by Matt Rej
EZFacility is a popular club management solution that’s primarily used by gyms and fitness centers. But it’s also versatile enough to support tennis clubs, YMCAs, ice rinks, and other sport-specific facilities (soccer, baseball, volleyball, pickleball, etc.).
It supports everything from scheduling to resource management, inventory, memberships, employee time-tracking, and more.
One key feature of EZFacility that goes hand-in-hand with all of these capabilities is its integrated payment processing.
So whether you’re selling gym memberships or collecting one-time payments to reserve a field at your sports facility, you can process credit card payments directly from the software. And as an integrated solution, the payments can be matched to customer profiles while eliminating the need for manual data entry.
But EZFacility’s payment processing capabilities are often misunderstood by prospective users and even existing businesses using the software.
This can be a serious problem because that lack of detailed understanding can directly impact your fees. Allow me to explain.
Key Takeaways About EZFacility’s Integrated Payment Processing
Here’s what’s really happening behind the scenes when you set up integrated payments with EZFacility:
- EZFacility does not process payments or set your rates.
- Integrated payments require a separate merchant agreement that’s separate from your EZFacility plan.
- EZFacility integrates with OpenEdge and Constellation Payments.
- Both of these rely on Global Payments as the backend processor.
- OpenEdge is owned by Global, and Constellation uses Worldpay (now owned by Global, too).
- Businesses in the UK can integrate EZFacility with Clover POS systems, meaning Fiserv can operate as your backend processor.
- Your processor sets your rates, while EZFacility charges you for the privilege to integrate your payments within the software.
EZFacility is Not a Merchant Acquirer
If you want credit card processing within EZFacility, you’re not actually using them as an acquiring bank.
They simply set up the front-end payment functionality within your EZFacility software. So whether you’re managing memberships with cards on file, accepting credit cards in person for merchandise, or renting fields to sports clubs, everything is available from the software you’re using to manage your business.
- You still need to get a merchant account from a third-party processor.
- Approval is subject to that processor’s own underwriting policies.
- EZFacility does not set your processor rates.
- EZFacility does not process your payments, either.
- All they do is support the API that allows select processors to integrate with the software.
None of this is mandatory.
You can still get EZFacility to manage your gym or sports facility without using their integrated processing solution. This is typically the best option for businesses that are already set up with an existing payment processor.
Switching processors just for the sake of having payments within EZFacility is typically not worth it. So unless your processor is one of the few supported options to integrate with the EZFacility API, don’t switch.
Payment Processors and Payment Gateways That Integrate With EZFacility
If you want your credit card processing solution integrated with EZFacility, you only have a few different options at your disposal:
- OpenEdge (gateway powered by Global Payments)
- Constellation Payments (which is really Worldpay on the backend)
- Clover POS with Fiserv processing (only available in the UK)
Let’s take a closer look at each of these so you can understand the differences.
OpenEdge (Global Payments)
OpenEdge is one of the payment gateways that’s supported by EZFacility through an API integration.
All payments facilitated through OpenEdge are processed by Global Payments as the backend processor. So effectively, Global is your processor if you’re going this route.
For merchants currently using Global, you should be able to get set up with an EZFacility integration fairly seamlessly.
But if you’re not using Global, I can’t recommend this setup. Global does not have a great reputation in the payments industry, and integrated setups give them even more of a reason to charge high rates with extra fees.
Don’t get me wrong. They have all of the capabilities you need to accept payment securely within EZFacility. It’s just going to cost you more than necessary, and I’d say 99% of the time it will be cheaper to keep your current provider.
Constellation Payments
Constellation Payments (CSI Pay) is also supported through an integration with EZFacility.
But this path isn’t as straightforward as it may seem on the surface, especially for the average business owner who doesn’t understand the intricacies of payment processing.
- Constellation Payments is a third-party merchant services provider.
- They were originally founded as an ISO of Elavon (aka an Elavon reseller).
- But today, the existing sub-merchant agreements only mention Worldpay as the acquirer.
- Worldpay is owned by Global Payments (just like OpenEdge).
