PayNearMe vs SBOA Merchant Services (2026)

Side-by-side comparison to help you choose the best payment processing for your storage facility.

PayNearMe

(143 reviews)

SBOA Merchant Services

(98 reviews)

Overview

Rating
★★★★★
★★★★★
Reviews
143
98
Founded
2009
Headquarters
Service Area
national
national
Pricing
Verified
No
No

Features

Cash payments at 17,000+ retail locations (7-Eleven, ACE, Family Dollar)
Yes
No
Barcode-based PaySlip (mobile or print)
Yes
No
Real-time payment authorization
Yes
No
Automatic reconciliation to storage software
Yes
No
ACH bank payments
Yes
No
Debit card payments
Yes
No
No cash handling at the facility
Yes
No
OpenTech Alliance INSOMNIAC integration
Yes
No
E-SoftSys Self Storage Manager integration
Yes
No
EZrentPay SMS/text-to-pay
No
Yes
EZrentPay email payment links
No
Yes
ACH/eCheck processing
No
Yes
Credit/debit card processing
No
Yes
EMV chip card technology
No
Yes
Free rate audit & quote
No
Yes
9M+ transactions/year processed
No
Yes
SiteLink integration
No
Yes
SiteLink Web Edition integration
No
Yes

Pros & Cons

PayNearMe

PROS

  • Eliminates cash handling entirely at the facility
  • Solves cash acceptance legal requirements (MA, NJ, PA)
  • Tenant convenience — retail locations are everywhere
  • Real-time authorization and automatic reconciliation

CONS

  • Additional per-transaction fee on top of processor costs
  • Requires software integration to automate reconciliation
  • Tenant must travel to a retail location to pay

SBOA Merchant Services

PROS

  • Built exclusively for self-storage operators
  • EZrentPay text-to-pay reduces front desk calls
  • Free rate audit helps operators benchmark costs
  • Listed in ISS Buyer's Guide

CONS

  • Limited public pricing information
  • Smaller operation than national processors
  • Less software integration breadth than major platforms

Detailed Overview

PayNearMe

PayNearMe (founded 2009) is a cash payment network that enables self-storage tenants to pay rent in cash at over 17,000 retail locations including 7-Eleven, ACE Cash Express, and Family Dollar — without the facility ever handling cash. The process works via a barcode-based 'PaySlip' that tenants receive by text or print, which they present at the retail counter. Payments are authorized in real-time and automatically reconciled back to the storage management software. PayNearMe is also used by OpenTech Alliance INSOMNIAC kiosk operators to enable cash payments for facilities without a physical bill acceptor. The platform additionally supports ACH and debit card payments. PayNearMe is particularly valuable in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania where cash acceptance laws apply to self-storage tenants.

SBOA Merchant Services

SBOA Merchant Services (a subsidiary of Nuvo Company, based in Winter Park, FL) is a payment processing company built specifically for self-storage operators. Listed in the ISS Buyer's Guide, SBOA processes over 9 million transactions per year for storage facilities. Their flagship offering is EZrentPay, a system that lets tenants pay via SMS text message or email link — reducing front-desk payment traffic. SBOA also supports standard credit/debit card processing with EMV chip technology, ACH/eCheck, and offers a free rate audit and quote for operators looking to compare their current processing costs. They partner with Sage Payment Solutions on their processing backend.