellation fee if you want to exit early. Reported fees range from a few hundred dollars and are typically outlined in the contract rather than advertised upfront.
Is PaymentCloud legit?
Absolutely, PaymentCloud is one of the most reliable high-risk merchant account providers in the industry.