Payment Processing

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Many businesses unknowingly overpay for payment processing because the industry is complex, filled with hidden fees, confusing pricing models, and contracts designed to favor the processor. Some providers add unnecessary service charges, inflated processing rates, equipment fees, monthly minimums, cancellation penalties, and other costs that can significantly impact a company’s bottom line. Without a clear understanding of interchange rates, processing agreements, and industry benchmarks, businesses often accept their current fees simply because they do not know what they should be paying.

"Native integrations, extra charges for leaving, or loss of reporting visibility" are typical ways that payment processors try to discourage businesses from changing. Don't let those tactics discourage you from searching for other options. We work with numerous independent processors with a vast range of custom integrations.

At Piggyback, we help businesses evaluate their payment processing costs, identify unnecessary expenses, and ensure they are getting a fair and transparent solution. By analyzing current agreements, processing statements, technology options, and available providers, we help companies make informed decisions and avoid paying more than necessary. Our goal is to help businesses gain control over their payment processing expenses while finding solutions that better align with their operational needs and customer experience goals.

Many businesses are paying more for payment processing than they should because pricing structures are often complicated and difficult to understand. Payment processors may take advantage of this by using unclear rate models, adding unnecessary markups, or failing to provide transparency into the true cost of each transaction. Common examples include inflated percentage rates, excessive per-transaction fees, non-qualified transaction surcharges, monthly fees, statement fees, PCI compliance fees, equipment charges, and bundled pricing that makes it difficult to determine what a business is actually paying for. Some providers also increase rates over time, add new fees without clear communication, or lock businesses into long-term agreements with expensive cancellation terms.

When evaluating payment processing costs, businesses should look beyond the advertised rate and review their entire processing statement. Key areas to examine include interchange rates, processor markups, monthly and annual fees, chargeback costs, equipment expenses, contract terms, and whether pricing is based on a transparent model such as interchange-plus versus a less predictable flat-rate or tiered structure. Businesses should also ensure they are receiving competitive rates based on their industry, transaction volume, average ticket size, and payment methods accepted. A thorough review of processing statements can often uncover unnecessary expenses and opportunities for savings while improving transparency and control over one of the most overlooked operating costs. Piggyback helps businesses analyze their current payment processing environment, identify hidden costs, and connect them with solutions designed to provide better pricing, technology, and long-term value.

Modern businesses need payment processing solutions that work seamlessly with the software platforms they already rely on. For healthcare organizations, integrating payment processing with electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management systems such as Epic, eClinicalWorks, Cerner, Athenahealth, and other healthcare platforms can simplify patient billing, improve payment accuracy, reduce administrative work, and create a more convenient patient experience. Integrated solutions allow staff to collect payments directly through existing workflows, securely process transactions, automate reconciliation, and provide patients with flexible payment options across in-person, online, and recurring billing environments.

For businesses using customer relationship management (CRM) and operational platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, ServiceTitan, and other industry-specific applications, payment integrations help connect sales, service, and financial processes into one streamlined ecosystem. These integrations can enable automated invoicing, customer payment portals, subscription billing, reporting, transaction tracking, and improved visibility into customer activity. Whether you are managing patient payments, service appointments, sales transactions, or recurring revenue, the right payment technology integration reduces manual entry, improves efficiency, enhances security, and gives your team better insight into your business performance. Our team helps identify payment solutions that integrate with your existing technology stack and support your unique business requirements.

Every industry has unique payment processing needs, and businesses often miss opportunities to save money, improve efficiency, and enhance customer experiences because they are using generic payment solutions that do not integrate with their existing technology. Shopping for the right payment processing provider can help organizations find industry-specific solutions that connect directly with their point-of-sale systems, accounting platforms, customer relationship management tools, healthcare software, and operational systems. The right solution can reduce manual work, improve reporting, streamline reconciliation, increase security, and create a more seamless payment experience for customers.

Industries that can benefit from evaluating payment processing options include restaurants, bars and nightlife, healthcare, automotive, hospitality, home services, and many other customer-facing businesses. Examples of specialized integrations include Union POS for bars and nightlife environments; Toast for new restaurant locations, Genius POS, and Square POS for restaurants; Epic EHR direct payment integrations and Rectangle Health for healthcare practices using eClinicalWorks; Reynolds and Reynolds and CDK integrations for automotive dealerships; FreedomPay for hotels and hospitality, with integrations across more than 1,500 software platforms and additional support for industries beyond hospitality, including environments such as NCR; and ServiceTitan and FieldPulse for home and field service companies. 

Modern payment processing solutions provide much more than the ability to accept transactions. Today’s platforms include powerful business management features designed to improve efficiency, simplify financial operations, and provide greater visibility into revenue. Instead of manually tracking payments, reconciling transactions, or managing customer billing processes across multiple systems, businesses can leverage automated tools that streamline daily operations and reduce administrative workload.

Key capabilities include automated reconciliation, which helps match transactions, deposits, and records to reduce errors and save accounting time; detailed reporting and analytics, providing insight into sales trends, transaction activity, employee performance, and revenue performance; customer payment portals, allowing customers to securely make payments, view invoices, and manage their accounts online; recurring billing, which simplifies subscription-based services, memberships, and ongoing customer payments; integrated invoicing, enabling businesses to create, send, and track invoices while making it easier for customers to pay; and multi-location reporting, giving organizations with multiple offices, stores, or facilities a centralized view of payment activity and performance across all locations. 

Piggyback helps businesses identify payment processing platforms that go beyond basic transactions by delivering the tools needed to operate more efficiently, improve cash flow, and make better-informed business decisions.

Today’s customers expect flexibility and convenience when making payments, and businesses need payment processing solutions that can accept a wide variety of transaction types. Modern processors support traditional payment methods such as credit cards, debit cards, and cashless transactions, while also enabling newer payment options including mobile wallets, contactless payments, online payments, recurring billing, and alternative payment methods. Accepting multiple payment types allows businesses to improve the customer experience, increase sales opportunities, and provide customers with the payment options they prefer.

Depending on the industry and business needs, payment solutions can support Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, EMV chip cards, magnetic stripe cards, contactless tap-to-pay transactions, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Buy now Pay Later (BNPL), ACH and electronic bank transfers, online payment portals, payment links, QR code payments, recurring and subscription payments, invoicing, and card-not-present transactions for phone, web, and e-commerce orders. 

Businesses can also leverage integrated payments through point-of-sale systems, healthcare platforms, CRM systems, field service software, and hospitality technology platforms to streamline payment collection and reporting. Piggyback helps businesses identify payment solutions that support the right mix of payment methods for their customers while improving security, efficiency, and overall transaction management.