Head to head
Compared side by side on published facts and the same six criteria every review is graded on — generated from the live directory, not a sales page.
Bank of America Merchant Services
Payment Processor · 3.0/5 mean
Bank of America Merchant Services is a large, bank-integrated payment processing solution ideal for existing BofA business checking customers who value brand stability, seamless funding, and broad payment acceptance though it lags behind fintech competitors on pricing transparency, modern integrations, and third-party review scores.
Read the full review →Stax
Payment Processor · 4.0/5 mean
Stax is a payments technology company founded in 2014 that partners with SaaS companies, ISOs, and SMBs to enable flexible, multi-channel payment processing and invoicing solutions, claiming a distinctive subscription-based pricing model with 0% interchange markup.
Read the full review →Stax holds the higher standing — by grade, then mean category score. The row-by-row picture below is what should actually decide it for your business.
Both graded against the same six criteria. How we grade · Last fact-checked August 19, 2026 and September 2, 2026.
| Criterion | Bank of America Merchant Services | Stax |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 2.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
| Feature set | 4.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| Ease of use | 3.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Bank of America Merchant Services | Stax |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | 2.99% + .30 | $0.15 per transaction (flat, no % markup) |
| Monthly fee | No standard monthly fee on the simplified pricing plan; POS software solutions require a monthly subscription fee | $99–$199+/month (depending on subscription tier) |
| Payout | Next business day for all merchants (settlement to a required BofA business checking account) | Next business day |
| Contract | No length of term required. No penalty for closing the account. | month-to-month subscription |
| In-person rate | 2.65% + .10 | $0.08 per transaction (flat, no % markup) |
| Keyed rate | 3.50% + $0.15 |
From the Bank of America Merchant Services review
Stax charges a fixed subscription with no percentage markup on interchange, which can undercut Bank of America's flat rates for merchants processing meaningful volume, and includes invoicing and recurring billing in every tier. BofA holds up for lower-volume merchants who would not recoup Stax's monthly fees and who value bank-branch support.
Pick Stax if you process enough volume that subscription pricing with zero interchange markup beats flat rates
Ideal for
Not recommended for
Ideal for
Not recommended for
The full reviews carry the pricing narratives, contract analysis and everything else behind these numbers — or let the matching funnel score the whole directory against your business.
| 4.0wins this criterion |
| Customer support | 3.0 | 3.0 |
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| Contract terms | 3.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
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| Industry reputation | 3.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
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| $0.15 per transaction |
| International rate | Not disclosed | Not publicly specified |
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| PCI fee | Not disclosed | Not on Stax's published rate card; $10/month is third-party reporting |
|---|
| Chargeback fee | Not disclosed | Not on Stax's published rate card; chargeback protection is offered as an add-on at an unpublished price |
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| Early termination | No early termination fees on simplified pricing plan. Older/legacy contracts through Fiserv/First Data had ETFs up to $500. | None (month-to-month; 30 days written notice required to cancel) |
|---|
| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | September 2, 2026 |
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