CardFellow
CardFellow is a Connecticut-based, privately held online marketplace that connects U.S. small and medium-sized businesses with certified credit card processors offering transparent pass-through pricing, earning affiliate commissions only when merchants select a quote. Founded in 2003 by Ben Dwyer, it operates as a self-serve, bootstrapped micro-team (1–10 employees) with no external funding.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersMiddletown, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CardFellow does
CardFellow is a privately held, Connecticut-based credit card processing comparison marketplace that connects U.S. small and medium-sized businesses with certified payment processors. Founded by Ben Dwyer in 2003 (initially as an educational blog before evolving into a marketplace), the company operates a self-serve, product-led platform where merchants request free instant quotes from multiple processors that have signed binding agreements with CardFellow to offer pass-through (interchange-plus) pricing only, with no cancellation fees and month-to-month terms. The company has maintained a micro team of 1–10 employees and operates without external venture or private equity funding.
The platform's core technology is a web-based quote generation and cost-analysis system that automatically calculates each processor's markup, breaking down interchange, assessments, and processor margin to deliver transparent comparisons. Supporting features include a Processor Directory with verified reviews (confirmed by both the merchant and processor), a Product Directory covering gateways, POS systems, virtual terminals, and PIN pads, and a lifetime rate monitoring service that performs ongoing statement review and interchange optimization for merchants who select a processor through the marketplace.
CardFellow's business model is a single revenue stream: affiliate/referral commissions earned from processors only when a merchant selects and signs with that processor's quote. The service is 100% free for merchants, with no subscription, listing, or transaction fees on the buyer side. The company generates awareness primarily through content marketing and SEO (an extensive blog and credit card processing guide), supplemented by word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers. CardFellow reports a 95% three-year retention rate among businesses that used the marketplace and an average 40% cost reduction for merchants switching from bundled to pass-through pricing, positioning the company as an advocate for transparent merchant processing fees rather than a traditional sales intermediary.
CardFellow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CardFellow
- Legal name
- CardFellow, LLC
- Website
- https://cardfellow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CardFellow is a Connecticut-based, privately held online marketplace that connects U.S. small and medium-sized businesses with certified credit card processors offering transparent pass-through pricing, earning affiliate commissions only when merchants select a quote. Founded in 2003 by Ben Dwyer, it operates as a self-serve, bootstrapped micro-team (1–10 employees) with no external funding.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CardFellow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Marketplace
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus) (FSAMABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Card Issuing Platforms (Issuer Processing) (FSAGABAD)
Keywords
Where CardFellow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Middletown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CardFellow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Processor Commission: CardFellow earns a commission from the credit card processor when a merchant selects and signs with that processor's quote. This is the primary revenue stream and aligns CardFellow's incentives with securing the most competitive rates for merchants.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free marketplace access for merchants |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
CardFellow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CardFellow is a free online marketplace that connects merchants with multiple credit card processors, providing instant competitive quotes using transparent interchange-plus (pass-through) pricing. The platform requires all participating processors to sign agreements forbidding bundled pricing, cancellation fees, and rate increases, and includes lifetime rate monitoring to ensure merchants continue receiving competitive rates after selection.
Product overview
CardFellow is a credit card processing comparison marketplace platform. The core offering is a free service that delivers instant competitive quotes from multiple credit card processors, featuring pass-through (interchange-plus) pricing transparency. The platform includes a Processor Directory with profiles and reviews, a Product Directory covering credit card machines, POS systems, gateways, virtual terminals, and PIN pads, and educational resources including a comprehensive Credit Card Processing Guide. The service emphasizes transparency by requiring processors to provide fully disclosed quotes with no cancellation fees and lifetime rate guarantees.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CardFellow Credit Card Processing Marketplace Online marketplace that connects merchants with multiple credit card processors, providing instant transparent competitive quotes using interchange-plus (pass-through) pricing. Free for businesses to access; merchants select from certified quotes and CardFellow earns a commission from the chosen processor.
- Lifetime Rate Monitoring Service Free ongoing service offered to merchants who select a processor through the CardFellow marketplace. CardFellow monitors statements to ensure rates never increase and performs interchange optimization. This service is part of CardFellow's lifetime support commitment.
- Credit Card Processing Cost Calculator Software tool that automatically calculates the processor's markup for each certified quote received in the marketplace, breaking down interchange, assessments, and markup components for transparent comparison of competing offers.
