Choosing between The Payments Hub and another processor comes down to three things: your monthly volume, your hardware situation, and how much you value seeing every cost on your statement. This page does the one thing most comparison pages avoid: it tells you when to stay with The Payments Hub and when ProTech Payments is the better fit. Below is a factual, side-by-side breakdown, an honest scorecard, and a clear decision framework so you can choose on the math, not the marketing.
The Payments Hub at a glance, and what they genuinely do well
The Payments Hub is a Houston-based, veteran-owned processor at 5718 Westheimer Rd Ste 1000, Houston, TX 77057. They position themselves on local support backed by national processing power, and a few things on their offer are genuinely good:
- Veteran-owned, which is a real, verifiable credential and a fair reason many business owners want to work with them.
- One of the broadest hardware menus in the Houston market: Clover, Genius, Union POS, Ingenico, Verifone, and Hyosung, plus countertop and wireless terminals and mobile readers.
- Niche equipment most local shops do not touch, including self-service kiosks and ATMs, with a Bitcoin ATM option.
- Wide vertical coverage: hospitality, retail, service, pet, wholesale, high-risk, cash-only, entertainment, and fairs and conventions.
- Free monthly merchant statement evaluations, which is a genuinely useful, no-cost way for an owner to check their current costs.
If you need an unusual piece of hardware, a kiosk, or an ATM alongside standard card acceptance, and you want one local Houston shop to source all of it, that breadth is a real advantage. We will say that plainly, because it is true.
ProTech Payments at a glance
ProTech Payments is a merchant services provider headquartered at 25140 Kingsland Blvd STE 180, Katy, TX 77494, serving the Katy and greater Houston metro in person and the rest of the United States remotely. ProTech leads with pricing transparency and a documented savings guarantee:
- Four pricing models under one roof: dual pricing, cash discount, surcharge, and transparent interchange-plus, so the program fits the business rather than the other way around.
- A Best Price Guarantee: a free, no-obligation statement analysis that compares your current effective rate line by line, beats it where possible, or tells you honestly to stay.
- Multi-brand hardware, not a single locked platform: Clover Station Solo, Duo, and Flex, Dejavoo P1, Valor VL100, Ingenico Desk 3500, OrderCounter, and Oracle Simphony for full-service restaurants.
- Capital lending and equipment leasing for businesses that need working capital or want to spread hardware cost.
- In-person Katy and Houston support from real reps, backed by First Data and Fiserv processing infrastructure.
ProTech Payments vs The Payments Hub: side by side
The tables below compare only verifiable facts. Where a number is not published, we say so, because "ask them for it in writing" is the honest answer and the smart buyer move.
Company overview
| Factor |
ProTech Payments |
The Payments Hub |
| Headquarters |
Katy, TX (Kingsland Blvd) |
Houston, TX (Westheimer Rd) |
| Service model |
Local Katy and Houston metro, plus national US |
Local Houston support, national processing |
| Ownership |
Merchant services provider |
Veteran-owned |
| Backend processing |
First Data and Fiserv |
Not published, ask in writing |
| POS and hardware breadth |
Multi-brand (Clover, Dejavoo, Valor, Ingenico, OrderCounter, Oracle Simphony) |
Very broad (Clover, Genius, Union POS, Ingenico, Verifone, Hyosung, kiosks, ATM) |
| Added financial services |
Capital lending, equipment leasing |
Not published, ask in writing |
Pricing and transparency
| Factor |
ProTech Payments |
The Payments Hub |
| Pricing models |
Dual pricing, cash discount, surcharge, interchange-plus |
Not published, ask in writing |
| Rates |
Quoted after free statement analysis |
Not published, ask in writing |
| Pricing transparency |
Every cost layer shown, statement-level |
Request the full fee schedule in writing |
| Savings guarantee |
Best Price Guarantee, in writing |
Not published, ask in writing |
| Free statement evaluation |
Yes, no obligation |
Yes, free monthly statement evaluations advertised |
Hardware and equipment
| Factor |
ProTech Payments |
The Payments Hub |
| Hardware ownership model |
Multiple brands, keep your hardware where possible |
Multiple brands; ownership terms not published |
| Up-front hardware cost |
Leasing available, buy options vary |
Not published, ask in writing |
| Restaurant systems |
OrderCounter, Oracle Simphony |
Clover, Union POS |
| Mobile and virtual |
Clover Flex, virtual terminal |
Mobile readers, online and ecommerce |
| Niche equipment |
Standard card-acceptance hardware |
Self-service kiosks, ATM and Bitcoin ATM |
Onboarding, funding, and support
| Factor |
ProTech Payments |
The Payments Hub |
| Funding speed |
Standard next-day; ask about same-day eligibility |
Not published, ask in writing |
| Support model |
In-person Katy and Houston reps, plus phone |
Local Houston support advertised |
| Onboarding |
Statement analysis first, then quote |
Not published, ask in writing |
| Contract terms |
Request in writing before signing |
Not published, ask in writing |
The honest scorecard
No vendor wins every row, and any scorecard that says otherwise is selling you something. Here is a fair tally based only on the facts above.
