Updated on January 15, 2022

Analysis Rating

Quality & Features

Excellent

Rates & Fees

Excellent

Month-to-Month & Cancel Fees

Excellent

Transparency

Excellent

Customer Support

Excellent

Reviews:

Great

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2022 CDG commerce Review: Competitive Processing Service for Small Businesses

Twinkle Kapoor | Jan 14, 2022 | Advertiser Disclosure

review of cdgcommerce

We’ve looked at dozens of credit card processors for multiple industries and CDGcommerce stands out from the crowd. CDGcommerce has been in business since 1998 and has received much online praise for their different approach to pricing and customer service which makes it easier for us to believe their claim of 97% customer retention. Their brand is synonymous with clear and direct pricing.

This CDGcommerce review talks in and out of the merchant account provider service located in Columbus, Georgia, Omaha, and Nebraska; and headquartered in Port Orange, Florida.  It’s no wonder their price model is fair and transparent because that’s just how they do it in the Midwest. Despite the low fees, CDG offers a full set of services for their merchant partners, including retail, eCommerce, mobile, and mail order/telephone order credit card processing.

Serving over 20,000 merchants in the US, CDGcommerce is putting it all in the small and mid-sized category for merchant service providers. With a 97% retention rate and features that many payment processing companies lack, CDGcommerce indicates that they are in the business for positive experiences only.

CDGcommerce offers the flexibility a merchant would need to close, sell or switch to a different provider, without having to pay a penalty, with its month-to-month billing model. It allows you to cut short the signup processes and long-term contracts along with offering no early termination fee if you close your account early.

CGDcommerce has a free Quantum Gateway and virtual terminal that make it easy and cost-effective to accept credit card payments in your online business. They keep their costs down by keeping most of their features paperless and invite you to do the same.

CDG has 22 years of experience and a Better Business Bureau A+ rating. Their a la cart style service menu is an incredibly efficient way to run a business. Go online and apply for a free no commitment quote. If you wish to proceed, you will be up and running for an hour after you complete the contract. And you have a full fourteen days to decide if it’s right for you. CDGcommerce is jumping through hoops to convince you to try them. Let’s dig deeper into the CDGcommerce reviews to learn more about its payment gateways, products, services, rates, etc.

Pros Cons
At par transparency Only available to US merchants
No lengthy contracts Best Membership rates require annual advance payment
Multiple pricing tiers to match sales volume Different pricing options for high-risk businesses
Direct Integration with POS systems Does not sell POS hardware
No account set up or application fees

Products and Services

CDG’s products are synonymous with service fees. This is a particularly great service for those that do not do much business, or the business is sporadic, or seasonal. You are not locked into heavy year-round fees. There are many optional services you can add, a la carte to meet your merchandising pricing needs.

CDG’s product line and services are pretty basic, focusing on eCommerce and small or mid-sized merchants. They have a one-step PCI compliance program and optional security features which are very helpful, but they also offer some free account tools too.

A brief of CDG commerce’s services:

  • Merchant Account Services: Unlike other merchant account providers, CDG is not a direct processor. It rather teams up with two or more back-end processors to handle transaction processing and getting money to you. You can identify your back-end processor in your contract documents while setting up your account. The company’s use of a hybrid risk structure allows it to override risk decisions made by the back-end processor.
  • High-risk payment processing: High-risk merchants know how hard it is to find a provider that can get them an approved account. CDG is quite particular in offering processing services to certain types of high-risk industries. You can refer to the High-Risk Merchant Types page on their official website to check if your industry is accepted or not. Read Alternative High-risk processors.
  • Instant Activation: If you’re in a low-risk industry, you can use an online application process to sign for a merchant account. Once you’re done with providing appropriate information, you can get done with approval and activation in less than 15 minutes. The only drawback with “instant activation” is that the in-depth underwriting process occurs post account approval which poses an ultimate risk to your account being automatically shut.
  • Credit Card Terminals: Offering the Dejavoo Z11 terminal, CDGcommerce supports both EMV and NFC-based payments as its primary countertop terminal. The terminal isn’t free though, there’s an annual insurance fee of $79 which is much cheaper than traditional credit card leasing services. It’s definitely less expensive than buying your own equipment, though CDG processing networks do allow you to buy your own equipment and have it programmed with the company’s network.
  • Mobile Payments: CDGcommerce offers Walker C2X card reader at $65 each if you’re someone who’s looking for a mobile processing solution. The card reader connects to your iOS or Android devices via Bluetooth to support both EMV and NFC-based payments.
  • Chargeback Protection features: CDG commerce gives access to Chargeback defender to all its merchant accounts. It is a program that works automatically and informs you about the chargeback filed against your business while also defending you against the chargeback.

