by Matt Rej
Celerant is an all-in-one retail software that offers a variety of solutions for inventory management, CRM, point-of-sale (POS), and managing data from multiple sales channels in a single dashboard.
Lots of what Celerant offers is based on integrations with third-party systems, including its payment processing capabilities.
In fact, they list over 130+ integration partners publicly on their website. But they don’t publicly name any payment processors here. Instead, they just say that processing options are available by request.
So I did some digging to find out what providers are supported out of the box, and how this decision can affect your credit card processing rates.
How Integrated Credit Card Processing Works With Celerant
To be clear, Celerant doesn’t provide any payment processing services. They are just the software provider.
So if you want credit card processing integrated within your Celerant setup, you’ll need to work with a third-party processor that’s supported through an API.
- Celerant controls which processors can integrate with their software.
- You have a direct relationship with the processor.
- Your merchant account and rates are all handled by that third-party provider.
- Celerant doesn’t set your rates, but the integrated setup can increase your costs.
Once the integration is live you’ll benefit from a more cohesive experience on the backend. Payments can match with customer data and there’s no need to manually reconcile transaction data.
It’s more convenient, but there’s an added cost.
How Much Does Celerant Payment Processing Cost?
Celerant doesn’t set your rates and your payment processing fees are completely independent of your Celerant software costs.
Rates vary by processor. And even the same processor could charge ten different rates to ten different merchants integrating with Celerant. It’s all negotiable and completely customized. Rates are based on factors like your industry, volume, risk profile, and pricing structure.
But it’s worth noting that it’s almost always more expensive to get integrated processing.
Here’s what I mean: If you go directly to any of these processors and ask them for a quote, that number is likely going to be different than what they quote you for an integrated setup with Celerant (or any software).
A slight cost jump here is somewhat justified in the sense that there’s extra work and added expenses for your processor. But some of these providers use any integration as an excuse to price gouge. Even if your rates may look competitive, they get you elsewhere with extra fees assessed as a percentage of your entire volume.
You can still get a good rate on integrated processing with Celerant, but it’s going to take some work and tough negotiations.
Worldpay
Worldpay has integrated with Celerant for quite some time, and it used to be one of the better solutions available. But unfortunately, I can’t in good faith recommend Worldpay as often as I used to.
While their processing technology and capabilities are as good as ever, their acquisition by Global Payments has definitely hurt them overall. The Worldpay brand name still holds a lot of weight and runs as its own division of Global.
However, we’re already seeing Global Payments pricing tactics being applied across merchant accounts in Worldpay’s portfolio.
This means that you can expect more junk fees, more frequent rate increases, and rates that are higher than normal from the start. And that’s before you factor in the integration factor, which will naturally increase your costs.
If you’re already using Worldpay, this integration is a no-brainer and I’d still stick with them (despite the downsides). You just need to be extra cautious monitoring your statements for extra fees. There’s a lot on there that you can negotiate, and it’s something you should be doing regularly.
Fortis
Fortis is a solid option to consider, particularly if you’re using or considering the enterprise deployment of Celerant. That’s because Fortis has carved out a niche in this space, integrating with several popular ERPs (some that also integrate with Celerant).
But it’s worth understanding exactly how Fortis works behind the scenes before you just blindly go this route.
Fortis is actually an ISO, meaning they don’t actually process payments themselves. Instead, they rely on processors like Fiserv and Elavon (among others) to move money between networks and banks.
This setup has a direct impact on your rates because it adds an extra layer to the mix.
Even though your contract/relationship is with Fortis, they sit between you and the processor (who you don’t have a relationship with). Both Fortis and the backend provider need to profit on every transaction, so your markup needs to be higher to account for this.
Another pro tip for Fortis: make sure they put you on a true interchange-plus plan. We often see them try to push a “monthly membership” plan based on your volume. And despite the simplicity and supposed cost-savings they’ll pitch you, trust me, you’re better off on an IC+ plan.
Shift4
Shift4 is probably the best balance compared to the two options reviewed above. But they’re still far from perfect.
With Shift4, you have a direct relationship with the acquiring bank (unlike Fortis). And there’s not a giant conglomerate pulling strings behind the scenes (unlike Worldpay/Global).
You can get access to interchange-plus pricing, which is a positive. Shift4 has always been open to negotiations, too (also a plus). They’re a good processor overall in terms of what they offer and how they do it.
The problem lies in its billing practices.
Even if you get a fair base rate, Shift4 has become really aggressive recently in terms of adding junk fees to accounts. They have one of the highest annual fees in processing, and a range of other volume-based fees that can add thousands of dollars to your statement every single month.
This stuff can be removed if you know how to spot it and what to say during negotiations. But most businesses can’t figure this out on your own.
I also urge you to steer clear of Shift4’s simple change pricing structure. They spin it as something that’s in your favor, but it’s not. You want to be on interchange-plus pricing that’s 100% transparent and can’t hide markup in the way that simple change does.
AltruPay
AltruPay isn’t as popular or well known as the other three providers on this list. But they’re the best, if not the only option, if you’re in a high risk merchant category.
If you’re using Celerant to sell certain products like firearms, supplements, vapes, CBD, precious metals, or collectibles either in-store, online, or both, AltruPay may be one of the only processors willing to handle your account.
To clarify, there are plenty of other high-risk processors out there. But most of them won’t integrate with Celerant. And most of the large processors (Shift4, Worldpay, etc.) don’t handle these high-risk accounts.
The drawback here is that high-risk processing in itself is always going to be very expensive. Sometimes as high as 4% or 5% effective. So when you add the integration costs on top of it, this can be tough to justify.
If you have a high-risk account, you’re better off avoiding integrated processing. It’s worth the extra steps to keep your costs low.
That said, if you’re no longer a high risk merchant you can save money without switching.
Your Current Processor
For those of you currently using another payment processor that’s not mentioned above, 95% of the time you’re better off sticking with them if possible.
It’s rarely (if ever) worth switching to another processor just for the sake of getting integrated payments.
And Celerant’s public ambiguity of who it’s willing to support actually works in your favor here, as there’s a chance they’re willing to work with your processor if you ask. Go to your processor first to see if they can integrate with Celerant.
They’ll want to keep your business, and if it’s possible, they’re going to make it happen.
Just make sure they don’t use this as an excuse to drive your rates up unfairly. While a small adjustment here is justifiable (5-10 basis points), anything else is just greed on their end.
Summary
Celerant doesn’t offer payment processing in-house, but they support integrations from several different providers:
- Worldpay — Solid option but aggressive billing tactics by its new parent company makes it less appealing.
- Fortis — ISO that sits between you and the acquirer, which adds to the cost. Popular for enterprise.
- Shift4 — Best overall if you get IC+ (not simple change) and get bogus fees negotiated from your statement.
- AltruPay — High-risk processor that integrates with Celerant (though it may not be worth it).
- Your Processor — Do whatever you can to keep your current processor.
Remember, Celerant doesn’t set your rates. That’s handled directly by the processor, and it’s separate from your software fees.
If you need help navigating any of this: figuring out which option is best for your business, spotting bogus fees on your statement, or negotiating with your processor, contact our team here at MCC for a free audit.