CardConnect

What CardConnect does

CardConnect, founded in 2006 and headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is a full-service provider of electronic transaction processing services that operates as a subsidiary of Fiserv following a 2019 acquisition. The company's core product is the CardPointe platform, a cloud-based payment processing system built on the Fiserv technology stack, complemented by CardSecure — a proprietary layer combining patented tokenization with PCI-validated Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) — that protects card data at the point of sale through its full lifecycle. The product portfolio spans CardPointe Gateway (REST API for online payments), CardPointe Virtual Terminal (browser-based MOTO), CardPointe Mobile App with Bluetooth EMV/NFC reader, CardPointe Terminal hardware (Desk 3500/5000/1500), CardPointe Integrated Payments for software vendors (SDKs and integrated terminals including Clover Mini and Ingenico devices), and the Clover POS suite with 300+ apps from the Clover App Market. CoPilot, the partner portfolio management portal, adds merchant onboarding tracking, line-item residual reporting, sub-partner performance monitoring, and a Merchant Churn Probability machine-learning algorithm for partner retention.

CardConnect generates revenue primarily through transaction fees on payment processing, supplemented by residual income shared with its channel of Sales Agents and ISOs (Independent Sales Organizations). It monetizes add-ons including Amex OptBlue acceptance, Clover Capital merchant cash advance, and Money Network payroll integration. The go-to-market combines a two-pronged distribution model: a channel partner program (Sales Agents, ISOs, ISVs, and Clover resellers) with a 93% partner application acceptance rate and dedicated account managers for all partners, alongside a direct merchant self-serve signup channel offering next-day funding and business-day onboarding. CardConnect is a registered ISO of Citizens Bank, KeyBank, Pathward, PNC Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank, and serves primary segments including Sales Agents and ISOs, small-to-medium merchants (retail, restaurants, online retailers, healthcare, hospitality), software providers/ISVs integrating payments, and Hispanic-owned businesses via the bilingual Conectados program.

Name

CardConnect

Legal name

CardConnect

Website

https://cardconnect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CardConnect, a Fiserv subsidiary, provides cloud-based electronic payment processing through its CardPointe platform and proprietary CardSecure tokenization, serving Sales Agents, ISOs, SMB merchants, and software integrators across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing

NAICS

Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

EMV Chip, Magstripe & PIN Debit Acceptance (FSAMADAG), Payment PIN Pads, Card Readers & NFC Contactless Devices (HDACAKAG)

Keywords

• Payment processing
• Merchant services
• Credit card processing
• Point-of-sale systems
• Payment gateway API

Headquarters

HQ city

King Of Prussia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Transaction Fees: CardConnect charges transaction fees for processing credit card payments. The company aggressively optimizes interchange rates and provides detailed breakdown of each transaction within monthly statements. This is the primary revenue stream from merchant customers.
2. Partner Residuals and Commissions: Sales Agents and ISOs earn residual income based on merchant transaction volumes they onboard. Sub-partner performance tracking and line-item residual reporting is available through CoPilot.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CardConnect, a Fiserv company, is a full-service electronic transaction processing provider that sells merchant credit card payment processing through its CardPointe platform, CardSecure tokenization/encryption security, Clover POS hardware and software, and the CoPilot partner portfolio-management portal. It goes to market primarily through Sales Agents and ISOs who onboard and manage merchant accounts.

Product overview

CardConnect, a Fiserv company, offers a comprehensive payment processing ecosystem centered on the CardPointe platform. The core platform provides cloud-based credit card processing with CardSecure's patented tokenization and P2PE protection. The product portfolio includes CardPointe Gateway (API-based online payment acceptance), CardPointe Virtual Terminal (browser-based MOTO solution), CardPointe Mobile App with mobile card reader (on-the-go payments), CardPointe Terminal hardware (Desk series), and CardPointe Integrated Payments for software developers (SDKs and integrated terminals). Clover POS offers a complete point-of-sale system suite for restaurants, retail, and service businesses. CoPilot serves as the partner management portal with ML-powered churn prediction. Additional offerings include the Conectados bilingual partner program, LaunchPointe resource center, and add-on services like Amex OptBlue, Clover Capital merchant cash advance, and Money Network payroll integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CardPointe: Comprehensive credit card processing platform for accepting, integrating, and managing payments.
• CoPilot
• CardSecure
• Clover
• Conectados
• LaunchPointe

