If you’re shopping around for a payment processing solution, you’ve most likely come across players like BluePay (now Clover) and Stax. As two popular payment processors, Clover and Stax have similar offerings, including payment processing, mobile payments, hardware, etc.
That said, they also have some key distinctions, particuarly around pricing structure, hardware, and supported payment types.
Read on to learn more about Clover as a company, its essential products and services, and how Clover compares to Stax.
History of Clover, formerly BluePay
After coming to the fore in 1987, BluePay became known in the financial services industry as one of its most popular payment processing services providers.
With its specialization in mail order telephone order (MOTO) and digital payments, the firm forged ahead of many competitors to gain significant traction in the payment industry.
Additionally, BluePay’s merchant account offerings and virtual payment gateways that focused on card not present (CNP) payments helped it stand out from the crowd. As a result, the company continued to provide a variety of conventional payment processing services for 30 years.
However, after a successful acquisition by First Data Corporation in 2017, the firm finally saw it fit to let go of its brand name.
While First Data changed its branding to Fiserv later, it also absorbed BluePay into Clover. Consequently, it became one of the many payment subsidiaries that Fiserv currently holds as a payment services provider.
Today, the BluePay processing brand has completely been transitioned to Clover. Combined with Clover’s existing point of sale (POS) solutions, the brand has plenty to offer in terms of fully-fledged payment processing services.
This puts it on par with popular payment services providers such as Stax, which offer the same slew of solutions to help businesses accept debit card and credit card payments through different modalities.
From processing transactions at brick-and-mortar locations to accepting payments online, these services allow you to pick and choose financial products that fall right in line with your needs.
However, it holds the distinction of being more affordable than what the former BluePay and current Clover brand have to offer.
BluePay payment processing services had been a well-known entity before its acquisition. BluePay credit card processing and Bluepay pricing is a known factor for many businesses who use the company’s services. Yet, Stax has also established its name through its exemplary payment processing services.
As such, it can be quite tricky to pick between Clover and Stax while looking for a payment solution. With that being said, it’s not difficult to choose if you have the necessary information to make your decision.
Here’s a direct comparison between the former-BluePay vs Stax to help you make an informed decision.
Clover’s Most Significant Highlight is Its Expensive Price Point
Over the years, BluePay became associated mainly with CNP (Card Not Present) payment solutions such as those that power online payments. However, with its absorption into Clover, the company’s overall offerings now sing a different tune.
The former BluePay is more focused on delivering POS-based services that also come with equally effective online payment solutions. With that being said, it still offers virtual payment gateways as a part of these services.
Once again, all of these services easily intersect with Stax, which specializes in the same range of solutions. This makes both Clover and Stax equally effective for businesses of various types and sizes.
However, the significant difference in these solutions shows through their pricing models.
While Clover offers these solutions at an average or sometimes even higher-than-average market price, Stax surpasses expectations and provides the same quality solutions for less. This ensures that your business can enjoy robust payment solutions without having to pay a small fortune for them.
Another difference comes in the form of Clover’s value-added services for specific industries such as restaurants.
This doesn’t have any effect on the quality or transaction speed of your payments. But it does give you vast micromanagement features for your restaurant business.
To see how Clover compares against Stax, here’s an overview of each of the significant services offered by both companies and their overall transaction fees.
Clover (formerly Bluepay) POS Terminals and Equipment
Launched in 2012, Clover became known for its cloud-based POS equipment that took a modern spin on physical payment processing for credit cards and debit cards. Soon after its launch, the company was acquired by First Data but continued to operate in its original capacity of POS solutions.
Through the acquisition of BluePay via Fiserv, Clover has remained in existence in a very profound way. As the new face of the former BluePay, it provides the same MOTO, POS, and online payment solutions that were once offered by the payment processing company.
Clover’s primary solutions come in POS equipment for stores, restaurants, and other businesses that process their payments on-premises. For these organizations, Clover offers its devices in the form of various modern countertops and handheld registers.
This POS equipment comes at different prices and provides multiple features, which carry solutions such as inventory management, order management, financial reporting, and employee management, especially for restaurants.
The higher the price point, the more features the POS equipment brings to the table. These devices can accept all significant magnetic stripe and EMV chip credit cards and debit cards.
The equipment is available at the following prices, with separate transaction charges levied on each machine.
- Clover Go – $49 + software plan
- Station Solo – starts at $120 per month
- Station Duo – Starts at $130 per month
- Clover Flex – Starts at $35 per month
- Clover Mini – Starts at $45 per month
Clover Payment Processing Rates
How much does Clover charge for payment processing? That depends on where the transaction takes place and whether the payment card is swiped or keyed in. Generally speaking, though, Clover’s payment processing fees fall between 2.3%-3.5% + $0.10 per transaction.
