Card Network

What Card Network does

Card Network is a Troy, Michigan-based payment processing company operating as a registered Independent Sales Organization (ISO) of Wells Fargo Bank N.A., KeyBank National Association, and FFB Bank, and as an independent sales agent for CardConnect. The company provides credit and debit card acceptance, mobile processing, point-of-sale systems, payment terminals, and ecommerce payment gateway services to small and mid-sized businesses across retail, food and beverage, professional services, high-risk/specialty, and ecommerce verticals.

The product surface is built on a partner technology stack rather than proprietary rails. Hardware includes terminals from major manufacturers (Ingenico Move 5000, Desk/FD terminals); POS systems are integrated through Clover, Payanywhere, and NRS Pay (the latter specialized for grocery, convenience, and gas station merchants). Three pricing programs — Cash Discount (cost built into list price, cash buyers receive discount), Traditional Pricing (merchant absorbs fee), and Surcharge (credit-card fee passed to card-paying customers) — provide differentiated fee models, all with no long-term contracts and free equipment placement for qualifying merchants. Technology differentiators are integration and ease-of-use, not proprietary AI or processing IP.

Card Network monetizes primarily through merchant transaction fees (interchange plus assessment plus processor margin) and partner referral revenue, executing via direct sales, inside sales, referral partners, direct sales partners, and bank/credit union partnerships. The company claims 15,000+ merchants and partners, $10+ billion in annual processing volume, and 20+ years of industry experience; ownership is private with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or executive leadership roster in the source data.

Name

Card Network

Legal name

Card Network

Website

https://cardnetwork.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Card Network is a Troy, Michigan-based registered Independent Sales Organization that provides payment processing, POS systems, terminals, and ecommerce payment solutions to small and mid-sized businesses across multiple U.S. verticals under three pricing programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing Services

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant Acquiring & Card Processing (PSPs) (CRAFALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus) (FSAMABAC)

Keywords

• Payment processing services
• Merchant services
• POS systems
• Credit card processing
• Payment terminals

Headquarters

HQ city

Troy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Fees: Card Network charges merchants transaction fees for credit and debit card processing. These fees include interchange fees (1.5-3.5% of transaction), assessment fees from card brands, and processor fees. The company offers multiple pricing programs including Cash Discount, Traditional Pricing, and Surcharge models.
2. Partner Referral Revenue: Referral partners earn passive income as referred businesses process payments. Direct sales partners also receive residuals from merchant transaction volume they bring in.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Card Network is a payment processing company that enables small and mid-sized businesses to accept credit, debit, and digital payments in-person, online, and on-the-go. It bundles transaction processing with three pricing programs (Cash Discount, Traditional, Surcharge), payment terminals and POS systems (Clover, Payanywhere, NRS Pay), ecommerce gateways, and partner referral programs. The company operates as an Independent Sales Organization (ISO) registered with multiple banks, processing $10+ billion annually for 15,000+ merchants.

