MerchantGuard™Why Square Has the Worst Termination Record
Square's automated risk system and non-existent customer support make it the riskiest processor for growing businesses:
Zero Appeal Process
❌ Square: Automated terminations with no human review
✅ Alternatives: Checkout.com, Braintree have dedicated account managers
Square: Ghost you • Alternatives: Actual support
Funds Held 90-180 Days
❌ Square: Longest hold periods in the industry
✅ Alternatives: Most PSPs hold 30-90 days max with clear timelines
Square: 180+ days • Alternatives: 30-90 days
Terrible Customer Service
❌ Square: Email-only support, 7+ day response times
✅ Alternatives: Phone support, dedicated reps, 24hr response
Square: Email queue • Alts: Live phone support
Volume Spike Paranoia
❌ Square: Flags growth above $10K/month as suspicious
✅ Alternatives: Growth-friendly processors expect scaling
Square: Flags growth • Alts: Support scaling
Hates Online Sales
❌ Square: Built for in-person retail, rejects e-commerce
✅ Alternatives: Most PSPs optimize for online payments
Square: POS-focused • Alts: E-commerce ready
False Positive Hell
❌ Square: AI flags legitimate businesses constantly
✅ Alternatives: Human underwriters review flagged accounts
Square: Auto-ban • Alts: Human review
7 Square Alternatives with Actual Customer Support
Approval odds are ML-predicted based on 8,000+ real merchant outcomes. Your specific odds depend on industry, volume, and risk factors.
Checkout.com
Dedicated account managers, transparent holds (30-60 days), scaling support
Higher fees (2.9% + $0.30), setup complexity
Braintree (PayPal)
PayPal infrastructure support, phone + email, clear policies
Still rejects high-risk, PayPal co-dependency
PaymentCloud
Accepts terminated merchants, dedicated phone support, MATCH-friendly
Higher rates (3.5-5%), rolling reserves
Durango Merchant Services
Fast approval, account managers, reasonable hold policies
US-focused, higher fees for risky profiles
Authorize.Net (Visa)
Reliable, widely integrated, enterprise support
Requires separate merchant account, complex setup
Stripe
Better API, decent support, more transparent policies
Still rejects high-risk, strict compliance
Conekta (LATAM)
OXXO, SPEI, local methods, responsive Spanish support
LATAM only, regional restrictions
Takes 8 questions • Get approval odds for all 7 processors • 100% free
Never Depend on One Processor Again
Square taught you the hard way: single-processor dependency is too risky. Here's how to build payment redundancy:
Primary Processor
Your best-match PSP based on approval odds and fees
Example: Checkout.com for e-commerce (86% approval)
Backup Processor
Secondary PSP ready to activate immediately
Example: PaymentCloud as high-risk fallback
Emergency Processor
Fast-approval option for crisis situations
Example: Stripe or Braintree (2-5 day setup)
Smart Routing
Automatically route transactions to healthy processors
Example: Route to backup if primary declines spike
"Square held $87K for 120 days after terminating us with no explanation. Zero response to support tickets. MerchantGuard matched us with PaymentCloud in 60 seconds. Approved in 5 days with REAL phone support. Never using Square again."
How to Choose Your Square Alternative
Your Business Model
Match PSP to your sales channel
In-Person Retail: Square was OK, try Stripe Online Sales: Checkout.com, Braintree High-Risk Online: PaymentCloud LATAM: Conekta, Mercado Pago
Customer Support
Don't settle for email-only support
Phone Support: PaymentCloud, Durango Dedicated Rep: Checkout.com Email + Chat: Braintree, Stripe Avoid: Square (worst in industry)
Hold Policies
Understand reserve and hold terms upfront
Standard (30-60 days): Most alternatives Rolling Reserve: High-risk PSPs Square (90-180 days): AVOID Transparent Terms: Checkout.com, Braintree
Risk Tolerance
Match processor to your risk level
Low Risk: Stripe, Braintree Moderate Risk: Checkout.com, Durango High Risk: PaymentCloud, specialists Square: Only ultra-low-risk retail
Setup Speed
How fast do you need to process?
Emergency (1-3 days): Stripe Standard (3-7 days): Checkout.com, Braintree High-Risk (7-14 days): PaymentCloud Note: Square was fast but terminates frequently
Geographic Coverage
Ensure PSP covers your markets
US: All options work EU: Checkout.com, Adyen LATAM: Conekta, Mercado Pago Global: Checkout.com, Braintree
Stop Guessing. Get Matched in 60 Seconds.
Our ML model analyzes 8,000+ merchant outcomes to predict your approval odds at each PSP. Don't waste applications on processors that will reject you (or freeze your funds like Square).
🚀 Start Free PSP Assessment →Disclaimer: Approval odds are ML predictions based on historical merchant outcomes and should not be considered guarantees. Actual approval depends on underwriting criteria, application quality, and processor risk appetite. MerchantGuard is an educational readiness tool and does not submit applications, negotiate terms, or guarantee approvals. We may earn referral fees from some payment processors.