In this regard, Stax’s subscription-based pricing is more favorable for merchants, especially if you’re processing over $10,000 a month in credit card payments. Unlike Clover, which takes a cut out of your sales, Stax simply charges a flat monthly fee.
Online Payment Gateway for Websites and Apps
Clover offers online payment solutions that can be integrated into websites and apps. These solutions come with a user-friendly interface and accept all major credit cards and debit cards. They also process transactions through e-wallets such as Alipay and WeChat Pay.
These online payment solutions allow you to accept payments through your eCommerce store or your hybrid business. Instead of swiping their cards physically, your customers can easily punch in their information and move forward with processing their transactions.
In comparison, Stax allows you to benefit from the same level of solutions at a price that may vary depending on your level of volume.
This transparent pricing model gives you more access to next-generation solutions and lets you ensure that you don’t have to pay an excessive amount just because you are accepting your payments online.
Virtual Payment Gateway for Mail and Phone Orders
If you want to set up another mode of transaction for card-not-present or CNP transactions, you can move forward with setting up a Clover account that works as a virtual payment gateway.
You can use this particular portal on any computer, tablet, or phone to accept your customers’ transactions by keying-in their payment card details.
This particular aspect is a throwback to BluePay, which excelled at mail order telephone order (MOTO) processing. However, it is also applicable to modern businesses that want their customers to have more flexible payment options.
The charges for a Clover account for virtual payment gateway operations are 3.5% + 10¢ per transaction. The maintenance fee is $9.95 per month. This is the same price point as the online transaction model.
When compared with Stax, these charges can seem relatively high. It’s because Stax’ virtual payment gateway comes at a rate that keeps business scalability in mind. As a result, Stax’ solutions remain robust in terms of value.
ACH Payments Through Clover
ACH payments are popular among professional service providers and B2B companies. ACH transfers are secure and cost $0.20 to $1.50 per transaction, capped at $10. As such, they’re a lot more cost-effective for businesses that accept payments for large amounts.
Clover doesn’t seem to have any native ACH payment offerings, though you’ll be able to access the functionality through third-party integrations.
Stax, on the hand, enables you to accept ACH payments as part of your membership. No need to deal with third parties; Stax has got your ACH needs covered.
Mobile Payment Solutions for Contactless Transactions
Clover also accepts next-generation mobile payments through its tap to pay solutions. All of its POS devices can accept these contactless payments through Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay.
The charges for these services remain at the same rates as Register and Register Lite. You also need to pay for the respective device as well as its monthly fee.
Stax delivers the same compatibility and support for mobile transactions at affordable charges. This ensures that you have access to modern payment solutions without breaking the bank.
If You Want Long Term Value, Stax is the Way to Go
After comparing Stax’ services and charges with the former BluePay and current Clover brand, Stax comes out as the clear winner. When you factor in Stax’ robust solutions, ideal accessibility, and helpful services, its value proposition only increases further.
If you want a granular level of management solution and payment service for your restaurant, Clover might be a costly yet right choice. But if you are confident in your ability to use other solutions just as well, Stax would be an excellent fit for your restaurant, your general business, and your pocket alike.
The Stax Difference
Stax is a subscription-oriented business that enables businesses to access the direct cost of interchange for the small price of a simple monthly fee.
Businesses can minimize their costs, have transparency, and understand the costs of their operations.
Stax provides businesses with access to a simple monthly cost, the cost per transaction, and exposure to interchange costs.
That’s right; there are no random fees, no surprise expenses, and no additional costs, only complete transparency.
But Stax offers quite a bit more than simple processing and next-level transparency.
The brand seeks to provide a premium experience in everything that it does. That is why it also presents a data and analytics solution through Stax.
The Stax Platform acts as a hub for your payment processing and data insight needs. The firm also ensures that you don’t have to spend extra for crucial components that range from PCI compliance to moving to another payment services provider.
Stax’ Key Features:
- Subscription-based pricing
- No contracts or markups
- Real-time data and analytics dashboard
- 24/7 in-house customer support
- Over 200 available software integrations
- 2-way QuickBooks integration
- Free PCI compliance assistance
- Mobile processing
- Payment gateways
- Next day funding for approved businesses
- Integration with most established POS systems
The best part about Stax is that it provides excellent customer service in the form of real representatives to answer any questions you might have. From help with the setup to questions about the platform, Stax Revenue Experts are there to help you succeed and get the most out of your platform.
Find out how you can gain access to crucial sales data, compelling internal trends, and manage your payments all in one platform. Learn more about how Stax helps you maximize your business and leverage the best contactless payment processing system that meets your needs.
