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Terms of Service

Effective: June 14, 2026

Privacy Policy PCI DSS Compliance

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and ClearRoute LLC ("ClearRoute," "we," "us"). By creating an account or using the Service, you accept these Terms in full. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Description of Service

ClearRoute is an autonomous payment routing SaaS. When you submit a payment transaction through the Service, ClearRoute's routing agent evaluates your configured Payment Service Providers (PSPs) against current cost, latency, and historical success rates, then routes the transaction to the optimal PSP. Routing decisions are made automatically by software and are logged for audit.

ClearRoute acts as a routing layer. It does not itself process, hold, transmit, or store cardholder data. All actual card data handling occurs at your PSP. ClearRoute receives and processes only transaction metadata: transaction ID, amount, selected PSP, routing cost and latency, and PSP response status.

ClearRoute reserves the right to add, modify, or discontinue features, provided that material degradation of service functionality affecting paid accounts will be communicated with at least 30 days' notice.

2. Eligibility and Account Registration

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter contracts. You represent that the information you provide is accurate and complete, you are authorized to use the business details you supply, and you are not prohibited from using the Service under applicable law.

Each account is scoped to a single business entity. Accounts may not be shared across multiple businesses or entities without a written agreement.

3. Subscription Plans and Fees

ClearRoute offers three subscription tiers:

  • Starter — $49/month. Up to 500 routing decisions per day. Excess usage billed at $0.005 per decision.
  • Growth — $149/month. Up to 5,000 routing decisions per day. Excess usage billed at $0.005 per decision.
  • Enterprise — $399/month. Unlimited routing decisions, custom routing weights, priority support, and a 99.9% uptime SLA.

All fees are billed monthly in USD via Stripe. Recurring charges are authorized against your designated Stripe payment method. Fees are non-refundable except as required by law. ClearRoute may change pricing with 30 days' written notice to the email on your account; changes apply to the next billing cycle.

Enterprise Uptime SLA: ClearRoute guarantees 99.9% monthly uptime for the routing service on Enterprise plans. Exclusions: downtime caused by third-party PSP unavailability, scheduled maintenance with 48 hours' notice, force majeure events, and circumstances outside ClearRoute's reasonable control. If the SLA is breached, you may request a credit of one day's fees per 30 minutes of qualifying downtime, applied to your next invoice. SLA credits are your sole remedy for uptime failures under these Terms.

4. Automated Routing Decisions

Routing decisions are made by ClearRoute's autonomous software agent based on your PSP configuration and historical performance data. Decisions are final and executed without human review of individual transactions.

You acknowledge that:

  • Routing decisions are generated automatically and are not reviewed by a human before execution.
  • ClearRoute does not guarantee any individual transaction will succeed, be routed to a particular PSP, or achieve a specific outcome.
  • You are responsible for configuring your PSPs and routing weights to match your business requirements.
  • Routing logs are available in your dashboard and via the API for audit purposes.

Where applicable law gives you the right to request human review or contest an automated decision, contact routing@clearroute.app. ClearRoute will respond to such requests within 30 days.

5. Account Credentials and API Security

You are responsible for keeping your ClearRoute account credentials and all PSP API keys secure. You may not share credentials with unauthorized parties. All API requests are scoped to your account and customer_id — cross-account access is structurally prevented. If you suspect unauthorized access, notify security@clearroute.app immediately.

API key rotation is available through your dashboard. ClearRoute may suspend access if we reasonably believe credentials have been compromised.

6. Third-Party PSPs

ClearRoute integrates with PSPs via API credentials you provide. You are solely responsible for:

  • Maintaining active accounts with your chosen PSPs.
  • Reviewing and complying with your PSP's terms of service and acceptable use policies.
  • Ensuring your use of each PSP is authorized and consistent with your merchant category and acquiring bank agreements.

ClearRoute is not responsible for PSP availability, pricing changes, fraud decisions, chargebacks, or any other actions taken by your PSPs. Disputes with PSPs must be resolved directly with those providers.

7. Acceptable Use

You may not use ClearRoute to:

  • Route transactions through PSPs you do not own or are not authorized to use.
  • Process payments for prohibited or high-risk merchant categories without explicit PSP and acquiring bank authorization.
  • Use the Service to circumvent a PSP's fees, rate limits, fraud controls, or sanctions screening.
  • Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or extract the routing agent's decision logic or scoring algorithms.
  • Resell, redistribute, or sublicense ClearRoute's routing service without a written agreement.
  • Use the Service in any way that violates applicable law, including financial services regulations, sanctions laws, or anti-money laundering requirements.

8. Intellectual Property

ClearRoute retains all rights to the software, routing algorithms, documentation, and branding. You retain ownership of your transaction data and business information. You grant ClearRoute a limited, non-exclusive license to process your data solely to provide the routing service.

