PayMore Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
PayMore is a retail franchise that buys, sells, and trades used electronics like phones, laptops, and game consoles. Franchisees run the stores, managing device intake, testing, resale inventory, and customer transactions.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A PayMore franchise requires a total initial investment of $132K – $257K, including a $35K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.2M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 15 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $132K – $257K
- 13th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- $1.2M
- 16th pct Retail
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 58
- 22nd pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Retail avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $132K – $257K including a $35K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $1.2M/year (median $1.3M).
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 73/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 15 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- System growing at 612.5% CAGR over 3 years with 58 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- PayMore Group LLC
- Parent company
- None
- Predecessor
- PayMore Enterprises, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- NC
- HQ
- North Hills Tower II, 4242 Six Forks Road, North Hills, Raleigh, North Carolina 27609
- Auditor
- Pinnacle Accountancy Group of Utah
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.0M
- vs $573K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Stephen R. Preuss
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 20
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 53% below the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $77K | $162K |
| Total initial investment | $132K | $257K |
Source: PayMore 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $132K – $257K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $60K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 5% of Gross Sales or $1,000 per calendar month
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1 |
| Training fee | $8K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 21% above the retail norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$98K
8.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
42%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
29 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.3M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Gross Sales by location type
- Sample size
- 20 units
- vs category median 47 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $550K→$1.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 307 Retail brands
Revenue is 6.3x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.2M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 6.3x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% — below the Retail average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 612.5% CAGR over 3 years across 58 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Retail averages
How PayMore Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 58
- Opened
- 38
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 1.8%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 38
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 23 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 15
- Loan volume
- $3.9M
- Median loan
- $257K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
Vintage analysis
PayMore charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing PayMore franchisees
Showing 3 of 5 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into PayMore's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 15 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
PayMore presents HIGH RISK due to a collapsing franchise network (60% unit decline), undisclosed profitability metrics, lack of territory protection, and going concern issues that raise questions about franchisor viability and franchisee ability to sustain operations.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Pinnacle Accountancy Group of Utah
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 73 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORUnit count collapsed 60% YoY (58 units remaining) — indicates severe system deterioration
- 02MINORNo net income disclosure — unable to assess actual franchisee profitability despite $1.2M average revenue
- 03MINORNo territory protection — franchisees face direct competition from other PayMore locations
- 04MINORHigh ongoing royalty floor of $1,000/month (~$12,000 annually) with no guaranteed minimum revenue
- 05MEDSubstantial investment range ($131,750-$256,500) with no disclosed Item 19 financial performance data
- 06HIGHGoing Concern status is False — potential financial instability at franchisor level
- 07MINOR15-year term locks franchisees into declining system with minimal flexibility
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | North Carolina |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | NC |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 29 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 31 hrs
- Training location
- Massapequa, NY
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval required
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- computer-based point-of-sale systems approved by us
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: computer-based point-of-sale systems approved by us
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
53 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
PayMore · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a PayMore franchise?
The total investment to open a PayMore franchise ranges from $132K – $257K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do PayMore franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the PayMore FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.2M. The median is $1.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is PayMore's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, PayMore has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 15 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many PayMore franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, PayMore has 58 total units in the United States, including 57 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 38 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is PayMore a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates PayMore as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 73 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent PayMore, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Retail franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Retail category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.