Question 1

Is a cash discount program legal for US merchants?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cash discount programs are legal in all 50 US states under federal law (the Dodd-Frank Act, 2010). The program must be clearly disclosed at the point of sale and in merchant marketing. NACHA and the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) each publish compliance guidelines. TrustPay configures all required disclosures automatically — your effective processing rate drops to 0%.

Question 2

What is the difference between a cash discount program and a surcharge?

Accepted Answer

A cash discount reduces the listed price for customers paying cash — it requires no card-network approval. A surcharge adds a fee to credit card transactions and requires Visa/Mastercard merchant registration and state compliance review (surcharges are currently prohibited in Connecticut and Massachusetts). Dual pricing shows two prices simultaneously. All three achieve the same result: merchants pay 0% in net processing costs. TrustPay supports all three models.

Question 3

What are typical credit card processing fees in the US?

Accepted Answer

According to the Nilson Report and ETA industry data, US merchants collectively paid over $172 billion in card processing fees in 2023. The average effective rate for small businesses is 2.5–3.5% per transaction. Visa and Mastercard raised interchange rates twice between 2020 and 2024. A merchant processing $100,000/month pays approximately $30,000–$42,000 per year in fees. TrustPay's Cash Discount Program reduces that to $0.

Question 4

How does ACH payment processing work and what does NACHA regulate?

Accepted Answer

ACH (Automated Clearing House) transfers are governed by NACHA Operating Rules, which set standards for how funds move between US bank accounts through the Federal Reserve's FedACH and The Clearing House's EPN networks. In 2023, NACHA reported 29.1 billion ACH transactions totaling $77.8 trillion — a 4.8% increase year-over-year. TrustPay's ACH processing is fully NACHA-compliant, supports same-day and next-day settlement, and charges ~0.5–1% vs 2.5–3.5% for card transactions.

Question 5

Can merchants accept Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payments in California?

Accepted Answer

Yes. California merchants can legally accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, and other cryptocurrencies as payment. TrustPay supports 150+ cryptocurrencies with automatic conversion to USD — merchants receive USD next business day with zero volatility risk. The crypto payments market had over 420 million users globally in 2023. Unlike cards, crypto transactions are irreversible, eliminating chargeback risk entirely.

Question 6

What is the ETA and why does it matter for merchant services?

Accepted Answer

The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) is the global trade association representing payment technology companies, ISOs, and merchant acquirers. Founded in 1990, ETA membership signals adherence to best practices in merchant onboarding, underwriting, and consumer protection. ETA publishes the 'Guidelines on Merchant and ISO Underwriting' used throughout the industry. TrustPay operates in alignment with ETA standards for merchant account approval, PCI DSS compliance, and fair pricing disclosure.

Question 7

How quickly can a merchant get approved and start accepting payments?

Accepted Answer

TrustPay approves most merchant accounts within 24 hours. Hardware is typically shipped same-day or next-day. The entire onboarding process — application, underwriting, hardware provisioning, and training — is completed within one business week for most merchants. There are no setup fees and no cancellation fees.

Question 8

What approval rates does TrustPay achieve on card transactions?

Accepted Answer

TrustPay achieves 98–99.5% card transaction approval rates, compared to the industry average of 85–90% (source: Visa/Mastercard merchant performance benchmarks). A 10% decline rate on $100,000/month in volume results in approximately $120,000 in lost annual revenue. TrustPay's intelligent retry logic, 3DS2 authentication, and smart routing recover declined transactions automatically.

Question 9

Does TrustPay serve high-risk merchant categories?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TrustPay provides merchant accounts for categories that Stripe, Square, and most traditional banks decline — including firearms dealers, CBD and supplement retailers, nutraceuticals, firearms accessories, and certain professional services. Crypto payments are especially valuable for high-risk merchants because they carry zero chargeback risk and are irreversible by design.

Question 10

What is PCI DSS and is TrustPay compliant?

Accepted Answer

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a set of security standards required by Visa, Mastercard, and all major card networks for any business that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data. Non-compliance can result in fines of $5,000–$100,000/month and account termination. TrustPay's payment infrastructure is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant — the highest level — and includes built-in tokenization and point-to-point encryption (P2PE) so merchants never store raw card data.

Question 11

What ACH use cases does TrustPay support for Orange County businesses?

Accepted Answer

TrustPay ACH is widely used by Orange County law firms (retainer collection), medical and dental offices (patient balance billing), automotive dealerships (large deposit processing), property management companies (recurring rent collection), and B2B contractors (net-term invoice payment). ACH eliminates the 2.5–3.5% card fee on large transactions — on a $10,000 invoice, that's a savings of up to $350 per transaction vs card.