Products and services

• CardPointe Comprehensive cloud-based credit card processing platform enabling businesses to securely accept, integrate, and manage transactions in-person, online, or on-the-go, with real-time reporting and interchange optimization.
• CardSecure Proprietary security layer for CardPointe that protects credit card transactions through patented tokenization and PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE), keeping sensitive data off merchant systems.
• CoPilot Merchant portfolio management portal for ISOs and Sales Agents to track application processing, monitor risk, manage merchant support and equipment, report residuals, and predict merchant churn via a machine-learning algorithm.
• Clover POS Point-of-sale and business management hardware/software suite (Station Solo, Station Duo, Mini, Go, Flex, Compact, Kiosk) with a 300+ app market, designed for restaurants, retailers, and service businesses.
• CardPointe Gateway Payment gateway with developer-friendly REST APIs enabling secure online or in-store credit card acceptance and integration into proprietary applications or third-party systems such as Oracle and SAP.
• CardPointe Virtual Terminal Browser-based POS system for desktop, laptop, or mobile enabling mail order/telephone order (MOTO) payments; comes complimentary with a CardPointe account.
• CardPointe Mobile App Mobile app that turns smartphones or tablets into payment acceptance devices, supporting EMV chip, NFC/contactless, and mobile wallets via a Bluetooth mobile card reader; free to download for CardPointe customers.
• CardPointe Terminal Plug-and-play EMV and NFC-enabled credit card payment terminals (Desk 3500/5000 and Desk 1500 Pin Pad) for processing card-present transactions with point-to-point encryption.
• CardPointe Integrated Payments Cloud-based payment integrations for software companies and ISVs to add secure card-present acceptance to any software environment, including integrated terminals (Clover Mini/Flex, iSMP4, Ingenico Lane), Mobile SDK, and Desktop SDK.
• CardPointe Hosted Payment Page Secure, customizable checkout page for accepting credit card payments online or from websites with quick setup and no developer requirements.
• CardPointe Mobile Credit Card Reader Portable Bluetooth-enabled mobile card reader compatible with the CardPointe Mobile App, supporting EMV chip, MSR, and NFC contactless payments; sold separately.
• Amex OptBlue Program giving businesses an easy, affordable way to accept American Express cards by bundling Amex with other major card brands.
• Clover Capital Merchant Cash Advance program that turns future credit card sales into working capital with clear payback terms for business investment and growth.
• Money Network Payroll tool that simplifies payroll and optimizes costs with up to 100% electronic payment delivery, giving employees access to wages via Money Network check, debit card, and mobile app.
• Conectados Bilingual (English/Spanish) partner program helping Sales Agents and ISOs serve the Hispanic and Latino business community with Spanish-translated forms, sales resources, customer service, and Clover products in Spanish.

Quantifiable outcome

• 326,000+ Clover devices deployed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 100GROUPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025100GROUP received the 2025 Circle of Excellence Award from Fiserv and CardConnect. National FinTech leader in payment processing and business concierge services with 15-year partnership with CardConnect. CEO Jeff Brodsly stated recognition reflects company's dedication to leveraging technology.
• FiservcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCardConnect is a payments platform of Fiserv, operating as a subsidiary. The partnership provides CardConnect with access to the full Fiserv technology stack, global payment networks, and enterprise-grade infrastructure. All CardConnect products and services are backed by the Fiserv payments platform.
• Citizens Bank, N.A.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCardConnect is a registered ISO (Independent Sales Organization) of Citizens Bank, N.A., Providence, RI. Banking partnership for payment processing services.
• KeyBank N.A.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCardConnect is a registered ISO of KeyBank N.A., Cleveland, OH. Banking partnership for payment processing services.
• Pathward N.A.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCardConnect is a registered ISO of Pathward N.A., Sioux Falls, SD. Banking partnership for payment processing services.
• PNC Bank, N.A.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCardConnect is a registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A., Pittsburgh, PA. Banking partnership for payment processing services.
• Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCardConnect is a registered ISO of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Concord, CA. Banking partnership for payment processing services.
• BPminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBP service station operators have partnered with Fiserv/CardConnect to warn store owners not to deal in illegal vapes, as part of a broader compliance enforcement crackdown backed by state attorneys general.
• Marathon PetroleumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarathon Petroleum service station operators have partnered with Fiserv/CardConnect to warn store owners not to deal in illegal vapes, as part of compliance enforcement.
• ValerominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorValero service station operators have partnered with Fiserv/CardConnect to warn store owners not to deal in illegal vapes, as part of compliance enforcement.
• PaychexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaychex scales merchant services growth with CardConnect, boarding approximately 2,500 merchant accounts annually. Paychex expanded from 3 teams and 36 sales reps to 5 teams and 60+ reps. Nick Ruggeri states 'CardConnect has been a huge part of that' growth.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Square (Block): Square operates a vertically integrated merchant acquiring and POS platform targeting SMBs with transparent flat-rate pricing. It is a direct competitor to CardConnect's CardPointe and Clover offerings across in-store, online, and mobile acceptance.
• Toast: Toast is a restaurant-focused POS and payments platform, overlapping with CardConnect's Clover Restaurant vertical. Both sell integrated hardware, software, and merchant acquiring into SMB food-service merchants.
• Stax: Stax (formerly Fattmerchant) sells subscription-based payment processing to SMBs and ISOs, competing with CardConnect on transparent pricing and partner economics for Sales Agents and ISVs.
• Stripe: Stripe provides online and integrated payment processing with developer-first APIs that compete head-on with CardPointe Gateway and CardPointe Integrated Payments for ISVs and software platforms.
• Payment Depot: Payment Depot offers interchange-plus pricing and an ISO/agent program that competes directly with CardConnect's channel partner model and residual-based revenue structure.
• Helcim: Helcim is a payment processor competing in the same transparent-pricing SMB acquiring space as CardConnect, with interchange-plus pricing and direct merchant onboarding that mirrors CardConnect's value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Clover Network (Fiserv): Clover is the sibling Fiserv POS business that CardConnect distributes through its partner channel. They share the same parent and overlapping product portfolio, making Clover a structural internal counterpart rather than a pure external competitor.
• PayPal: PayPal's Braintree and PayPal Commerce platforms provide online and omnichannel payment acceptance that overlaps with CardPointe Gateway and CardPointe Integrated Payments for ISVs and online merchants.
• Worldpay: Worldpay is a large global merchant acquirer providing payment processing at enterprise scale. It competes with CardConnect in mid-market and enterprise acquiring while also serving SMBs through partner channels.
• Chase Payment Solutions: Chase Payment Solutions offers merchant acquiring through bank-direct and ISO channels, competing with CardConnect for mid-market and enterprise merchants as well as ISOs seeking sponsor-bank alternatives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CardConnect
• Facebookfacebook.com/CardConnectPayments
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1521248

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about CardConnect