Sage Software Integrated Payment Processing Options

Sage has an extensive product suite, primarily focusing on accounting, payroll, HR, and other financial tools for businesses of all sizes. 

So if your company is using a Sage product, it’s natural to want your credit card processing system integrated with the software. This cuts down on manual reconciliation and pulls your data into a single source.

But Sage doesn’t handle payment processing in-house. Instead, they support payment integrations from a wide range of different merchant service providers, including:

• Paya (Nuvei)
• Fortis
• Stripe
• PayPal
• PayFabric
• REPAY

This is one of the most extensive lists you’ll find from a software provider that offers integrated payments. Most tools just offer two or three options, maybe four if you’re lucky. 

The best part about this list is that all of these providers are unaffiliated with each other, which gives you leverage when you’re trying to negotiate the best possible rate.

All of these providers are unique, and their differences will directly impact your processing rates when you integrate with Sage. Let’s explore each one in greater detail below so you understand what I mean.

First, Let’s Talk About Your Existing Payment Processor

If you’re using one of the processors that integrates with Sage, great. Between your provider and Sage, the setup should be fairly straightforward using an API or plugin from Sage’s marketplace. 

But what happens if you’re using a processor that’s not on this list?

Don’t switch providers just for the sake of having integrated payments in Sage.

This is rarely worth it, both cost-wise and operationally. Changing processors is a massive headache and costs way more than most businesses realize. This is especially true if you’re under contract and have early termination penalties. 

My best advice here is to just keep your payments and software separate, and use this as an opportunity to negotiate better terms with your current provider. You can start by saying you’re bummed that they don’t integrate with Sage, and you’re considering switching (just as a bluff). 

See what they can do for you. And if they won’t budge, our team here at MCC can negotiate with them on your behalf.

Additionally, Sage integrates with Zapier. So while it won’t be a direct integration, you can use Zapier as a workaround to automatically convert your payment data into Sage. You’ll likely need a developer or someone with strong technical skills to set this up for you, but it’s totally doable if your current processor doesn’t support and doesn’t integrate with Sage. 

Paya (Nuvei)

Paya was originally founded by Sage, but under the name “Sage Payments Solutions.” Sage sold the product in 2017, where it was rebranded to Paya shortly thereafter. 

Now Paya is part of Nuvei, and doesn’t accept new merchant accounts under the Paya branding (redirected to Nuvei instead). But the Paya integration still works in Sage for existing customers. And anyone using Nuvei can also integrate with Sage.

Nuvei is actually considered a “Sage Recommended Solution” for both credit card payments and ACH payments. This makes sense, considering the solution was originally built under the same umbrella. 

Sage Intacct users can unlock a variety of accounts receivable and billing features by setting up this integration, such as:

• Anonymous one-time payment links
• Integrations with quotes, sales orders, and invoices
• One-file payment information (using tokens) for future use
• Real-time sync with ERP software with automatic PDF attachment

Paya’s pricing is fairly competitive. But they often charge a Monthly Clearing Fee that’s buried amongst network assessments. 

If you see this fee on your statement, I recommend asking to get it removed or reduced, as it’s a pure processor markup on top of their fees per transaction. 

In my experience, the Paya/Nuvei setup is the most popular integration just due to its history with Sage. It was the only option before Sage started rolling out other supported integrations, which is why it’s so popular amongst Sage users.

Fortis

Fortis is unique because they operate as a PayFac and also an ISO backed by a range of different sponsor banks. We tend to see Fiserv as the backend processor on the majority of Fortis accounts we audit. But I know they rely on Elavon as well. 

This relationship is really important to understand because the backend provider will directly influence your rates with Fortis.

For example, when Fiserv increases their rates, it will have a trickle-down effect on your Fortis account if they’re using Fiserv to process your transactions. There are certain merchant fees that Elavon charges that will likely be passed to you via Fortis if that’s who’s handling things on the backend. 

Here’s what else you should be aware of:

• Rates are set so that Fortis and the backend processor can both profit.
• Amex fees are much higher, and sometimes Fortis double-dips by charging a program fee on top of the Amex discount rate.
• Interchange-plus pricing is available, and that’s what we recommend.
• Fortis also offers a tiered membership program based on monthly processing volume, which can make sense for certain businesses. 

If you’re currently using Fortis and not sure who the backend processor is, we can usually tell just by looking at the formatting and structure of your statements. 

So feel free to send that our way, and we’ll let you know. And we’ll also identify any bogus fees you might be paying, and how to get those removed. 

Stripe

Stripe is one of the most modern payment solutions on the market, particularly for online and digital transactions. It’s a solid fit for Sage users, particularly for invoice payments.

You can send an invoice to customers or vendors via Sage, and those customers can pay you directly from a “Pay Now” button where Stripe handles the backend processing. 

The drawback here is that this particular setup doesn’t work for all Sage products. The “Pay Now” option works with Sage 50, but there’s a different setup for Sage 300. 

Other insider tips you should know about Stripe:

• They like to put you on flat-rate pricing, which we don’t recommend.
• You should be on interchange-plus pricing to get the best rate.
• Beyond the rate per transaction, Stripe charges a range of other service fees.
• These extra charges can really inflate your effective rate, and most businesses overlook this.

