Operating out of Dublin, AIB (Allied Irish Bank) is one of the most popular merchant services in the UK - it's one of Ireland's largest providers of payment services.
With big-name partners like the First Data Corporation, AIB offers everything you could want in a merchant account.
However, with so many merchant services available, is AIB the best pick of the lot?
To find out, we're going to look at the AIB account features, fees, and investigate what existing customers have to say.
AIB Features:
It's important to note that AIB offers many of its services using partners - not directly from them. This isn't an issue, but if you find you prefer one service to another, you could always go directly with one of AIB's partners (like Payzone or AuthiPay).
On to the features - here's what you get with an AIB merchant account:
Face-to-Face payments:
AIB uses Clover EPOS systems for face-to-face payment solutions. There's an option for a traditional terminal (Clover Station), a mini terminal (Clover Mini), or a mobile card reader (Clover Mobile) for making sales on the move. Detailed reports are available for each terminal in real-time.
Online payments:
Offers a secure way to pay online, using AuthiPay, which offers full PCI compliance and 3D Secure payments.
Over the phone:
AIB can set you up with a virtual terminal, so customers can make card transactions without actually being there.
International payments:
Dynamic Currency Conversion offered by First Data's Global Choice service. This means your customers can pay in their native currency without any extra payment processing fees.
AIB Merchant Services accepts all major credit and debit cards, including:
- Visa
- Mastercard/Maestro
- Contactless payments (including Apple Pay and Google Pay)
- American Express
- Diners Club International
How much do AIB charge?
As per usual, you're going to have to contact AIB for an exact quote. How much your fees are will depend on the size of your business.
However, most quotes we've found seem to have roughly the same prices. As always though, remember that these are not necessarily the fees you'd pay - you'll have to contact AIB!
For accepting online card payments using the AuthiPay payment gateway, the monthly fee starts from £21.99. However, there are a few bundles available:
Small business:
- £21.99 per month fee.
- Three hundred transactions included. Anything over this costs 20p per transaction.
- Credit card fees are 3% and debit cards are 5p per transaction.
Medium business:
- £50 per month fee.
- One thousand transactions included. Anything over this costs 15p per transaction.
- Credit card fees are 2.5% and debit cards are 5p per transaction.
Large business:
All quotes for large businesses or corporations are custom - sorry!
Some of the additional services AIB offer will incur a fee:
- Terminal/Card Machine rental - From £25 per month.
- Authorisation fee - 2p per transaction.
- Chargeback fee - £20
- PCI Administration - £4.35 per month.
- Direct Debit fee - £10 per month.
It's worth noting that you don't necessarily need to enter into a contract with AIB. They offer both month-to-month deals, as well as yearly. Get in touch with them to find out.
What are the reviews like for AIB Merchant Services?
Trustpilot unfortunately only has one review for AIB! As such, we can't provide a solid score out of 5.
However, we've trawled the internet to find customer feedback. Here's what we found:
Merchants liked:
- Transparent sales team. They don't work on commission, so you don't feel like they're overcharging you.
- Fees are better than many competitors.
Merchants weren't impressed by:
- Poor customer support and complaints team.
- Clover point of sale system is prone to crashing.
- Website and App user experience can be frustrating.
Summary:
AIB Merchant Services doesn't offer anything particularly cutting edge - however, that doesn't mean it's not a good option.
The fees available online are pretty average. AIB works with other companies (like AuthiPay and First Data) to provide you with merchant services. This can be off-putting to those who don't want to deal with a bunch of different companies.
While merchant feedback online wasn't great, it's important to note that there are very few reviews online. Also, people don't often write a review to compliment the service!
If AIB Merchant Services sounds like it could be the one for you, we'd advise getting in touch with them and getting a custom quote for your business.
In the meantime, why not check out our article comparing the cheapest merchant services for small businesses?