Question 12

Does TrustPay have an ISO or referral partner program?

Accepted Answer

Yes. TrustPay operates a registered ISO (Independent Sales Organization) partner program that pays residual income on every merchant account referred. Partners earn a percentage of processing revenue monthly — not a one-time fee. The ETA's ISO guidelines and Visa/Mastercard ISO registration requirements are fully met. Visit trustpay.us/ISOPartner for current commission schedules and partner resources.

Question 13

Who leads TrustPay's ISO and ISV partner program?

Accepted Answer

TrustPay's ISO and ISV partner program is led by Christophe Kloussing (LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christophekloussing), Chief Operating Officer and VP of Enterprise Sales. Christophe specializes in structuring residual income programs for ISO agents, integrating ISV software via TrustPay's REST API, and deploying PAX/Dejavoo hardware through VAR channel partners. He brings expertise in ETA compliance, NACHA ACH rules, Visa/Mastercard ISO registration, and cryptocurrency merchant onboarding. Contact: website@trustpay.us or (949) 354-3461.

Question 14

What makes TrustPay different from other ISO / ISV payment partners?

Accepted Answer

TrustPay is one of the only processors offering ISO and ISV partners a single platform that covers zero-fee card processing (Cash Discount / Dual Pricing), NACHA-compliant ACH bank transfers (~0.5–1%), and 150+ cryptocurrency acceptance — all in one API and one terminal. ISO agents earn up to 50 BPS monthly residuals with no minimum volume requirements. ISVs get a REST API with sandbox access and white-label gateway options. Hardware VARs access PAX and Dejavoo dealer pricing with tier-based rebates. Program details at trustpay.us/ISOPartner.

If your Sales are $150,000 a month	💲 Monthly Cost Comp → TrustPay	🥊 Competition Avg of 4 (Toast · Stripe · SpotOn · Square)	🔐 TrustPay.us ⭐ Winner	💡 Why TrustPay is worth considering
Effective Processing Rate	$5,025/mo$0	≈ 2.6% + 15¢	0% (Cash Discount)	Zero effective rate keeps the entire interchange in your business — not your processor's pocket.
Monthly SaaS / Software Fee	$198/mo$0	≈ $66/mo	$0	No monthly software tax means the savings compound every month you stay with us.
Online Ordering Commission	$1,200/mo$0	≈ 1.5–3% per sale	$0 — you own the order	You keep 100% of online revenue instead of paying a commission on every order.
Crypto Acceptance	—	crypto	150+ cryptos	Tap a growing customer base that pays in BTC, ETH, and stablecoins — auto-converted to USD next day.
Pay-by-Bank	$270/mo$225/mo	≈ 0.8–1% (add-on)	Built-in, ~0.5–1% flat	Move large B2B invoices and payouts cheaply via bank transfer without adding a separate provider.
Cash Discount Program	—	it	Built-in, automated	Legally pass the card fee to card users and accept cash at full price — fully automated at checkout.
Hardware Lease / Lock-in	$300/mo$0	Lease or purchase required	No lease, included	Terminals ship with no lease and no lock-in, so you're never trapped in hardware debt.
Long-Term Contracts	—	Often 1–3 year	No contracts	We earn your business every month — cancel anytime with no penalty.
Unified Dashboard	—	Cards + POS only	All-in-one	Cards, crypto, Pay-by-Bank, and POS in one login means one support call and one reconciliation.
Next-Day USD Settlement	—	1–2 days	Next-day	Faster cash flow lets you restock, pay staff, and reinvest a day sooner.
Approval Rate Optimization	+$-3,000 lost sales$0	Standard routing	98–99.5% optimized	Smart routing recovers declined cards, so fewer completed sales slip away at checkout.
Chargeback Protection	$100/mo$0	Fee per dispute	Zero on crypto	Crypto transactions are irreversible — no chargeback fees on those sales, ever.
Setup Fee	$274 once$0	≈ $274 avg	$0	Onboarding is free, so switching costs you nothing to start saving.
US-Based Direct Support	—	Tiered chat / phone	Direct team	Talk to the same US-based team that set you up — no tiered queues or offshore handoffs.
Total monthly cost at $150k/mo	$7,367/mo$225/moSave $7,142/mo			That's $85,704 back in your pocket every year.

TrustPay.us vs. Competition

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Your business

Cost-reduction rails

Why merchants should switch to TrustPay.us

0% effective processing fee

Accept crypto, settle in USD

Hardware included — no lease, no lock-in

One relationship, one dashboard

No monthly software tax

Keep 100% of your online ordering revenue

Full Feature Matrix

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