# Stax Payments Review (May 2026): Pricing, Fees & Is It Worth It?

**Last update at** May 26, 2026

Stax Payments (formerly Fattmerchant) is a subscription-based merchant services platform that eliminates percentage markups on interchange, replacing them with a flat monthly fee and small per-transaction charges. Founded in 2014, rebranded to Stax in 2021, it now also owns Payment Depot and CardX by Stax.

8.8/10

Very Good

**1339 reviews**

on 3 websites

- Fast processing time
- Online Setup
- Chat Support
- eCommerce

### Key Features

## Summary

| **Feature**          | **Details**                                          |
|----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| Full Name            | Stax (formerly Fattmerchant; rebranded 2021)      |
| Best For             | Established US businesses processing $8,000+/month |
| Pricing Model        | Subscription + interchange + flat per-transaction (0% percentage markup) |
| Starting Price       | $99/month + $0.08/transaction (swiped) + interchange |
| Keyed-In Rate        | $99/month + $0.15/transaction + interchange        |
| Free Trial           | First month free (limited time)                    |
| PCI Fee              | $0 (included in subscription)                       |
| Contract             | Month-to-month; cancel anytime                      |
| Hardware             | Equipment-agnostic; reprogram existing terminals free |
| Parent Company       | Stax (also owns Payment Depot and CardX by Stax)   |
| Integrations         | QuickBooks, Google Business, Facebook, 90%+ POS systems |

## **Stax Omni Platform and Stax Payment Processing Features**

Omni Integrated Payments: unified dashboard for all payment channels (in-person, online, invoiced). Real-time analytics. Customer data management. Invoicing and recurring billing. Developer API for custom integrations. Equipment-agnostic: reprogram existing terminals free; works with 90%+ of third-party POS systems.

Integrations: QuickBooks (auto-sync payroll journal entries), Google Business, Facebook, 90%+ third-party POS. No PCI compliance fee. Hardware available near cost; Dejavoo, Verifone, Clover, SwipeSimple.

## **Pros and Cons**

| **Pros**                                   | **Cons**                                            |
|--------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| 0% markup on interchange                   | $99/month makes it poor value under $8,000/month processing |
| No PCI compliance fee                      | Account holds documented for some high-volume merchants without warning |
| Equipment-agnostic; reprogram existing terminals free | Growth/Pro pricing requires a sales call          |
| Month-to-month; cancel anytime             | Chargeback fee not prominently disclosed             |
| First month free                           | Worldpay backend — some hold decisions outside Stax's direct control |
| Omni platform consolidates all payment channels | Not ideal for seasonal or low-volume businesses     |

### Pricing

## **Stax Payments Pricing (May 2026)**

### **Core Plan**

| **Plan**          | **Monthly**    | **Swiped/Tap**  | **Keyed-In**   | **Interchange**  |
|-------------------|----------------|------------------|-----------------|------------------|
| Standard          | $99/month      | $0.08/transaction | $0.15/transaction| Pass-through (0% markup) |
| Growth / Pro      | Custom quote    | Custom          | Custom          | Pass-through (0% markup) |

**Real-cost example:** $20,000/month in card sales: $99/month subscription + approx. $40 transaction fees + approx. $340-$400 interchange (1.7-2.0%) = $479-$539/month. vs traditional 2.7% flat-rate = $540/month. Savings grow with volume.

**BEST FOR $8,000+/MONTH:** At lower volumes, the $99 monthly subscription erodes interchange savings. The break-even vs flat-rate processors is approximately $8,000-$10,000/month in card processing.

## Things To Note

## **Stax Payments Reviews and Ratings**

| **Platform**       | **Rating** | **Notes**                                             |
|---------------------|------------|------------------------------------------------------|
| Capterra            | 4.4/5      | Cost savings, platform usability, customer service    |
| Software Advice      | Positive   | Subscription pricing praised; 'saves my business money' |
| SelectHub           | #5 payment software | Strong on scalability and user-centric design       |

**ACCOUNT HOLD WARNING:** Multiple Stax Payments reviews document accounts frozen without advance warning, including high-volume merchants ($1M+/month). Worldpay (backend processor) may be involved in hold decisions. Maintain a backup payment processing option for operational continuity.

## Conclusion

Stax is a sophisticated, subscription-based credit card processor and payment gateway that can be a **big win** for the _right_ profile of merchant—and a mismatch for the wrong one.

**Best for:** Established US businesses processing $8,000+/month wanting 0% markup, unified multi-channel dashboard, equipment flexibility, and month-to-month terms.