Overall, Stripe is really good.

But make sure you understand your fee structure and what you’re paying as a whole, and not just per transaction. This is another reason why we recommend IC+ pricing, as it’s much more transparent. 

So if you’re currently using Stripe but stuck on flat-rate billing, do whatever you can to switch. 

PayPal

PayPal is a name that needs no introduction. 

Its integration with Sage is similar to the Stripe setup, where it works well for invoicing with a direct “Pay Now” button included. You customize the invoice in Sage, it gets sent directly to your customer, and then it can be paid online via PayPal with a credit card, debit card, or PayPal balance. 

After the invoice gets paid, payments are automatically posted and reconciled with your accounts in Sage. 

One standout of the PayPal integration is that it works with more Sage products compared to other integration options, including:

• Sage Intacct
• Sage 50
• Sage 300
• Sage 100 Contractor

The drawback of PayPal is that the rates aren’t as competitive as other processors. Not everyone qualifies for interchange-plus, which means you’ll likely be stuck on a flat-rate pricing model that’s higher than it should be. 

That’s because PayPal is technically a payment facilitator, and that’s pretty common for this setup. 

But if you’re using PayPal and your processing fees are getting too high, there are plenty of ways to negotiate better terms. It takes some back and forth with PayPal, but it’s worth the effort. And we’ve had first-hand success in doing so for our clients (especially high-volume merchants). 

PayFabric

PayFabric is a cloud-based gateway that’s specifically designed to integrate with third-party software. It integrates directly with Sage Intact and Sage 300, but it also works with a range of Microsoft Dynamics products, Acumatica, Oracle, and SAP solutions. 

What’s unique about PayFabric is that it’s actually a division of EVO Payments. EVO acquired PayFabric back in 2019 as part of its deal with Nodus Technologies. EVO ultimately improved on the product over the years, and began using PayFabric for B2B integrated processing while adding capabilities like ACH payments. 

But the most important part of this arrangement is the fact that Global Payments owns EVO Payments (acquired in 2023). 

Global does not have the best reputation in the payment processing space. And this applies to all of its subsidiaries (like EVO), which means PayFabric is ultimately impacted by Global’s pricing aggressive strategies.

• Frequent rate increases
• Padded assessment fees
• Deceptive billing tactics

All of this stuff is just business as usual for Global Payments. 

Some of the most expensive effective rates we’ve ever seen have been on Global accounts. And I recently put together a list of fees that merchants using Global Payments need to watch out for. 

I strongly recommend that anyone using PayFabric looks at that list. If you spot any of those fees on your statement, there’s a good chance you’re overpaying. 

The silver lining in all of this is that Global/EVO/PayFabric are receptive to negotiations. So you can definitely get your rate reduced, even if you’ve been paying too much for years. 

With EVO specifically, they typically try to push tiered pricing, where it’s nearly impossible to get the lowest qualified rate. I recommend getting on a true IC+ plan, and don’t let them dangle a really low rate in front of you that your transactions will never actually qualify for.

REPAY

REPAY isn’t the most well-known processor in the payment space. But they process over $25+ billion in annual card payments and integrate with 270+ software providers, including Sage.

Despite being small, Sage is an end-to-end processor that handles everything in-house. 

They integrate with 

• Sage 100
• Sage 300
• Sage Intacct
• Sage X3

And they’re a “Plus” Sage Tech Partner. 

REPAY also serves as the backend processor for a range of ISOs, like MiCamp Solutions. This can potentially open up more doors for your Sage integration if you’re using another provider that’s reselling a REPAY solution. 

You can potentially get a better deal with REPAY compared to other providers because you’re going straight to the source, as opposed to dealing with middlemen taking a cut on your markup.

Recap and Final Thoughts

If you want integrated payment processing in Sage, these are your options:

• Paya: Most popular option as it was originally part of Sage, and is now owned by Nuvei.
• Fortis: Typically uses Fiserv or Elavon as the backend processor, and rates are sometimes inflated.
• Stripe: Great technology and good for invoice payments in Sage, but avoid flat-rate pricing. 
• PayPal: PayFac that’s also good for invoicing, though rates aren’t the best. 
• PayFabric: Powered by EVO Payments and owned by Global Payments, meaning you need to keep a close eye on your statements for extra fees.
• REPAY: Specializing in software integrations, and is the backend processor for lots of ISOs.

The best integrated processor for Sage is typically your current provider. 

While some of these payment processors are definitely better than others, none are clearly worth switching to. So if you happen to be using any of these processors or your payments are through an ISO that uses them on the backend, you should be able to integrate with Sage pretty seamlessly.

If not, you’re better off sticking with your current processor.

In either case, don’t just blindly accept the rates your processor is charging you. More than likely, they’ll try to get even more margin from you by supporting the integration with Sage. 

Don’t accept those terms. In fact, you should be doing the opposite. Put pressure on them to lower your rates. The fact that Sage supports so many payment integrations gives you a ton of leverage. You just need to know how to use it.