Payment Gateways

  • Payment Gateway: Joining the league of the very few providers, CDGcommerce offers a free payment gateway to its e-commerce merchants. You can choose primarily between Quantum Gateway or Authorize.Net.

Alternatively, the company offers Braintree, NMI, CyberSource, eProcessing Network, Slim CD, etc. No matter what you choose, there’s no setup fee, monthly gateway fee, and no per-transaction processing charge.

  • Recurring Billing: Another feature that adds to the list of free, standard features is support for recurring billing. CDG’s competitors offer this service but as an option with an additional monthly fee.
  • Cdg360 Security: A security service package called cdg360 comes at flat $15 per month and includes $100,000 in data breach insurance, Protection plan PCI scans, customized security alerts, staff awareness training, and Merchant trust Seal for your website.
  • Fraud Loss Reimbursement Plan (FLRP): If you’re a Quantum Gateway user, you can sign up for this service at an additional $10 per month. It reimburses 100% of the cost for a fraudulent transaction (up to $150 maximum).

CDGcommerce Point-of-sale systems

Integrated POS system: CDGcommerce dedicates a portion of its website to a POS management service titled as PastePay. PastePay cloud POS is an integrated payment and customer relationship management system which you can access easily with the help of your tablet, mobile phone, laptop, or desktop computer.

You can avail of a host of features to monitor your business with PastePay integrating with your countertop terminal, mobile card reader, or eCommerce website. Highlights of the long list of PastePay features include

  • Support for invoicing
  • Scheduling
  • Online service signups
  • Donations
  • Inventory management
  • Recurring billing

You can get PastePay at an additional cost of $199 per year, though other POS systems like Vital POS and Echo POS are also available.

CDG commerce Fees and Rates

Right on the top of the CDG commerce website is the pricing tab that signifies that CDG commerce stands different from others, which avoids including any pricing information on their website. Deeply understanding the different monthly processing volumes for each platform, CDG commerce offers a choice between three pricing plans:

  • One-Rate pricing plan
  • Interchange Plus pricing plan
  • Wholesale membership plan

One-rate Pricing Plan

With no monthly account fee, a One-rate pricing plan is an ideal choice for very small or seasonal businesses. If you’re someone whose business processes between $1000-$10,00 per month, here’s a breakdown of flat-rate processing rates:

  • EMV or swiped transactions would cost you 2.75% + $0.30 per transaction
  • Mobile (card-present) transactions would cost 2.75% + $0.30 per transaction (+$0.15% surcharge to keyed-in transactions)
  • Online (card-not-present) transactions would cost you 90% + $0.30 per transaction

NOTE: All American Express Transaction would cost you an additional 0.25% surcharge. A flat of 0.75% + $0.15 per transaction on ACH debit transactions

Though the plan doesn’t cost you any regular fees, there are incidental fees that you will require to pay from time to time. These include

  • Chargeback fees ($25 per occurrence)
  • Retrieval fees ($15 per occurrence)
  • Refund processing fees ($0.25 each)
  • Batch Fees ($0.10 each)

This is a plan similar to what Square (read our square review) offers but with CDGcommerce you’ll receive a true merchant account with a unique merchant ID and technical-rich customer support.

Interchange-Plus pricing plan

Tailored to the needs of merchants processing between $10,000 and $200,000 per month, the Interchange-plus pricing (read the true cost of interchange-plus pricing) plan is best for well-established businesses. Here are the processing rates:

  • For EVM or swiped transactions (card present): Interchange+0.25%+ $0.10 per transaction
  • For online or keyed-in transactions (card-not-present): Interchange+0.30%+$0.15 per transaction

ACH debit transactions would cost 0.75%+$0.10 per transaction. A special offer to the qualified nonprofit organization with interchange+0.20%+$0.10 per transaction.