| Category |
Edge |
Why |
| Hardware and equipment breadth |
The Payments Hub |
Clover, Genius, Union POS, Ingenico, Verifone, Hyosung, plus kiosks and ATM, including Bitcoin ATM |
| Pricing transparency and guarantee |
ProTech Payments |
Documented Best Price Guarantee plus a free line-by-line statement analysis, with published pricing models |
| Pricing-model choice |
ProTech Payments |
Dual pricing, cash discount, surcharge, and interchange-plus under one roof |
| Free statement evaluation |
Tie |
Both offer a free statement review at no cost |
| Veteran-owned credential |
The Payments Hub |
A real, verifiable strength for owners who value it |
| Niche verticals (high-risk, cash-only, events) |
The Payments Hub |
Broad menu covering high-risk, cash-only, and fairs and conventions |
| Local Houston-metro presence |
Tie |
Both are Texas companies with local reps |
The takeaway: The Payments Hub wins on hardware breadth, niche equipment, and vertical coverage, and ProTech Payments wins on published pricing models, transparency, the savings guarantee, and pricing-model choice as your volume grows.
When The Payments Hub is the right choice
Stay with or choose The Payments Hub if:
- You need niche equipment such as a self-service kiosk, an ATM, or a Bitcoin ATM alongside standard card acceptance, and want one local shop to source it.
- You want a veteran-owned provider and that credential matters to you.
- Your business sits in a vertical they specialize in, such as high-risk, cash-only, entertainment, or fairs and conventions.
- You want to work with a Houston shop you can visit, and you are comfortable requesting their full rate sheet in writing before you sign.
If that describes you, there is no reason to switch, and we will tell you so after we read your statement.
When ProTech Payments is the better fit
Choose ProTech Payments if:
- You process more than a few thousand dollars a month and want every cost layer visible on your statement.
- You want to compare dual pricing, cash discount, and surcharge against straight interchange-plus and pick the model that nets the lowest cost.
- You want a written Best Price Guarantee and a free statement analysis before you commit to anything.
- You want published pricing models you can evaluate up front, rather than waiting for a quote.
- You want hardware choice across Clover, Dejavoo, Valor, Ingenico, and full-service restaurant systems, with a path to keep equipment you already own.
- You may need capital lending or equipment leasing alongside processing.
- You want a rep you can meet in person in Katy or Houston.
Why merchants look for an alternative to The Payments Hub
The most common reason has nothing to do with service quality. It is that their rates are not published, so an owner cannot compare them on paper without first requesting a full quote. That is normal in this industry, and it is not a knock on them, but it does mean you have to do the work of asking for the fee schedule in writing and reading it carefully. Other reasons owners shop around include wanting a documented savings guarantee, wanting to see and choose among dual pricing, cash discount, surcharge, and interchange-plus models up front, and wanting a rep based west of Houston in Katy. None of those are criticisms of The Payments Hub. They are simply preferences that point a buyer toward a different fit.
How the Best Price Guarantee works
The Best Price Guarantee exists so you never have to take a rate claim on faith. It runs in three steps:
- You send a recent merchant statement. We read it line by line and calculate your true effective rate, not the headline rate.
- We build a side-by-side comparison showing your current cost versus a ProTech quote across the pricing models that fit your business.
- We beat your current effective rate where the math allows. Where it does not, we tell you to stay where you are. There is no obligation and no pressure either way.
The turnaround is about 48 hours, and the only thing we ask for is the statement. The Payments Hub also offers a free monthly statement evaluation, so if you are already their customer, it is fair to run both reviews and compare the two side by side.
Understanding the pricing models, so you can judge any quote
You cannot compare two processors without understanding what sits underneath the price. Three models dominate US merchant services in 2026.
- Interchange-plus: you pay the card network interchange cost, plus assessments, plus a defined processor markup. It is transparent because each layer is visible. ProTech offers this model, and you should ask any processor, including The Payments Hub, whether their quote is interchange-plus or a bundled tiered rate.