- Processor Directory with Verified Reviews Comprehensive directory of credit card processors with verified and unverified reviews that allows businesses to research individual processors before requesting quotes. Verified reviews are posted by merchants that have chosen the processor's quote through CardFellow's marketplace, with confirmation by the processor.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% customer retention over 3 years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use CardFellow
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
CardFellow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
CardFellow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- GDpaycoreCredit card processor listed in CardFellow's marketplace offering certified quotes. Processors must sign agreements with CardFellow to offer quotes in the marketplace.
- PayHub PaymentscoreCredit card processor listed in CardFellow's marketplace offering certified quotes to merchants.
- Netcom PaySystemcoreCredit card processor with 167 verified reviews in CardFellow's marketplace, offering certified pass-through pricing quotes.
- TSYS Merchant Solutions (Heartland Payment Systems)coreCredit card processor listed in CardFellow's marketplace with certified quotes and 61 verified reviews.
- Payment Depot by StaxcoreCredit card processor offering certified quotes in CardFellow's marketplace.
- Dharma Merchant ServicescoreCredit card processor listed in CardFellow's marketplace with pass-through pricing quotes.
- PaymentCloudcoreCredit card processor listed in CardFellow's marketplace.
- PaylinecoreCredit card processor with 8 verified reviews in CardFellow's marketplace.
- Fiserv (First Data)coreCredit card processor listed in CardFellow's marketplace offering certified quotes.
- Stax PaymentscoreCredit card processor (formerly Fattmerchant) offering certified quotes in CardFellow's marketplace.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
CardFellow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dharma Merchant Services: Pass-through pricing credit card processor for SMBs, listed in CardFellow's marketplace; competes for the same merchant-direct, transparent-pricing customer.
- Stax (formerly Fattmerchant): Subscription-based credit card processor offering transparent interchange-plus pricing to SMBs - one of CardFellow's listed 'certified quote' processors, but its direct-to-merchant transparent pitch competes with CardFellow's marketplace by giving merchants a self-serve alternative.
- Merchant Maverick: Independent online resource that researches, reviews, and compares credit card processors and merchant accounts for U.S. small businesses - a near-direct competitor to CardFellow on content, processor reviews, and SMB lead generation in the same niche.
- Payment Depot by Stax: Interchange-plus credit card processor also listed in CardFellow's marketplace; competes directly on transparent pricing to U.S. SMBs.
Broad incumbents
- Stripe: Developer-first payment processor with transparent, published pricing; competes with CardFellow-listed processors on rate transparency and is widely evaluated in CardFellow's educational content.
- Square: Block-owned payment processor and POS provider offering transparent, self-serve payment acceptance to SMBs; reduces the need for a comparison marketplace by making processor selection a one-click decision.
- NerdWallet: Consumer-facing financial product comparison site with strong SEO content moat - mirrors CardFellow's editorial/SEO-led approach to monetizing financial decision-making.
- Credit Karma: Personal finance comparison platform using free credit monitoring as an acquisition channel to monetize financial product referrals - analogous marketplace/affiliate model to CardFellow.
- LendingTree: Public financial-services marketplace that aggregates quotes from competing lenders/financial product providers - shares the lead-generation/marketplace mechanics CardFellow runs in the payments vertical.
- Bankrate: Long-running financial product comparison and lead-generation publisher - shares the editorial-led, referral-commission business model CardFellow runs for merchant processing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CardFellow social profiles
Digital presenceCardFellow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CardFellow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CardFellow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CardFellow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CardFellow
What does CardFellow do?
CardFellow is a free online marketplace that connects merchants with multiple credit card processors, providing instant competitive quotes using transparent interchange-plus (pass-through) pricing. The platform requires all participating processors to sign agreements forbidding bundled pricing, cancellation fees, and rate increases, and includes lifetime rate monitoring to ensure merchants continue receiving competitive rates after selection.
Is CardFellow a public or private company?
CardFellow is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CardFellow founded?
CardFellow was founded in 2003. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CardFellow based?
CardFellow is headquartered in Middletown, United States, in the North America region.
How does CardFellow make money?
One revenue line is on record: processor Commission.
Who are CardFellow's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dharma Merchant Services, Stax (formerly Fattmerchant), Merchant Maverick and Payment Depot by Stax. Broad incumbents are Stripe, Square, NerdWallet, Credit Karma, LendingTree and Bankrate.
Does CardFellow have an API?
No public API is recorded for CardFellow.
What industry is CardFellow in?
CardFellow's product category is Payment Processing Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAC, Card-Present Acquirers (Retail & POS Focus), with a secondary code of FSAGABAD, Card Issuing Platforms (Issuer Processing). Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 6159.