Clearly Payments
Clearly Payments is a Vancouver-based ISO of U.S. Bank providing transparent, contract-free merchant accounts, payment terminals, POS systems, and gateway services to small and mid-sized businesses across Canada and the USA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Clearly Payments does
Clearly Payments Inc. is a Vancouver, Canada-based payment processor that operates as a Registered Partner/ISO of the Canadian Branch of U.S. Bank National Association, providing merchant account services, payment terminals (primarily Ingenico hardware), point-of-sale systems, virtual terminals, hosted payment pages, recurring billing, invoicing, and payment gateway services to small and mid-sized merchants across Canada and the United States. The platform spans nine verticals — retail, healthcare, restaurant and hospitality, software and SaaS, eCommerce, government and non-profit, travel and entertainment, enterprise, and high-risk processing — and is PCI-DSS compliant with EMV and tokenization built in by default. The underlying infrastructure is sourced from world-class payment technology providers that together process over three billion transactions annually.
The company monetizes through transaction-based fees (interchange plus low fixed markup under the Cost Plus plan), subscription-based membership plans ($99/month Basic or $189/month Pro, each plus a 6–8¢ per-transaction fee on wholesale interchange), terminal rentals under $30/month, bundled gateway services, payments consulting, and merchant loans. Go-to-market combines phone-based inside sales (1-800-818-1402) for mid-market and enterprise merchants, self-serve online signup for SMBs, a bank and credit union reseller channel, and an ambassador referral program. Clearly Payments was the first processor in Canada to offer membership pricing and differentiates on transparent, contract-free terms with same-day or next-day fund deposits and no cancellation fees.
Clearly Payments is a private, bootstrapped company with no disclosed external funding or parent ownership. It is led by founder Kalle Radage and operates with a 1–10 person team. The company positions itself as an industry educator through its payments research blog and published interchange rate guides for Canada and the USA.
Clearly Payments firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clearly Payments
- Legal name
- Clearly Payments Inc.
- Website
- https://clearlypayments.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Clearly Payments is a Vancouver-based ISO of U.S. Bank providing transparent, contract-free merchant accounts, payment terminals, POS systems, and gateway services to small and mid-sized businesses across Canada and the USA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Clearly Payments industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA), Payment Processing & Acquiring Infrastructure (FSAGABAC), Bill Pay, Invoicing & Payables Platforms (BPAMAFAF), Recurring Billing, Subscriptions & Tokenized Payments (CRAFALAH)
Keywords
Where Clearly Payments is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Clearly Payments business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Fees: Transaction-based fees charged to merchants for processing credit card payments. Includes interchange passthrough and processor markups. Revenue scales with merchant transaction volume.
- Membership Plans: Monthly subscription fees ($99-$189 for Basic/Pro plans) providing access to wholesale interchange rates with fixed per-transaction charges (6-8 cents) instead of percentage markups. Membership model designed for cost savings at higher volumes.
- Terminal Rental: Monthly rental fees for payment terminals (credit card machines) at competitive rates under $30/month. Includes wireless and countertop options.
- Gateway Services: Payment gateway services included with merchant accounts, providing online payment processing, API integrations, and virtual terminal capabilities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Basic Plan: $99/month + 8¢ per transaction at wholesale cost. For businesses processing up to $50,000/month. Canadian businesses only. |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro Plan: $189/month + 6¢ per transaction at wholesale cost. For businesses processing $50,000 to $250,000/month. Canadian businesses only. |
| Subscription | Monthly | Custom Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for businesses processing more than $250,000/month. |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Cost Plus Plan: Low fixed markup on top of interchange rates. Interchange plus pricing model. |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Clearly Payments product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Clearly Payments is a payment processor that provides merchant accounts, payment terminals, point-of-sale (POS) systems, and a payment gateway for businesses in the USA and Canada. The company bundles hardware, gateway software, and merchant services under transparent, contract-free pricing plans including interchange-plus and membership pricing. It also offers merchant cash advances, payments consulting, and integrations with eCommerce platforms and accounting software.
Product overview
Clearly Payments is a payment processing platform offering a comprehensive suite of payment acceptance solutions for businesses in Canada and the USA. The core offering centers on Merchant Accounts combined with Payment Terminals (hardware from Ingenico supporting chip, tap, and swipe), Point-of-Sale (POS) systems for retail and restaurant environments, and an eCommerce payment gateway. These core components are complemented by add-on modules including Virtual Terminal (browser-based card processing), Hosted Payment Pages (for secure online collections), Recurring Payments (subscription billing), Invoicing (email-based payment collection), and Mobile Payments (smartphone-based processing). The platform also includes ancillary services such as Payments Consulting for cost optimization and Merchant Loans for business financing. All solutions share a unified infrastructure centered on transparent, cost-plus or membership-based pricing models with PCI compliance built-in.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Payment Terminals
Quantifiable outcome
- Saves merchants $3,000 per month in processing costs
Companies that use Clearly Payments
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Clearly Payments technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability5 records
Feature3 records
Clearly Payments partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- U.S. Bank National AssociationcoreClearly Payments is a Registered Partner/ISO of the Canadian Branch of U.S. Bank National Association. This partnership enables the company to offer merchant account services and payment processing under the U.S. Bank umbrella.
