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Flagship Review (2025)

Easy online transaction reporting

Sarah Badani
Sarah Badani writes for top10.com and has extensive research and review experience in the finance industry. With a degree in psychology and education, she brings a level of depth and understanding to her writing along with her own flavor to spice up each topic in a unique and inviting way.

June 29, 2023

4 min

flagship
Rates
From 0.35%
Contract length
Month-to-month
Free equipment
Yes

Is Flagship Worth Signing Up For?

Flagship is a top provider in merchant services including credit card processing, mobile payment processing, and secure payment gateways. Backed by the prominent BBVA Compass Bank, Flagship has serviced more than 100,000 customers since its inception, and with no setup fees, low monthly rates, no contracts, and flexible terms, it’s not surprising.

Flagship Pros & Cons

Pros

No setup fees
No cancellation fees
Month-to-month payments

Cons

No pricing information online (only custom quotes)
No live chat
flagship

Flagship at a Glance

8.4
Editorial Score

Low Rates

Tiered from 1.58% (in person) or 1.98% (online), Interchange-Plus from 3.58% (in-person) or 3.98% (online)
7.0

Low Fees

From 19¢ (in person) or 0.21¢ (online) for all plans
8.0

Payment Services

Real-time processing on web or mobile, payment solutions for any business type (In-store, Mobile, Online or MOTO)
10.0

Additional Benefits

Online transaction reporting, flat rate for most credit cards, free merchant account and shopping cart setup, QuickBooks integration
10.0

Customer Support

Support is only available via the online form on the website
7.0

Overview

Partnered with iPayment, a leader in payment processing and business management software, Flagship offers an invaluable service for businesses to accept credit cards and process payments on their own. Providing this opportunity without strings attached and at low costs opens the door for small and medium-sized businesses to finally get a leg up on the competition.

Ideal For

  • Small and medium-sized businesses

  • Self-owned businesses that want to expand their offerings by accepting credit cards

  • Businesses that don’t have a set location

What’s on Offer

  • Flat rate for most major credit cards

  • Free merchant account and shopping cart setup

  • Real-time processing directly on your website

  • Mobile payment processing

  • QuickBooks integration

Flagship Merchant Services Review

How Flagship Works

Application Process

The Flagship application process is quick and painless. In fact, it’ll only take you about 10 seconds to fill out the form and send it off. Here’s how to do it:

  • Go to the application form

  • Fill out your basic information like business name, telephone number, website, type of account, and average per-sale amount

  • Send it off and wait for a representative to get in touch with you about customizing your rates and packages

What’s nice about this application is that you are not required to produce tremendous amounts of information about your sales, income, or payments. A general idea of your average payment amount will do, and there’s no need to upload files or scan documents. Also, application is free and Flagship has one of the highest approval rates in the merchant services industry. So, even businesses with bad or no credit can apply for the credit card processing service and be approved.

What’s Unique About Flagship?

Flagship is one of the most competitively-priced credit card processing providers around. What’s more, the no fees policy really makes this company stand out. Here’s what you get when you sign up with Flagship:

A merchant account with Flagship Merchant Services and iPayment processing

This is what will enable you to accept credit cards. This comes complete with a free credit card terminal. That’s a nice bonus considering most companies lease this equipment to you for a fee.

A payment gateway script (virtual terminal) from Authorize.net

This script will be integrated into your website and will enable your customers to make purchases right on your site with credit card payments (instead of you having to do it manually).

A virtual terminal from Authorize.net

This will allow you to run transactions directly through your computer (manual processing) for customers who can’t do it on their own for some reason.

A mobile payment processor

The mobile processor is available for both iOS and Android devices, complete with EMV-compliant card reader. MobilePay, the mobile payment app, has a whole slew of features, including inventory management, transaction history, analytics, reports, and more.

iPad POS system for accepting payments via an iPad

This is great for businesses on the go as you can run it through your phone or web browser and accept payments wherever you are. This isn’t as feature-rich as a dedicated POS, but it is certainly a nice addition to the whole Flagship bundle.

The payment gateway acts as a shopping cart, so this is an especially convenient service for smaller companies that don’t have their own dedicated shopping cart application. Additionally, partnering with Authorize.net gives Flagship several advantages over the competition. For one thing, you are assured secure and reliable credit card payment processing from a major name in the industry. For another thing, Authorize.net offers a variety of third-party apps and a flexible API to work with to make integration smooth and fast.

