by Matt Rej
NaVetor is a cloud-based veterinary practice management solution that was recently acquired by Patterson. The software itself is average, and the features are actually pretty limited compared to some of the other all-in-one vet practice management tools on the market.
Most of NaVetor’s primary features come from third-party integrations, including its payment processing capabilities.
When you set up integrated credit card payments in NaVetor, the payments post to customer invoices automatically. In theory, this simplifies your data, saves time, and reduces errors associated with manual reconciliation.
But there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than most vets realize. And it directly impacts your costs.
Key Takeaways:
- NaVetor integrates with two credit card processors: Global Payments and Gravity Payments.
- Gravity’s rates are typically more competitive than Global’s.
- NaVetor doesn’t actually process your payments, and merchant fees are completely separate from the software costs.
- Don’t fall for the “free software” trap when you’re evaluating payment processing options.
- If your current processor doesn’t integrate with NaVetor, switching probably isn’t worth it.
Global Payments and Gravity Payments Integrate With NaVetor for Credit Card Processing
NaVetor itself doesn’t actually offer payment processing services. Instead, they support integrations with two different third-party credit card processors:
- Global Payments Integrated
- Gravity Payments
This means that you need to get a merchant account directly from one of these providers before you can set up integrated processing in NaVetor.
We have tons of clients using both of these processors, and based on our experience, they’re very different from each other. So don’t rush into using either until you understand what you’re getting into.
Our Take on Global Payments
Global Payments is one of the largest payment processors in the world in terms of volume and merchant accounts managed. They offer interchange-plus pricing, which is definitely what you want, and they have basically every payment capability you could ask for.
That said, Global has its fair share of problems that you should be aware of:
- Expensive pricing, especially for integrated setups.
- Frequent rate increases, even while you’re still under contract.
- Lots of bogus fees, extra charges, and deceptive billing practices.
Our clients run into more issues with Global Payments than probably every other provider on the market.
If you don’t have a payment processor and you’re looking for a new merchant account, stay away from them. I can’t recommend Global with any sort of confidence because I’ve seen too many horror stories.
That said, if you’re already set up with Global, changing providers at this stage likely isn’t your best move. You’re better off sticking with them and negotiating better terms to save money on your integrated processing setup with NaVetor.
Our Take on Gravity Payments
Gravity Payments is an ISO of Fiserv. This is a fancy way of saying that Fiserv is technically your acquiring bank and handles the actual payment processing, while Gravity is a reseller that handles your service and support.
Typically, ISO relationships are more expensive than going directly to an acquirer. But in this case, Gravity’s rates are actually pretty competitive.
I think you can get a better deal from Gravity than you can from Global, even though Gravity is a third-party provider (NaVetor > Gravity > Fiserv).
Here are a few tips to make sure you get a good deal:
- Make sure you get IC+ pricing from Gravity (avoid their flat-rate pitches).
- Gravity tends to increase rates by 10 basis points every year.
- Push back against those increases, and fight to keep your rates (they’re negotiable).
As a Fiserv reseller, going with Gravity Payments gives you access to Clover products.
So if you like Clover’s POS systems for in-person payments at your veterinary practice locations, it’s a good option. I just recommend purchasing those terminals outright instead of paying pricey equipment rental fees. It’s way cheaper to buy over the long run, despite the higher upfront costs.
A Third Option: Credit Card Processing From Patterson (But Don’t Fall for the “Free” Trap)
In addition to the two payment direct integrations mentioned above, NaVetor’s website says that you can “get NaVetor for free” if you use select credit card processing options from Patterson.
Let me explain to you what this actually means.
Patterson Veterinary is NaVetor’s parent company. And Patterson offers credit card processing services, but in reality, this is just another option from Global Payments.
Global powers Patterson’s processing systems via XCharge (OpenEdge). It’s similar to Eaglesoft’s payment processing, which is also owned by Patterson and powered by Global Payments.
I don’t recommend this.
While getting NaVetor for free may sound like a nice perk, you’ll likely end up spending way more overall in extra processing fees. Here’s why.
NaVetor’s base software pricing is based on your user count:
- $200 per month for 1-3 users
- $300 per month for 4-10 users
- $350 per month for 11-20 users
- $400 per month for 21-30 users
- $550 per month for 31+ users
Even if you have a huge practice with 31+ users, you’ll easily end up with over $550 in overages on your monthly payment processing statements if you’re using Global Payments.
And getting Global from Patterson via XCharge/OpenEdge is even worse because rates will be inflated to ensure Patterson also gets a cut.
Why else would Patterson offer you NaVetor free? They’re obviously making up the money elsewhere.
Having Different Processors to Choose From is Nice, But More Options Would Be Better
Certain software solutions, including other vet practice management systems, only give you one integrated processing option.
So I’m happy that NaVetor gives you at least two options. And even better, the two options aren’t affiliated with each other at all.
This forces the processors to offer more competitive rates because they know you can go elsewhere. But with just two options to choose from, the rates don’t have to be that competitive. Especially when Global is in the mix.
Global is always going to be expensive, and I’m sure Gravity knows this. So Gravity just needs to come in with quotes that are slightly less in an attempt to get your business. However, those rates will be higher than normal because Global set the benchmark too high to start.
The third option (processing via Patterson) is more of an illusion of a third option than an actual third solid choice. It’s still ultimately going through Global. You’re just getting Global via Patterson vs. going straight to Global and integrating with NaVetor.
It would be awesome to see NaVetor support additional processors through an API integration.
That said, I’m not going to hold my breath. I just hope they continue supporting Gravity Payments because Patterson clearly has a relationship with Global. It’s been less than a year since Patterson officially acquired NaVetor, and if they decide to cut out the Gravity integration to force you into a Global product it’s going to be bad news (though I don’t want to get ahead of myself just yet).
Should You Integrate NaVetor With Global Payments or Gravity Payments?
To me the choice is simple. Gravity Payments is better than Global Payments because 99% of the time it’s going to be cheaper.
Just make sure you get Gravity to give you an interchange-plus contract. Their sales reps try to push flat-rate hard, and say that it’s cheaper than other flat-rate processors on the market (which is true). But IC+ is better, and will be even cheaper.
The only reason to consider integrating Global Payments with NaVetor is if you already have a merchant account from Global.
In this case, switching doesn’t make sense. You’re already used to Global (and likely paying high rates). Now is a good time to negotiate better terms ahead of the integration.
What If Your Current Processor Doesn’t Integrate With NaVetor?
If you’re using another payment processor that’s not Global or Gravity, you can’t get integrated processing from NaVetor. Shift4, Stripe, Elavon, Braintree, Adyen, etc—none of these providers integrate with NaVetor.
In this scenario, I don’t think it’s worth switching processors just to get integrated processing with your vet practice management solution.
Don’t get me wrong. Integrated processing is nice to have. But it’s not an absolute must.
Cost-wise, you’re better off keeping your current processor and using NaVetor independently. There are still some workarounds, gateways, and bridge setups that you can potentially try to automate reconciliation without a true integrated setup.
Even if you got a quote from Global or Gravity that undercut your current processor. Those savings will be short-lived in the grand scheme of things and I can almost guarantee it will end up costing you more.
Instead, you can leverage those quotes to negotiate better rates with your existing provider.