We rarely recommend switching payment processors. The cost savings from negotiating better terms with your current processor almost always outweighs the potential promotional rate a new company might offer.
But sometimes you don’t have a choice. Your processor gets bought out, merges with another company, or otherwise changes ownership.
We’ve seen this happen a bunch of times over the years. Like when Fiserv acquired First Data, when Global Payments merged with TSYS, when Global bought out Heartland, and most recently, when Global Payments announced plans to acquire Worldpay.
And when that happens, you need to know what’s coming because it basically always means that your merchant account will be impacted.
Timeline: What Happens When Your Processor Gets Bought Out
Payment processor acquisitions follow a fairly predictable pattern. Changes don’t necessarily happen overnight. They’re rolled out over time — typically over the course of several years.
So if you’re using a processor that’s been acquired or one that’s about to be, here’s what you can expect to happen:
Stage 1: Initial Announcement
When a major processor buys out a competitor, it’s almost always announced first through a press release before every industry news outlet picks up the story with a flashy headline.
But if you look closely at these announcements, the language is always carefully worded with terms like “enters agreement to acquire,” or “plans to merge with,” or “signs definitive agreement.”
Merchants usually aren’t notified early on because nothing is actually official just yet.
Nothing is actually changing for you right now. The announcement is just the first step in a long process.
Stage 2: Regulatory Approval and Fine-Tuning Details
Next, the companies involved still need to finalize the terms, complete due diligence, and get regulatory approval.
The bigger the deal, the more hoops each side needs to jump through before the deal can actually come to fruition. Major deals typically require new approval from the FTC, DOJ, international regulatory bodies (if companies operate globally), and shareholders from both companies.
It’s routine for major acquisitions to take anywhere from 6-18 months to officially close after the initial announcement.
For example, Global Payments announced its plans to acquire Worldpay in April 2025. US regulators approved the deal in July, but UK and EU regulators didn’t give the green light until December, and the deal isn’t expected to be completed until the first half of 2026.
Stage 3: Two Companies “Officially” Merge
Assuming the deal doesn’t fall through (which would be rare), the acquisition will eventually go through and merge.
As a merchant, nothing is changing for you here, either. This is just the formality of money changing hands, stock being transferred, dotting i’s, and crossing t’s.
All that’s happening right now is that the terms of the deal are officially being executed.
Stage 4: The Integration Phase
Once the deal closes, the acquiring company will begin to roll out their plans for the processor they just bought. Again, this typically happens over several years.
In most cases:
- Your processor continues using its original brand name.
- Your statements look the same.
- Your merchant ID doesn’t change.
- Your equipment stays the same.
- Your support phone number and email remain the same (though some calls or messages may eventually start routing to the parent company’s support center).
The acquiring parent company is busy behind the scenes integrating technology, combining announcing systems, merging employee structures, and planning long-term strategy.
But the day-to-day processing for businesses mostly remains unchanged.
Think of this as the honeymoon period. The company that bought out your processor typically avoids making major changes immediately because they don’t want to deal with the massive influx of merchant questions while they’re still integrating backend systems. So they’re going to leave you alone (for now).
Stage 5: Rate Increases and New Fees
Here’s where things start to go downhill for merchants using the processor that got acquired.
The new owners typically start applying their own billing practices to the newly acquired merchant portfolio between 12-24 months after the official close date.
Expect:
- Rate increases on your per-transaction markup
- New fees that weren’t on your statement before
- Fees that are common to the parent company suddenly appearing on your statements
- “Regulatory” or “compliance” fees that are pure profit for the processor
- Annual fees, PCI fees, and other junk fees start ramping up
Why is this happening?
Well, the company that bought your processor didn’t spend billions of dollars on goodwill. They acquired those merchant accounts specifically to attract more revenue from them.
The new owners still need to make their money back, plus generate a return for their shareholders.
Every major processor has a playbook of fees they charge. And once they acquire a new portfolio of merchant accounts, they systematically start applying that same fee schedule.
For example, if your processor was acquired by Global Payments, within 12-24 months you’ll start to see Settlement Funding Fees and Risk Assessment Fees on your statements. We only see these fee names on subsidiaries of Global (Shift4, TSYS, Heartland, etc.).
So when Worldpay officially becomes part of Global Payments, it’s safe to assume that those fees will appear on Worldpay merchant accounts by 2027 or 2028.
Stage 6: Rebranding
Eventually (but not always), the name of the processor that was acquired eventually gets phased out and the brand name disappears altogether.
Statements, marketing materials, logos, etc. — all of this will switch to the parent company’s branding. Your login portal might even change to a domain from the new company, too.
But the rebrand is basically cosmetic. By the time this happens, the real damage (rate increases and new fees) is already done.
For example, the OpenEdge brand is still actively being used today, even though the initial with Global began back in 2012. We still see TSYS branding on merchant accounts, even though they merged with Global Payments in 2019.
Heartland was acquired by Global in 2016 and kept its name for nearly a decade. Global Payments finally announced that all Heartland branding would officially be transitioned to Global in December 2025.
What You Should Do If Your Processor Gets Acquired
There’s nothing you can do to stop the acquisition or merger of two companies worth tens of billions of dollars. And while some timelines take longer than others, these deals rarely fall through.
Despite this usually being bad news for your business, there’s still plenty you can do to protect your rates and avoid being hit with massive rate increases post-acquisition.
