PestPac is one of the largest and most established pest control platforms in North America. From scheduling and routing to CRM, accounting, lead management, and more, it truly has everything a pest control business needs to operate.
The cool part about PestPac is that it works equally well for local pest control businesses as well as national giants like Terminex, plus everything in between.
But one overlooked aspect of PestPac is its integrated payment processing solution. And if your business doesn’t quite understand how this works, it’s likely costing you thousands of dollars every month.
Insider Take on PestPac’s Payment Processing
We have lots of clients in the pest control industry using PestPac, and we’re extremely familiar with all of the payment processing aspects of the software. While the payment features may seem straightforward, there’s actually a ton happening behind the scenes.
Here’s what you need to know:
- WorkWave Payments is now the exclusive integrated processing option for PestPac.
- But your transactions are actually processed by either Worldpay or Adyen as the backend acquirer.
- That’s because WorkWave Payments is a PayFac (not actually a processor).
- Some clients are grandfathered into a Global Payments integration.
- Regardless of what your sales rep tells you, your rates are 100% negotiable.
- We’ve found cost-saving opportunities and overages on every single PestPac processing statement we’ve audited.
All of this stuff directly impacts how much you’re paying to accept credit cards, debit cards, mobile wallets, and ACH transfers.
PestPac Overview
PestPac is owned by WorkWave, which is a leading software provider of different field service management tools. As the name implies, PestPac is specifically built for pest control businesses (both residential and commercial). But WorkWave has similar software for lawn care businesses, janitorial services, cleaning companies, and other field service routing solutions.
Why is this so important to understand?
Because WorkWave also has its own Fintech division, which is where its branded payment processing solution — WorkWave Payments — was born.
Rather than letting third-party processing partners integrate with PestPac (which is what they used to do), WorkWave built its own payment software.
The PestPac platform is solid. It’s got dozens of features to help businesses better serve their customers while tracking vehicles, collecting payments in the field, and making smarter routing decisions.
But the way PestPac and WorkWave set up their integrated payment processing system has unfortunately become an expensive problem for pest control companies.
A Complete Breakdown of PestPac’s Payment Processing Options Explained
To be clear, every pest control business using PestPac is free to use any payment processor they want to. The software operates fine on its own without the payment capabilities.
But if you want your payments solution integrated with the platform, your options are limited. You can’t connect your own processor, and there’s only one integrated option (technically two acquiring banks offered behind the scenes).
Let me explain:
WorkWave Payments is the Exclusive Provider
Currently, WorkWave Payments is the only integrated payment processing option that’s supported by PestPac.
WorkWave (PestPac’s parent company), made this decision because it’s much more profitable for them to control the payments ecosystem instead of just providing API support for third-party processors on the backend.
By forcing you into WorkWave Payments, it ensures that your software provider gets a cut of every single transaction that’s processed by your pest control business (which isn’t always the case if you were using a third-party integration partner).
WorkWave claims that this setup allows them to save money since they’re not supporting various processors. And by extension, they’re able to pass those savings to you.
But in reality, exclusive integrations almost always result in higher rates for businesses because you don’t have alternative options.
But WorkWave Payments is a PayFac (Not a Processor)
WorkWave Payments from WorkWave Fintech is actually a payment facilitator (PayFac). They don’t have an acquiring banking license or the infrastructure to actually process your payments.
Instead, they provide the frontend interface and merchant support while outsourcing the actual processing responsibilities to an acquiring bank on the backend.
This means that PestPac users don’t set up traditional merchant accounts with individual processors. Instead, WorkWave acts as the master merchant, and your business becomes a “sub-merchant” under their master umbrella.
The PayFac model offers easier onboarding and faster setups compared to traditional merchant accounts. You can typically get started in days rather than weeks of a lengthy underwriting process.
But the tradeoff here is cost. PayFac pricing is always going to be more expensive than direct processor relationships because WorkWave is adding their markup on top of the processor’s fees.
Worldpay is Actually the Backend Acquirer
When you dig into the WorkWave Payments merchant agreement (which is required for PestPac users who want integrated payment processing), you’ll find that Worldpay is listed as the acquirer.
This means that Worldpay is the actual processor handling your transactions behind the scenes.
Worldpay is a massive payment processor serving millions of businesses worldwide, and they process tens of billions of dollars every year. They have robust technology and can definitely handle all of your pest control payment processing needs.
Unfortunately, Worldpay isn’t known for offering the most competitive rates. This is even worse for integrated solutions since since Worldpay has to share revenue with the software provider (PestPac/WorkWave), they typically hike rates even more to ensure they’re still getting a nice profit.
Check out our Worldpay review to learn more.
