What is Flagship?
Headquartered in Westlake Village, California; Flagship was started in 2001 and since has maintained a good record in delivering leading products, services and technology to merchants.
Flagship offers payment processing solutions for retail, restaurant, wireless, phone or mail order, and e-commerce businesses. They provide a merchant account so your business can take accept payments from all major cards, and getting set up is fast with an easy-to use platform that is nifty enough for any size company.
Flagship mainly re-sell iPayment payment processing these days , having acquired them in 2012. Inspite of being a traditional processor, their main advantage has been month-to-month billing with no long-term contract and no early termination fees. However it is always handy to get it in writing.
For Retail and hospitality, they offer countertop payment terminals and smart point-of-sale system options. If you need to accept payments on the go, Flagship’s ROAM app and swiper can support you in accepting all major credit cards with a simple swipe instead of having to type long details into your phone. Online transactions are supported by Authorize.Net payment gateway enabling you to accept all major credit and debit cards, bank transfer payments, and international transactions.
Apart from reporting services, Flagship also offer digital loyalty program, Pirq as an add-on for retail and hospitality. This free app can be easily downloaded by your customers to their smartphones acting like a digital punch card. Rewarding your customers with loyalty points, keeps them coming back for more.
Flagship is committed to negotiating when it comes down pricing and fees for your account. They are able to offer customized deals to suit your business needs. The company’s sales agents will usually agree reduce rates, but only if you ask them!
Flagship
What popular features do you get with Flagship?
- Month-to-month billing
- POS System & Smart Terminal options
- Mobile card reader
- Flagship’s payment gateway service lets you accept credit card payments online via a shopping cart
- Virtual Online terminal
- Digital Loyalty Program for your customers
- Tiered pricing and customized options available to suit your business.
- Access low rates with Interchange-Plus Pricing
- Accept all major payment types including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay
Customer Support is available at Flagship
Alongside 24/7 phone support, Flagship Merchant Services assigns a dedicated support agent to each merchant so you can call or email directly regarding any issues. The benefit being that every time you talk to support they are already aware of your business and history.
Their Toll-Free number is +1 (800) 327-0093 and you can live chat on their self-serve iAccess portal which also had a knowledgebase to help with set-up, troubleshooting and help navigating the system.
What kind of business is Flagship ideal for?
Flagship is a good option for small to medium-sized businesses looking for custom pricing, flexible contracts and a range of features like POS, mobile and online eCommerce solutions. They support retail, restaurants and e-commerce businesses that especially engage in wireless, phone or mail order services. If you want a seamless way to accept credit and debit cards online, in-person or on your mobile, then Flagship should be right for you. Flagship has fast processing times meaning you receive your payments quicker. They offer EMV and NFC compliant processing hardware for retail and restaurant business while also offering virtual terminals for your online transactions. Flagship’s ROAM app allows you to accept payments on the go on your smart phone. Online merchants may also like Flagship’s e-commerce offering, Quiq, which has an API that can be used to integrate with a shopping cart or other third-party software.
Pros and Cons
- No early termination fee (if free equipment offer declined)
- No setup or application fees
- No gateway setup fee
- Supports mobile and online transactions
- Accepts both credit card and debit card payments
- Payment gateway with shopping cart
- Interchange Plus Pricing
- Dedicated customer support agent
- Loyalty app for Retail and Restaurants
- Funding holds for suspicious transactions can take time to clear
- Hidden fees may not be clearly stated
- Tiered pricing is often unpredictable
People like you also researched
Here are some products we think might be a good fit based on what people like you viewed.
Get a $450 statement credit*
- Accepts most payment types including Apple Pay & Google Pay
- Simple to learn and use as it is powerful and versatile
- Set up and automatically apply taxes at the item level
- Manage your entire staff
Free EMV terminal*
- Full-service credit card processing
- 98% approval rate
- Flat-rate pricing & no setup fees
- Dedicated account manager
First Month Free*
- 0% markup processing with no hidden fees
- Dedicated support teams, on & offline
- Powerful all-in-one platform
- Accept every payment type
How much does Flagship cost?
*based on information provided by the vendor. Actual cost may vary.
Being a traditional merchant services provider, Flagship doesn’t clearly state any prices on its website. Instead, you will receive a customized quote from the company’s sales team to see what your rates are going to be. Flagship offers custom pricing for its merchants, depending on sales volume and other factors. Their tiered pricing qualifies some transactions for low rates, while others not. Non-qualified transactions might include corporate or high-reward card. Here are some of the most common fees you will encounter:
- Monthly account fees starts around $7.95 per month
- Monthly Minimum of $25 but you can request for it to be lowered or waived
- Payment Gateway Fee around $7.95 per month
- $99 annual fee for compliance with PCI DSS standards.
- Interchange plus a markup of 0.30% + $0.10
- Monthly Customer support and online reporting fee of $7.95
- Free equipment that may incur leasing fees
- No early termination fee (if free equipment offer declined)
- No setup or application fees
- No gateway setup fee
- No Merchant account setup fees
- No Shopping-cart setup fees
- No American Express setup fees
Final thoughts...
Flagship Merchant Services does well when it comes to giving you options to suit your business needs. They are a good pick if you are looking for flexible terms and don’t want to be locked into the usual three year contracts. Month to month contracts with tiered pricing and interchange pricing might just help you find an affordable deal for your business. As always, it’s crucial that merchants read through their entire agreement before signing the contract. While many providers are moving toward a digital model of service that aligns the merchant experience, fees and timeframes involved; Flagship Merchant Services still offers a more traditional sales-based approach that is maybe be well suited to certain types of businesses looking for bespoke service.