The plan is wrapped in monthly fees depending on the following options you choose from

  • Bronze plan: $19 per month including a free gateway
  • Silver plan: A free gateway and one PastePay application at $29 per month
  • Gold plan: All PastePay apps, cdg360 security package and a free gateway for $49 per month.

You can also have a cdg360 security package included in your bronze and silver plan at a cost of $15 per month.

Also, there are a number of incidental fees that include chargeback fees ($25 per occurrence), retrieval fees ($15 per occurrence), and batch fees ($0.25 each).

CDGcommerce landing page

Wholesale Membership Pricing Plan

Large, established businesses that want to save money on processing costs can end their search for the lowest processing rates here. Offering the wholesale membership pricing plan, CDGcommerce has given tough competition to Payment Depot, Fattmerchant, etc. Here are your options:

  • Business processing $25,000 per month pay a rate of interchange + $0.10 per transaction at $49 per month
  • Business processing $75,000 per month pay a rate of interchange + $0.10 per transaction at $79 per month
  • Business processing $200,000 per month pay a rate of interchange + $0.07 per transaction at $99 per month
  • Business processing $200,000 monthly pay a rate of interchange + $0.05 per transaction at $199 per month

NOTE: Subscription rates mentioned above apply only if you go for an annual plan, which means you’ll have to pay somewhere between $588 and $2,388 all at once.

Just like many other services, CDGcommerce has a fat deal on annual offers. Your rates will be higher if you choose to pay monthly.

Intrigued and impressed with how CDGcommerce eliminated nickel-and-dime fees most providers charge, we recommend CDGcommerce to small businesses as it allows you to save a substantial amount which you’d be paying otherwise to the traditional merchant account provider. Here’s a brief of those eliminated charges:

  • Account setup fee
  • Gateway fee
  • Monthly minimum
  • PCI compliance charges
  • AVS (Address Verification Services) fee
  • Early Termination fee

Early Termination Fee

Breaking another unnecessary requirement set by the traditional e-commerce merchant account providers, CDGcommerce offers the best arrangement with month-to-month billing, no long-term contract, and no early termination fee.

The traditional processing industry runs on long-term contracts with three years being most common, including an automatic renewal clause. This clause gives the provider the authority to extend your contract for an additional year until you close your account within the time at the end of the term.

Most providers have these terms in their contract but some of them may consider waiving it off only if you negotiate aggressively to get it removed. Although the hook of three years still makes you stuck and might have you pay for monthly fees even after you’ve stopped using your account considering it was closed. 

Cut-throat Transparency

CDGcommerce’s transparency about its pricing and contract terms is the most solid competitive factor it has against its competitors. On the other hand, first-time business owners can get confused about the variety of plans and features. Though 24×7 accessible customer support helps you find the best plans and clarify any questions that you might have.

The processing companies use independent sales staff that has been the main source of their negative reviews and massive complaints from the customers.CDGcommerce, on the other hand, hires its own team of sales staff. And with pricing and contract information already disclosed online, there’s no scope for the sales representatives to lie to you.

Though we strictly recommend you to thoroughly read the contract terms even before you sign up with any reputed processing companies like CDGcommerce because they include various incidental fees that you may simply miss in the long documents.

Customer Service & Technical Support

CDG’s customer service is extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and full of integrity. They are available for live chat, email, and phone support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is an online contact form with which merchants can open a trouble ticket or as a question. CDG also offers support portals to provide targeted help based on the customer’s service plan: one each for merchants, agents, and CDGstores. And it’s all available 27/7.