ClearRoute's name, logo, and service marks may not be used without prior written permission.

9. Data You Submit

You retain ownership of all data you submit through the Service. You grant ClearRoute a limited, non-exclusive license to process that data solely to provide the routing service. ClearRoute does not sell, license, or use your transaction data for any purpose other than operating and improving the Service.

You are solely responsible for the legality and accuracy of data you submit and for ensuring your submission complies with applicable data protection laws, including PCI DSS where applicable.

10. Security and PCI DSS Obligations

ClearRoute maintains PCI DSS compliance as described in our PCI DSS Compliance Statement. As a routing layer, ClearRoute does not store full card numbers, CVV, or cardholder names.

You are responsible for your own PCI DSS compliance as required by your acquiring bank and card brands. Your compliance obligations depend on your integration type (see the PCI DSS Compliance Statement). ClearRoute provides this documentation as support — it does not substitute for your own attestation to your acquirer.

11. Service Suspensions and Terminations

ClearRoute may suspend or restrict your access without prior notice if:

  • We reasonably believe your use poses a security risk.
  • Your use violates these Terms or applicable law.
  • A regulatory or law enforcement authority requires action.
  • Your subscription payment fails and is not resolved within 14 days.

Where practical, ClearRoute will notify you before restricting access. Suspension does not relieve you of the obligation to pay outstanding fees.

Either party may terminate your account with 30 days' written notice. ClearRoute may terminate immediately for cause. Upon termination, your data will be retained for 90 days and then deleted, except as required by law or for billing record retention (7 years).

12. Warranty Disclaimer

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. ClearRoute does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or completely secure, or that routing decisions will achieve any particular financial outcome.

13. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CLEARROUTE LLC AND ITS AFFILIATES WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF REVENUE, PROFITS, OR DATA, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

IN NO EVENT WILL CLEARROUTE's TOTAL LIABILITY ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE EXCEED THE FEES YOU PAID CLEARROUTE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

These limitations apply regardless of the form of action (contract, tort, or otherwise) and even if ClearRoute has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

14. Customer Responsibilities

As a merchant using ClearRoute's routing service, you are solely responsible for:

  • Completing and maintaining your own PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) or Report on Compliance (ROC) as required by your acquiring bank and card brands.
  • Keeping your ClearRoute account credentials and PSP API keys secure and not sharing them with unauthorized parties.
  • Ensuring your use of ClearRoute complies with your PSP merchant agreement, acquiring bank agreement, and all applicable law.
  • Not routing transactions for prohibited or high-risk merchant categories without proper authorization.
  • Promptly notifying ClearRoute at security@clearroute.app if you suspect unauthorized access or a data compromise.
  • Providing accurate business information during registration and keeping it current.

ClearRoute is not responsible for your merchant account standing, PSP rate limits, PSP fraud decisions, or chargeback outcomes. You must resolve disputes with your PSPs and acquiring bank directly.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless ClearRoute, its officers, employees, and agents from any claim, demand, or damage (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: your use of the Service; your violation of these Terms; your violation of any third-party rights; or your violation of applicable law. ClearRoute will notify you of any such claim and cooperate with your defense. You retain the right to control the defense, provided ClearRoute may settle any claim that affects ClearRoute's intellectual property or obligations without your consent.

16. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

Binding Arbitration. Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Service shall be resolved by binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, rather than in court, except that you may assert claims in small claims court if they qualify.

The arbitration will be conducted in Delaware. The arbitrator's decision is final and binding; judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Class Action Waiver. Any arbitration or proceeding will be conducted only on an individual basis. You and ClearRoute agree that each may bring claims against the other only in its individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, consolidated, or representative proceeding.

If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction where mandatory statutory rights cannot be waived by contract, the arbitration provision does not apply; disputes will be resolved in the courts of your home jurisdiction.

17. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, USA, without regard to conflict of law principles. Disputes shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Delaware.

18. Changes to These Terms

ClearRoute may update these Terms from time to time. Changes will be posted at /legal/terms with an updated effective date. For material changes, we will notify you via the email on your account at least 30 days before the change takes effect. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

19. International Compliance

If you access the Service from the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions with applicable data protection or consumer protection laws, those laws apply to your use. Where GDPR or equivalent law applies, you have the right to lodge complaints with your local supervisory authority and to request data portability. See our Privacy Policy for details on your data subject rights.

20. Force Majeure

ClearRoute is not liable for failures or delays caused by events outside its reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, acts of government, strikes, internet service provider failures, DDoS attacks, or third-party PSP outages. In such events, ClearRoute will use reasonable efforts to restore service and will communicate status updates.

21. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and PCI DSS Compliance Statement, constitute the entire agreement between you and ClearRoute regarding your use of the Service. No prior representations, warranties, or agreements affect these Terms.

22. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact legal@clearroute.app.