- Flat-rate: one fixed percentage for every card, used by aggregators like Square and Stripe. Simple, but the processor keeps the gap between your flat rate and real interchange.
- Dual pricing, cash discount, and surcharge: the customer who pays by card covers the processing cost, so your net cost of acceptance drops toward zero. Texas allows compliant surcharging within card-network rules and the state cap.
A quick worked example on a $100 Visa consumer credit sale: interchange runs about $1.61, assessments about $0.14, and a transparent processor markup might add $0.40, for roughly $2.15 in total fees. Under a compliant dual-pricing program, that cost shifts to the card-paying customer instead. The right model depends on your ticket size, card mix, and customers, which is exactly what the free analysis settles. For a deeper breakdown, see interchange-plus vs flat-rate pricing and how to read your merchant statement.
How switching to ProTech actually works
Switching is less disruptive than most owners expect.
- Free statement analysis. Send one recent statement, get a line-by-line read in about 48 hours.
- Honest recommendation. If you are already on a good rate, we say so. If not, you get a side-by-side quote.
- Hardware check. We confirm what you can keep. Many terminals and Clover devices carry over, which avoids re-buying equipment.
- Onboarding. Application, underwriting, and program setup, with a Katy or Houston rep walking you through it.
- Go live. We test transactions, confirm funding timing, and stay on call for the first batches.
How to evaluate any merchant services alternative
Use this checklist on any processor you consider, including The Payments Hub, ProTech, or anyone else:
- Ask for your effective rate, which is total fees divided by total volume, not the headline rate.
- Request the full fee schedule in writing, including monthly, statement, PCI, batch, and any annual fees.
- Confirm whether the quote is interchange-plus or a bundled tiered rate.
- Confirm who owns the hardware and what happens to it if you leave.
- Check the funding time, and whether same-day funding carries an extra fee.
- Read the cancellation terms and any early termination language before you sign.
- Ask whether dual pricing, cash discount, or surcharge is available if you want to lower your net cost.
- Run a free statement evaluation with two providers and compare the numbers, not the sales pitch.
Other alternatives worth considering
ProTech is not the only option, and pretending otherwise would undercut the point of an honest comparison. Depending on your needs:
- Helcim is worth a look if you want transparent interchange-plus for online and want published rates.
- Stax suits very high-volume merchants who prefer subscription-style pricing.
- Square fits the smallest, seasonal, or pop-up sellers who value simplicity over the lowest effective rate.
For a local lens, see our Houston merchant services guide and Katy merchant services guide, and the full list of comparisons on our alternatives hub.
Frequently asked questions
Is ProTech Payments cheaper than The Payments Hub?
It depends on your card mix, ticket size, and current effective rate, which is why we do not quote a number blind. The Payments Hub does not publish its rates, so the only fair way to compare is to put both quotes on paper. The free statement analysis settles it with your real data, and if The Payments Hub is already giving you a competitive effective rate, we will tell you to stay.
Do I have to replace my hardware to switch?
Often no. Many terminals and Clover devices carry over to ProTech, and we confirm exactly what you can keep during the hardware check before you commit. If you bought niche equipment such as a kiosk or ATM, ask about its ownership terms first, since those terms are not published.
What is the Best Price Guarantee?
It is a written commitment to read your statement, compare your effective rate side by side, and beat it where the math allows, or tell you honestly to stay. It is free and carries no obligation. The Payments Hub also offers a free statement evaluation, so you can run both and compare.
Is dual pricing legal in Texas?
Yes, compliant dual pricing, cash discount, and surcharge programs are allowed in Texas within Visa and Mastercard rules and the applicable cap. We set the program up to stay compliant, including the required signage and receipt disclosures.
What pricing does The Payments Hub charge?
Their rates are not published. The honest answer is to ask them for the full fee schedule in writing, including the per-transaction markup, monthly, statement, PCI, and any annual fees, and confirm whether the quote is interchange-plus or a bundled tiered rate. Once you have that on paper, a side-by-side comparison is straightforward.
Are both companies local to Houston?
Yes. The Payments Hub is in Houston on Westheimer Road, and ProTech Payments is in Katy, just west of Houston, with reps who cover the metro in person.
Get your free, no-obligation rate review
If you want certainty instead of a sales pitch, send one recent statement and let the math decide. ProTech Payments will read it line by line, show you a side-by-side comparison against your current The Payments Hub costs, and beat your effective rate where possible or tell you to stay. Call (888) 255-0425 or start your free rate review.