Adyen is an Alternative Option
Here’s where things get interesting. Appendix 4 on the final page of WorkWave’s Merchant Agreement outlines transaction processing services by Adyen (which is another acquirer).
The language of these terms makes it clear that if a sub-merchant has been approved by Adyen, they’ll enter a direct agreement with Adyen instead of going through the WorkWave/Worldpay PayFac model.
But it’s unclear what the criteria is for PestPac businesses to be approved for this.
Typically, this scenario would likely be reserved for high-volume pest control businesses. But it’s definitely something that’s worth inquiring about if you’re getting set up with integrated processing in PestPac.
I personally think Adyen is a better processor than Worldpay. They have arguably the best technology on the market and their rates are among the most competitive industry-wide. Our Adyen review has more details on this.
And the ability to circumvent the PayFac model effectively cuts an extra player out of the equation, meaning your rates won’t need to be inflated to compensate for this.
Global Payments is Also in the Mix
It’s also worth noting that WorkWave Payments wasn’t always the exclusive processor for PestPac.
We’ve been working in the payments industry for years. So we know for a fact that Global Payments used to integrate with PestPac. And it appears as though pest control businesses relying on Global are grandfathered in.
Though this may not last forever. When similar situations have popped up elsewhere, the software provider often finds creative ways to force businesses into its exclusive in-house option (similar to what happened with PetExec and Gingr Payments in the pet software space).
But here’s another curveball.
Global Payments is acquiring Worldpay. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026, and at that point, Global will own the backend acquirer that powers WorkWave Payments for PestPac users.
I know. It’s a lot to keep track of.
Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily good news for PestPac users because Global is one of the worst processors on the market today. They’re known for high rates, frequent increases, and bogus fees.
And while it won’t happen immediately, we fully expect Global to apply their pricing playbook within a year or so of taking over Worldpay. This will have a trickle-down effect on pest control businesses using PestPac and WorkWave Payments.
The Downside of Having an Exclusive Processing Provider
Let me be crystal clear: the exclusive processing mandate with WorkWave Payments for PestPac users is not ideal.
We almost never recommend switching processors. But the threat of having multiple options to choose from forces providers to be more competitive with their pricing.
This isn’t a factor if there’s only one provider.
And the fact that this exclusive provider operates on a PayFac model is even worse because rates will be inflated even more.
Here’s what’s happening:
- Worldpay can set your rates as high as they want because there’s no competition.
- They can also increase your rates and add bogus fees without fear of pushback for the same reason.
- Rates will be even higher because WorkWave Payments needs their cut on the PayFac model.
- All of this is about to get worse over the next couple of years when Global Payments takes over Worldpay accounts.
So if you already have a merchant account with another processor, you’re better off sticking with them instead of using PestPac’s integrated solution.
Integrated processing is definitely more convenient. But the convenience here doesn’t outweigh the cost for most businesses. Stick with what you have, and just utilize PestPac’s other features.
How to Lower Your Payment Processing Rates With PestPac
With all of this in mind, you still have some leverage. So you’re not doomed if you’re already set up with PestPac’s integrated processing solution via WorkWave Payments.
Your rates are still 100% negotiable. You just need to know what to look for.
Start by auditing your existing statements for bogus line items and fees that could likely be removed. Then calculate your effective rate to see how much you’re paying overall to accept payments.
If your effective rate is 3% or higher, then there’s definitely room for savings.
And if your processing statements are broken down with transparent interchange-plus markups, there’s room to save money if WorkWave’s markup is more than 40-50 basis points.
Contact our team here at MCC for a free audit. There’s a ton happening behind the scenes here, and it’s easier for a payment expert to assess this stuff on your behalf.
If we find savings opportunities (we always do), we’ll negotiate better terms on your behalf with your current provider. So you can continue using PestPac’s integrated processing without getting ripped off.
Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
PestPac is a great platform for pest control operations and field service management. But their payment processing is a mess.
Despite the “simplicity” of only having one provider to choose from, there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes.
- Having a direct agreement with Adyen is the best overall option (if you can get it).
- Otherwise, Worldpay is going to be powering your payments on the backend of WorkWave Payments.
- Global Payments is acquiring Worldpay, so expect your rates to rise in the next 12-24 months.
- Negotiate better terms ASAP to protect your rates before these increases go into effect.
- If you already have a merchant account outside of PestPac and WorkWave, avoid the integrated setup.
- There will be more work from an accounting and reconciliation perspective, but the hassle is worth the savings.
Regardless of how your pest control business accepts credit card payments, your rates are 100% negotiable.
You’re either going to negotiate with WorkWave, Worldpay, Adyen, or your own processor outside of the PestPac platform. And if you’re not negotiating, then you’re leaving money on the table.