- IngenicocoreIngenico is the recommended credit card machine manufacturer for Clearly Payments. The company recommends Ingenico Move 5000 (mobile wireless) and Ingenico Desk 5000 (countertop) terminals. Ingenico is described as secure, reliable, flexible, and simply working.
- Banks & Credit UnionscoreClearly Payments has dedicated partner programs for banks and credit unions, allowing these financial institutions to offer payment processing services to their commercial customers through Clearly Payments infrastructure.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Clearly Payments competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- PayPal: Broad incumbent in online payments, POS (Zettle), merchant accounts, and invoicing. Competes with Clearly Payments across eCommerce, mobile, and SMB acquiring, with far greater scale and balance sheet.
- Clover (Fiserv): Fiserv's SMB-focused POS + payments platform sold through bank and ISO partners. Comparable to Clearly Payments' bank/credit union channel and full-stack POS offering for retail and restaurants.
Direct peers
- Square (Block): Direct competitor across POS hardware, payment processing, virtual terminal, invoicing, recurring billing, and merchant lending for SMBs. Overlaps Clearly Payments' entire product suite and serves the same retail/restaurant/service segments.
- Stripe: Online payment gateway and merchant account provider competing with Clearly Payments' eCommerce, recurring billing, and virtual terminal offerings. Targets both SMBs and software platforms — overlapping the Software & SaaS segment Clearly Payments serves.
- Payment Depot: Membership-style interchange-plus processor offering wholesale rates for a monthly fee. Competes head-to-head with Clearly Payments on the transparent pricing, no-contract value proposition for SMB merchants.
- Helcim: Canadian-headquartered payment processor offering transparent interchange-plus pricing, merchant accounts, POS, and online gateway. Directly comparable to Clearly Payments in geography (Canada/US), pricing philosophy (wholesale/membership-style), and SMB target market.
- Stax (formerly Fattmerchant): Subscription-based payment processor (flat monthly fee plus interchange) that pioneered the membership-pricing model in the US. Closest philosophical and pricing-model analog to Clearly Payments' membership plans.
Regional players
- Lightspeed POS: Canadian-headquartered commerce platform offering POS and integrated payments for retail, restaurant, and golf. Adjacent competitor in the Canadian SMB market, particularly for higher-end retailers and hospitality.
- Moneris: Canada's largest domestic payment processor offering merchant accounts, POS, and gateway services. A primary in-market incumbent Clearly Payments competes against for Canadian retail, restaurant, and SMB volume.
Others
- Paysafe: Specialized payment processor with strength in SMB acquiring and high-risk verticals. Comparable to Clearly Payments' high-risk processing segment and SMB merchant services positioning.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Clearly Payments social profiles
Digital presenceClearly Payments compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Clearly Payments financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clearly Payments leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Clearly Payments funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clearly Payments M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clearly Payments
What does Clearly Payments do?
Clearly Payments is a payment processor that provides merchant accounts, payment terminals, point-of-sale (POS) systems, and a payment gateway for businesses in the USA and Canada. The company bundles hardware, gateway software, and merchant services under transparent, contract-free pricing plans including interchange-plus and membership pricing. It also offers merchant cash advances, payments consulting, and integrations with eCommerce platforms and accounting software.
Is Clearly Payments a public or private company?
Clearly Payments is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Clearly Payments founded?
Clearly Payments was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Clearly Payments based?
Clearly Payments is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Clearly Payments make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are membership Plans, terminal Rental and gateway Services.
Who are Clearly Payments's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are PayPal and Clover (Fiserv). Direct peers are Square (Block), Stripe, Payment Depot, Helcim and Stax (formerly Fattmerchant). Regional players are Lightspeed POS and Moneris. Paysafe is listed as an others.
Does Clearly Payments have an API?
Yes. Clearly Payments offers a payment gateway with APIs that integrate to websites, shopping carts, or platforms. The gateway supports one-off transactions, recurring billing plans, authorizations, credit card and customer data storage, and more. Developers have full control via APIs. The service includes a bundled payment gateway with virtual terminal, invoicing, and recurring billing features. However, no specific API documentation URL, auth method, rate limits, or SDK information is provided in the source material.
What industry is Clearly Payments in?
Clearly Payments's product category is Payment Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAA, Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer), with a secondary code of FSAMACAA, Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout). Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 6199.