What American Payment Systems does

American Payment Systems (APS) is a privately held, family- and locally owned merchant services provider headquartered in La Vista, Nebraska (Omaha metro), founded circa 1994 (firmographics list 2001 in one source) and operating with 11-50 employees. The company's core function is enabling merchants to accept card and non-card payments, including credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), debit cards, checks, and EBT, routed through multi-processor relationships with First Data/Fiserv, TSYS, and Global Payments.

APS offers a layered product stack built on top of these processing rails. Payment devices include the Ingenico iCT250, Verifone VX 520, and First Data FD130 countertop terminals. POS equipment and software spans Clover, an in-house APS POS ($49 per register per month), Hardbortouch Echo ($39 per month, with proprietary HTNET encrypted wireless), Harbortouch Elite POS (no up-front cost bundle), Poynt (PCI PTS v4.0 smart terminal), Possible, and Hiopos. Additional solutions include gift card and loyalty programs, the EFSNET browser-based virtual terminal, wireless processing for mobile merchants, and PCI compliance managed via TrustWave. Month-to-month contracting with no required commitments is a stated policy.

The business model is a hybrid of transaction-fee residuals from processing volume, recurring POS software subscriptions, one-time hardware sales, and partner/channel revenue. Go-to-market combines consultative direct sales, an ISO Agent program with up to 60/40 revenue splits and lifetime residuals, an Agent Banks program for financial institutions, a Trade Association Partner program, and an affiliate referral program. Target customers are predominantly SMBs across restaurants, retail (including convenience stores), personal services, and MOTO/medical-legal verticals, with materials also referencing larger commercial accounts. Charging structure varies by tier, with disclosed pricing primarily anchored on hardware unit prices and POS subscription monthly fees.

The source material does not disclose revenue, transaction volume, or any financial metrics; there are no announced funding rounds, no M&A activity, no patent portfolio, and no AI/ML capabilities within the platform.

Name

American Payment Systems

Legal name

American Payment Systems

Website

https://americanpaymentsystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

American Payment Systems is a family-owned merchant services provider based in La Vista, Nebraska that enables U.S. SMBs to accept credit, debit, check, and EBT payments through multi-processor processing rails, a portfolio of POS hardware and software, and ISO agent and partner distribution channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant Acquiring Banks & ISO/MSP Acquirers (FSAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

POS Payment Software & Middleware (Terminal OS, Apps, Device Management) (FSAMADAC), Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus) (FSAMABAC), EMV Chip, Magstripe & PIN Debit Acceptance (FSAMADAG)

Keywords

• Credit card processing
• Merchant services
• POS systems
• Payment processing
• Merchant accounts

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Card Transaction Processing: Credit card processing services charging merchants transaction fees for processing Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and debit card transactions. Month-to-month pricing with no contracts required.
2. POS Equipment Sales: Sale of payment terminals and POS hardware including ICT250, Verifone VX 520, First Data FD130, and various POS systems. Hardware sold at one-time purchase prices ranging from approximately $350 and up.
3. POS Software Subscriptions: Monthly subscription fees for POS software solutions including APS POS at $49 per register per month and Hardbortouch Echo at $39 per month. Cloud-based reporting and management included.
4. Agent/Reseller Program: ISO Agent program with revenue sharing arrangements offering up to 60/40 splits on residuals. Partners earn commissions from merchant accounts they bring on board.
5. Gift Card and Loyalty Programs: Stored-value card systems for gift cards and loyalty/rewards programs. Merchants pay for program setup and transaction processing through the stored-value network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

American Payment Systems provides credit card, debit card, and check transaction processing services to small businesses and large enterprises across the United States, acting as a merchant services provider. The company sells and supports POS terminals, POS software systems, payment devices, virtual terminals, wireless processing, and gift card/loyalty programs, operating on a month-to-month basis with no long-term contracts. It also runs ISO agent, agent bank, trade association, and affiliate partner programs to distribute its payment solutions.

Product overview

American Payment Systems is a family-owned credit card processing company offering a portfolio of payment solutions and POS systems. The core offering includes card processing services for major credit cards and debit networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) with multiple processing platforms (First Data/Fiserv, TSYS, Global). The product portfolio consists of POS Equipment & Software including Clover, APS POS, Hardbortouch Echo, Harbortouch Elite POS, Poynt, Possible, and Hiopos POS systems; Payment Devices including iCT250, Verifone VX 520, and First Data FD130 terminals; Additional Solutions including Gift Cards/Loyalties & Rewards programs, EFSNET Virtual Terminal for web-based processing, and Wireless Processing for mobile businesses; Compliance Solutions including PCI Compliance managed through TrustWave; and Programs including Agent Banks, Trade Association Partner, and Affiliate Partner programs. The company also offers VeriFone PINpad 1000SE hardware and PIN pad solutions. The offerings target restaurants, retailers, bars, convenience stores, and other businesses needing payment acceptance, operating on a month-to-month no-contract basis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Transaction processing in 2-4 seconds with EFSNET virtual terminal
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TrustWavecoreTechnology or IntegrationTrustWave serves as the Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) managing American Payment Systems' PCI compliance program. As a leading provider of PCI security solutions for small and medium-sized merchants, TrustWave helps APS ensure merchant compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.
• First Data/FiservcoreTechnology or IntegrationFirst Data/Fiserv is one of APS's primary payment processing platforms, enabling the company to process transactions across all major credit card networks including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.
• TSYScoreTechnology or IntegrationTSYS serves as an additional payment processing platform partner, providing transaction processing capabilities and merchant services infrastructure for APS clients.
• Global PaymentscoreTechnology or IntegrationGlobal Payments provides additional payment processing infrastructure and merchant account services as part of APS's multi-processor approach.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stripe: Stripe is a large, integrated payment platform primarily serving online and omnichannel merchants; a broader incumbent in the same processing space as APS.
• PayPal: PayPal is a broad payments incumbent offering card processing, POS (Zettle/PayPal Here), and digital wallets, competing with APS for SMB payment acceptance volume.

Direct peers

• Clover (Fiserv): Clover provides an SMB POS platform plus processing through the Fiserv network; APS resells Clover, making them channel competitors for the same merchant relationships.
• Square (Block): Square offers integrated POS hardware, software, and card processing to SMBs across retail and food service, directly overlapping APS's bundled POS-plus-processing model.
• Heartland Payment Systems: Heartland is a large independent ISO/acquirer serving SMBs with card processing, POS, and payroll — closely matching APS's ISO agent-bank model and product set.
• Payment Depot: Payment Depot provides interchange-plus card processing and POS to SMBs through direct and partner channels, comparable to APS's transparent pricing and agent distribution.
• Dharma Merchant Services: Dharma is an independent ISO/agent-program-focused processor targeting small and mid-sized merchants, comparable in size and GTM to APS.
• Helcim: Helcim is an SMB-focused payment processor and POS provider with transparent pricing and partner programs, directly comparable to APS's SMB processing-plus-POS offering.
• Toast: Toast is a restaurant-vertical POS and payments platform, directly comparable to APS's restaurant POS (Possible, Harbortouch) plus processing offering.
• Stax (fka Fattmerchant): Stax offers subscription-based card processing plus integrated POS and partner/agent programs for SMBs, closely paralleling APS's no-contract, agent-driven model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/APSOmaha
• Facebookfacebook.com/americanpayment

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Payment Systems