Act Immediately After the Announcement
You don’t have to pick up the phone and contact your processor on the day of the announcement, but ignoring the news altogether is a big mistake.
But during the period between the announcement and the official closing date, your processor is still independent and motivated to keep you happy. They haven’t been fully absorbed yet, the parent company can’t legally make any decisions related to your account, and they don’t want to lose merchants during the transaction.
So pull out your last few months of statements and look at every line item. Question every fee that doesn’t quite look right, and calculate your effective rate to fully understand what you’re currently paying.
Negotiate Better Terms With Your Existing Processor
Switching to another processor just because yours is getting acquired is also a bad idea.
Instead, contact your current processor and let them know you’re unhappy. You’ve identified junk fees on your statement, and your rates are higher now than they were when you first signed up.
Demand that they remove those junk fees from your statement and negotiate a lower markup. You have a ton of leverage right now.
Lock in the best possible terms ASAP before the new company takes over and stops caring about retention. Get everything in writing via email confirmations and amended processing agreements (which you may need down the road after the new company takes over).
Research the Acquiring Company’s Fee Structure
Once the acquisition is official, you typically have at least six months before new fees start appearing on your account. But you should educate yourself now so you know what to look for.
Every processor has a documented history of fees they charge, rate increase patterns, and other billing tactics designed to extract more money from your account.
Here at MCC, we have a review and rates page for all major processors. You can use this to quickly identify fees that your new processor is eventually going to start charging you and which ones are legit vs. junk.
Then each month, you can look at your statements for anything new that pops up and you’ll know right away whether it’s a junk fee that can be removed from your account.
Keep an Eye on Quarterly Earnings Calls
This is something that’s rarely talked about in the payments space. But if your new processor is owned by a publicly traded company, then all of the earnings calls are public information.
These calls can be a goldmine of insights.
While they’re designed for investors, you’d be surprised how transparent and blunt executives can be on these calls. They’ll literally say things like:
- “We’re planning slow, incremental rate adjustments to [acquired company] in the second half of 2026.”
- “We expect to see revenue surges from [acquired company] beginning in Q3.”
- “We’re implementing our standard fee structure across all new merchant accounts by the end of this fiscal year.”
This is all corporate speak for “we’re raising rates and adding fees.” But they’re telling shareholders months before merchants see them on their statements.
When you hear this stuff, you know a rate increase is around the corner. This is another opportunity for you to reach out and negotiate better terms right now to try and keep yourself immune to the upcoming rate hikes.
Continue to Monitor Your Statements Like a Hawk
Despite what you may have negotiated before or after the acquisition, your new processor can still make changes to your account.
These are global conglomerates with deep pockets. They’re not worried about you trying to sue them over breach of contract or anything like that. And in many cases, the contract terms allow them to increase rates and add fees basically whenever they want (as long as they give you notice and allow you to terminate your agreement penalty-free).
So every month, you still need to look at every single line item on your statement to see if your rates have gone up or if new fees are being applied.
It’s tedious and requires special attention to detail. But it can literally save you thousands of dollars.
If this isn’t something you want to deal with, then our team at MCC can handle it on your behalf. In addition to negotiating with processors on behalf of our clients, our service also includes ongoing statement monitoring to identify new fees, increases, and any cost-saving opportunities that pop up.
What Else You Need to Know
Beyond the acquisition timeline and action steps for you to take, here are some of the most common questions we get from merchants dealing with a processor acquisition:
Will Your Rates Change?
Yes, almost certainly. But not right away.
Your rates will likely remain unchanged for up to a year after the acquisition closes. Then expect gradual changes in the form of rate hikes, new fees, or a combination of the two.
Do You Need to Do Anything Immediately?
Not technically. Your processing won’t stop, and your current setup will continue working.
But strategically, you’ll want to start acting as soon as possible by auditing your statements and negotiating better terms before the transaction period ends.
Will Your Equipment or POS System Change?
Usually not. Your existing terminals and point-of-sale systems will typically keep working as is.
It’s not common for the new owners to force hardware changes. But if they do, make sure to avoid equipment leases at all costs.
What Happens If You’re Using Integrated Payments Through a Third-Party Software?
If your current payment processor is integrated into a vertical-specific software (like a dental practice management system or veterinary practice management software), your situation may be slightly different.
The software integration should continue working. And even if your current processor’s brand name eventually disappears as a “preferred partner” of the software, these integrations are usually grandfathered in. Though support may be slightly lacking.
Can the New Owner Change Your Merchant Processing Agreement?
Technically, no. Your original agreement terms still apply, and the new owners usually absorb these agreements as is.
But processors are very creative with contract language and you likely have multiple clauses in your contract that allows the processor to make changes as long as they give you 30-90 days notice. So in practice, yes, your agreement can change even if you already have a binding contract.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, a payment processor acquisition is not good news for merchants.
And these deals are becoming far too common in the payments space, as giants like Global Payments and Fiserv look to buy out competitors so they can turn hefty profits on accounts they acquire.
The good news is that these buyouts typically follow a predictable pattern. So you have plenty of time to act and secure better terms for your account.
This is extremely relevant right now, especially for merchants using Worldpay that will eventually become part of Global Payments in 2026.
If you need help navigating this transaction and securing the best possible deal on your existing account, contact our team here at MCC for assistance.