Product overview

Card Network is a payment processing company offering a comprehensive suite of solutions for businesses. The core offering is Payment Processing Solutions supported by three distinct pricing programs: Cash Discount Program, Traditional Pricing Program, and Surcharge Pricing Program. Technology offerings include Payment Terminals (hardware from manufacturers like Ingenico) and Point of Sale (POS) Systems featuring platforms such as Clover, Payanywhere, and NRS Pay. The company also provides Ecommerce & Virtual Processing for online payments. Additional offerings include three partnership programs: Referral Partner Program, Direct Sales Partner Program, and Bank/Credit Union Partner Program. The company serves 15,000+ merchants and partners, processes $10+ billion annually, and has over 20 years of industry experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payment Processing Solutions Comprehensive payment processing services that enable businesses to accept credit cards, debit cards, and digital payments in-person, online, and on-the-go. Sold to merchants with tailored pricing programs and 24/7 support.
• Cash Discount Program A pricing program that builds the cost of card processing into product pricing and rewards customers paying with cash by offering a discount at checkout, effectively eliminating processing fees for the merchant. Targeted at SMB merchants seeking zero processing fees.
• Traditional Pricing Program Straightforward, tiered processing model where the merchant absorbs the processing fee, with consistent and transparent pricing, low processing rate, no long-term contracts, and next-day funding availability.
• Surcharge Pricing Program A program that enables merchants to apply a small fee to credit card payments only, while keeping debit, ACH, and cash transactions fee-free. Card Network manages full compliance with state regulations and card brand requirements.
• Payment Terminals A range of payment terminals including wireless, countertop, and mobile options from top manufacturers such as Desk 2600 & 1600, Ingenico Move 5000, and FD150 Terminal & RP 10. Devices arrive fully programmed and ready to use. Sold to merchants alongside Card Network's payment processing services.
• Point of Sale (POS) Systems Modern POS systems that manage sales, inventory, staffing, tipping, and reporting. Includes Clover (Mini, Station Solo, Station Duo, Kiosk, Go, Flex, Compact), Payanywhere (E600 Smart, E700 Smart POS+, 3-in-1, A77, A80, A920), and NRS Pay platforms. Sold to merchants alongside payment processing services.
• Ecommerce & Virtual Processing Online payment processing solutions including website payment acceptance, digital invoices, and recurring payments with real-time reporting and deposit tracking tools. Targeted at online retailers and merchants needing card-not-present acceptance.
• Referral Partner Program A program that allows partners to earn passive residual income by referring qualified business leads to Card Network, which handles consultation, setup, and ongoing merchant servicing. Ongoing residuals accrue as referred businesses process payments.
• Direct Sales Partner Program A sales partnership program providing training, tools, industry-leading technology access, and long-term support for sales professionals to sell payment processing services and grow merchant portfolios.
• Bank/Credit Union Partner Program A partnership program that enables banks and credit unions to expand service offerings with payment solutions without operational burden. Card Network provides training, support, implementation, and onboarding while the institution generates a new revenue stream.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• CardConnect, LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationCard Network is an independent sales agent for CardConnect, LLC, leveraging their payment processing technology and infrastructure.
• ClovercoreTechnology or IntegrationClover POS platform integrated with Card Network's services, offering inventory management, customer loyalty programs, employee management, and visual dashboards for merchants.
• PayanywherecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayanywhere POS system partnered with Card Network, providing robust solutions for inventory management, employee oversight, customer engagement, and real-time reporting.
• NRS PaystrategicTechnology or IntegrationNRS Pay POS system for grocery, convenience, liquor, tobacco, hardware and gas station stores with specialized features including inventory management, vendor management, and store management via app and web portal.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clover (Fiserv): Clover is both a technology partner and competitive peer — it provides the POS platform Card Network integrates, but Fiserv markets Clover + processing directly to SMBs. Comparable offerings span POS hardware, payments, ecommerce, and vertical software bundles.
• Helcim: Helcim is a direct peer serving SMBs with payment processing, POS software, and online gateway services, and is well known for transparent interchange-plus pricing — closely matching Card Network's Traditional Pricing and Cash Discount positioning toward cost-conscious merchants.
• Square (Block): Square is the closest direct peer — a payments and POS provider targeting SMBs with a similar combination of card-present processing, hardware terminals, POS software, and ecommerce gateway offerings. Both compete for the same merchant segments with transparent, no-long-term-contract pricing.
• North (North American Bancard): North is a leading ISO/MSP that mirrors Card Network's go-to-market: multi-bank sponsorship, direct and partner sales channels, SMB-focused pricing programs, and Clover/hardware partnerships. Both target the same retail and service verticals with similar pricing-program structures.
• Stax (formerly Fattmerchant): Stax is a direct peer offering subscription-based and interchange-plus payment processing to SMBs, with integrated POS, ecommerce, and invoicing. Competes head-to-head with Card Network in the transparent-pricing, no-long-term-contract segment of the market.
• Payment Depot: Payment Depot is a direct peer using an interchange-plus model targeted at SMBs and small chains, marketed to merchants who want to avoid flat-rate processors. Operates with a similar ISO-style, partner-enabled sales motion.
• Host Merchant Services: Host Merchant Services is a comparable ISO serving SMBs with interchange-plus card-present and ecommerce processing, similar pricing-program structure, and a partner/reseller channel paralleling Card Network's referral program.
• CDG Commerce: CDG Commerce is a direct peer SMB processor offering interchange-plus pricing, ecommerce gateways, and POS integrations. Targeted at the same cost-conscious merchant segment with similar transparent-pricing positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Stripe: Stripe is a broad incumbent in payments whose ecommerce gateway and unified APIs directly overlap Card Network's Ecommerce & Virtual Processing offering. While primarily developer-led and ecommerce-skewed, Stripe's POS extension (Terminal) increasingly competes for the same SMB merchant.
• Heartland Payment Systems (Global Payments): Heartland is a broad incumbent SMB acquirer within Global Payments, offering merchant processing, POS, and payroll with a relationship-led sales model. Competes against Card Network for mid-market retail, restaurant, and service merchants in overlapping geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mycardnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/card-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/card_network/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Card Network