Funds are generally transferred to your bank account within 2 business days.

Accelerated Funding

Some processors make you wait days to get your money in your bank account? With Flagship’s Accelerated Funding Program, you can get your money within hours, every day, even on weekends and holidays.

Flagship Customer Support

Flagship customer support is available 24/7, so you always have someone to reach out to if any trouble arises. Flagship’s customer support really shines, thanks to the fact that you get a representative to walk you through every step of the process from beginning to end. They’ll teach you how to use the credit card terminal, how to initiate, authorize, and complete the transaction so you receive your funds, which software and equipment is best for your business, and what to do if there’s an issue.

Flagship Pricing

Pricing & Special Offers

Since every business has its own individualized needs, Flagship tailors its rates and services to suit those needs. After a short phone conversation with a representative, you’ll receive a customized rate fit to your particular company set up. As such, there are no generic rates to give in this review. However, rates start as low as 0.38% + $0.19 per transaction. Some charges include:

Basic Pricing

MONTHLY STATEMENT FEE

MONTHLY MINIMUM

MONTHLY GATEWAY FEE

SETUP FEES

$7.95

$15.00

$10.00

$0.00


Credit Card Fees - Retail

AVERAGE DISCOUNT RATE

RETAIL TRANSACTION FEE

EQUIPMENT COST

0.38%

$0.19

Variable – Sold at Cost


Online Account Fees – No Card Present

ONLINE DISCOUNT RATE

GATEWAY TRANSACTION FEE

ADDRESS VERIFICATION FEE

1.58%

$0.19

$0.05


One of the biggest advantages of using Flagship is that you’ll be charged absolutely no fees. Many companies overload you with hefty charges, such as setup fees, application fees, early termination fees, gateway setup fees, and more, making it difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to cover the initial costs of such services. With such daunting charges, many businesses simply forgo this important aspect of business today. That’s why it’s so refreshing to deal with a company that understands its customers’ struggles and responds in kind. Charging no setup and application fees shows just such understanding and compassion.

That includes gateway setup, website setup, and merchant account setup. Additionally, you won’t be charged any cancellation fees, and since there are no long-term contracts, you can decide from one month to the next whether or not you want to continue using Flagship. The lack of this last fee is really unique in the industry. You won’t even have to pay the $49 gateway setup fee that other Authorize.net customers are charged. You’ll also receive a free mobile swiper and app for mobile payment processing. Flagship holds an Identity Theft Protected Security Metrics and Authorize.net Preferred Reseller security standing, ensuring that all of your transactions are safe and secure.

Bottom Line

Flagship offers affordable credit card processing services for small and medium-sized businesses. With none of the usual fees and low monthly rates, it creates the ideal situation for smaller businesses to offer this all-important service to their customers. A friendly customer service staff and easy cancellation policy just make working with Flagship that much better.

If you are a smaller business looking to expand your offering by providing credit card payment processing to your customers, Flagship is a good, cost-effective, and easy-to-use option. It will allow you to accept mobile, website, and in-store merchant credit card payments with ease.

About Flagship

Flagship is a merchant service provider founded in 2001. Over the years it has provided the most advanced merchant account solutions for making business transactions faster, easier, and cost-effective through a variety of services and products. Servicing small and medium-sized businesses, Flagship gives these smaller tier companies a chance to expand their business offerings by accepting credit cards. Providing a secure and fast payment gateway has enabled more than 100,000 Flagship customers to usher in a new era of commerce in which credit card payments are essential for business success. Flagship provides the hardware, software, and assistance to let its customers achieve that success. With dedication to quality and a commitment to its customers, Flagship has earned a reliable name in the merchant services industry. Some of this company’s major clients include Avon, Verizon, and Subway.

Physical Address

100 City Square, 4th Floor
Charlestown, MA 02129-3730

How do I know I can trust this review?

Top10.com authors, contributors, and editors are serious about research. We combine our own experience with the services we recommend, with reviews that come from verified users–just like you! Together, with reviews from industry experts, we find the Top 10 best products and services to make sure you can choose with confidence and ease.

flagship
Sarah Badani

Sarah Badani writes for top10.com and has extensive research and review experience in the finance industry. With a degree in psychology and education, she brings a level of depth and understanding to her writing along with her own flavor to spice up each topic in a unique and inviting way.

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