Alright, there’s a lot to take in here. So let me simplify this for you.
If you want to use Constellation Payments as your processor to integrate with EZFacility, there are going to be several layers of parties involved.
- EZFacility is the front-end software.
- Constellation Payments is the merchant services provider.
- Worldpay is the actual acquirer processing payments on the backend.
- Global Payments as the parent company of Worldpay.
None of this is abundantly clear if you’re just browsing payment options on the EZFacility website. Once you dig around, the picture starts to paint itself.
Constellation Payments is specifically mentioned as an integration option from EZFacility. But when you read the fine print of Constellation’s Merchant Terms of Service, you can see that Worldpay is the acquirer on the backend. It’s a standard sub-merchant agreement, which means you have even less control because you don’t have direct access to the processor.
And your rates will ultimately be set in a way that’s profitable enough for Constellation to profit while still being able to pay Worldpay for its role.
It’s messy and likely going to be very expensive, especially since integrated processing rates are typically priced at a premium even without this added complexity.
Clover/Fiserv (UK Only)
This is the only integration from EZFacility that doesn’t end with Global Payments as the backend processor. Unfortunately, it’s only available for businesses in the UK.
EZFacility officially partnered with Clover back in June 2023, launching a fully integrated credit card terminal.
This is what’s actually behind the scenes of the EZPayments solution offered by EZFacility. But it’s a bit misleading because the website and marketing materials don’t make it clear that it’s only for UK customers.
You need to read between the lines a bit here. But EZFacility clearly says in its blog-style press release that EZPayments was born from the Clover integration. And then the support documents for setting up Clover terminals in EZFacility clearly say that it’s only available for UK clients.
This is too bad because Fiserv is the backend processor for all Clover transactions, and Fiserv tends to offer much better pricing than Global Payments.
I’m assuming that EZFacility will eventually want to bring this capability to the US. But there’s no clear timeline on if and when that will happen. It could be years.
Your Options Are More Limited Than You Realize
When you take a step back and really assess your options, you don’t have many.
Gyms and sports clubs operating in the US can basically choose between OpenEdge and Constellation Payments. But both of these routes result in processing being handled by Global Payments.
- OpenEdge payment gateway is owned by Global.
- Constellation Payments sets you up on a sub-merchant account via Worldpay, which is also owned by Global.
UK merchants have the option to use Clover as the POS system with Fiserv as the backend processor.
But again, that’s still not a lot of options.
Why This Impacts Your Credit Card Processing Fees
Only having a few options to choose from in an integrated setup always results in higher fees. It gives the backend processors more leverage, and their rates don’t need to be as competitive.
This is even worse if the same parent company ends up controlling all of the options.
If you’re committed to going the integrated route, I’d go with the OpenEdge setup simply because there are less players involved.
OpenEdge gives you a direct line to Global. And while the rates will likely be inflated because of the integrated setup (and because Global is expensive), there are fewer mouths to feed than the alternative.
Going with Constellation/CSI Pay means your rates need to be set to cover profits for Constellation and Worldpay. So by nature, the markup will have to be set higher.
And you’ll be subject to all of Worldpay’s rate increases. Since Worldpay was just officially acquired by Global in early 2026, I’ve already predicted several rounds of rate increases coming this year.
So it’s only a matter of time before your account is affected by this.
What You Can Do About It
While integrated processing is definitely convenient, it’s not an absolute must-have feature.
So if you’re considering using EZFacility but you’re already set up with another processor that’s not supported through an integration, I’d suggest keeping your payments separate from the software.
But if you’re already set up with OpenEdge, CSI Pay, Worldpay, Clover/Fiserv, or EZPayments, you shouldn’t just blindly accept whatever rates are being presented to you.
While your processor has some leverage, they definitely don’t want to lose your account. So you should audit your statements for bogus fees or inflated rates.
We typically see merchants using EZFacility’s integrated payments getting overcharged by 100+ basis points. That’s a ton of money ($10k for every million in card payments).
Contact your processor and demand a reduction. And they won’t budge, let our team negotiate on your behalf.