Reviews / Testimonials

It is generally uncommon for customers to leave a favorable review when they are happy with a service; they are far more apt to complain than praise. So to find so many glowing user reviews on CDG’s site, independent review sites, and all over the internet is quite a statement of praiseworthiness. Below are a few of these reviews:

I’ve had the pleasure of using CDG to process credit cards for my business since I started in 2010. They have consistently had excellent customer service and I am always very impressed with how fast they are able to help assist me by both phone and email, especially someone like me who has minimal knowledge about the industry and always asks A LOT of questions! Last year I changed the name of my business which was a bit of a headache, to say the least, thankfully the staff (Wes) at CDG were able to help me get that done smoothly and without any added stress. I have recommended CDG to everyone that asks about my processing company and will continue to do so – I honestly would never go with another company. Thank you CDGcommerce!

CDGcommerce is a reliable, low-cost payment provider that I can recommend to my E-commerce clients. It’s easily integrated into shopping carts and custom scripts using their APIs. Technical support is always helpful when I do have questions during development.

 We use CDGcommerce and Quantum Vault Gateway for our Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover transactions. Our company is very happy with the service we get and it is always top-notch. We are very tight in fraud control and CDG plus Quantum are on the same page with us. No reason to switch if the chemistry is flawless.

 CDGcommerce was definitely the end of our misery and the experimental period for us at Caribbean Flava. We have been through at least five different merchant processors in the space of three months. Overpriced units, surprise charges, and absolutely no one to answer important questions or solve technical issues; customer service was just horrible. Thanks to a dear vendor who highly recommended CDGcommerce over a year ago. We have never had a major issue; and even if we just needed directions their highly trained staff is always a phone call away. If we have to leave a message someone usually would call back in less than 24 hours. Communication is always consistent here until the problem is completely solved; with a follow-up ensuring everything is up and running perfectly. It’s the best thing that could ever happen to us; could not have asked for a better Merchant Account Provider.

 While looking for a new merchant, I stumbled upon CDGcommerce. Right away their customer service was great, and they answered all of my questions. Now after being a customer for a while, I am very happy! All of the statements are clear and EASY to read, and anytime I have a question their customer service always takes care of me.

 As a small retailer taking my first steps in processing credit cards, CDGcommerce has given me the comfort level and the support I need. The equipment they sent works well, they answer my questions or inquiries promptly and when I call, I talk to the same people each time. They are here in the US and communicate clearly. I researched this choice carefully before I made it and feel lucky to have found a credit card processing firm that can work well with my small company and its ventures. It’s about the confidence that things are being processed right and allowing me to focus on the workings of my business, they help make this possible.

Negative CDGcommerce Reviews and Complaints

There are virtually no complaints about CDG online, and they’ve been in business for 15 years. The few that are there have, shockingly, been addressed directly by CDG’s CEO offering to personally fix the issue. Now that’s attention!

The only complaints on other review websites came from merchants who had experienced a funding hold or whose accounts were terminated by the company after they realized that their businesses were high-risk.

The Better Business Bureau gives CDG an A+ rating. There have been 5 complaints in the last 3 years. All issues have been unique circumstances; no patterns have emerged of constant failing.

While receiving funds can be very annoying, merchants need to understand that CDGcommerce is not at fault. The company is not a direct processor, and only the back-end processors can take the decision to withhold funds. CDGcommerce, in fact, is more proactive in solving the withhold funds issues because the CDG ultimately earns when the funds are released.

Secondly, complaints with merchant account termination are because of the company’s strict policy concerning their service for high-risk businesses. The company is very particular about the high-risk business it does or does not accept. We would suggest you stay on true grounds while briefing the company about the nature of your business when applying for a merchant account.

Conclusion

CDGcommerce is an all-around great processing company for small, U.S.-based businesses, especially those in the eCommerce market. You can save money with bare-bones service, and add in specific services you want for reasonable prices each. CDG will make it affordable, and always be honest about the pricing. That 5-star, A+ rating was earned!

Don’t forget to ask for interchange-plus, the most transparent, fair-priced model around, they just don’t advertise it, and they have to have a manager’s approval to do it, but they do apply it, you only have to ask about it.

I would happily recommend CDGcommerce for the eCommerce business, particularly the small business just starting out. CDG’s low-cost, month-to-month contract, virtually absent of fees, might be just the right level of service and cost you need to harvest the rest of your income.

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