2023 CDGcommerce Review: Is It Right for Your Business?
Anna is a retail expert writer for Fit Small Business with over six years of evaluating dozens of software for small business. She holds a double degree in Accountancy and Financial Management and is currently pursuing further education in financial and payment technology.
Andrea is a staff writer at Fit Small Business, focusing on payments under the Retail section.
This article is part of a larger series on Payments.
CDGcommerce’s merchant services offer in-person, online, and mobile payment processing options. Its transparent but flexible volume-based pricing lets you choose between flat-rate, interchange-plus, and subscription pricing models to suit your business needs.
In our review of the best merchant services for small businesses, CDGcommerce received an overall score of 3.71 out of 5 (just missing our top recommendations). Coupled with strong billing features, CDGcommerce is a good choice for retailers, restaurants, and B2B sellers.
Overall Score:
3.71 / 5
Pros
- Monthly memberships; no contracts
- Multiple pricing tiers to match sales volume
- Direct integration with POS systems
- Free recurring billing management
Cons
- Charges an insurance fee for its free card reader
- Best membership rates require 12 months’ advance payment
- Invoicing feature is an add-on
When to Use CDGcommerce
- If you need merchant services for a restaurant
- If your business sells high-ticket items
- If your business is a B2B or a wholesaler
When to Use an Alternative
- If you’re a new business, occasional seller, or low-volume merchant looking for a free merchant account
- If you’re a low-volume business looking for a POS system; consider Square
CDGcommerce’s flexible pricing scheme gives it an edge over other merchant services providers that only offer a one-plan-fits-all approach. The pricing is straightforward and easy to understand, allowing business owners to choose the plan that best fits them. Merchants selling high-value products such as jewelry and appliances, particularly, will find the monthly plan more cost-effective than the percentage-based fees.
Aside from the flexible pricing, CDGcommerce is an excellent choice for restaurants because of its features that enable easy tip adjustments and integrations with restaurant POS and reservation software. CDGcommerce is also our best overall restaurant credit card processor and the best for B2B in our ranking of the leading retail payment processors because of its flexible pricing scheme, numerous POS integrations, and comprehensive chargeback support.
However, occasional sellers may find free merchant account providers more suitable, while low-volume businesses needing a point-of-sale (POS) system would find all-in-one solutions more beneficial.
CDGcommerce Deciding Factors
Supported Business Types | Flexible Retailers, restaurants, B2B sellers, professional services, ecommerce, nonprofit |
Standout Features |
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Monthly Fees |
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Setup and Installation Fees | $0 |
Contract Length | Month-to-month |
Payment Processing Options | In-person, online, mobile, ACH and eCheck, ecommerce platforms, POS systems, virtual terminals |
Payment Processing Fees |
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Customer Support | 24/7 support via live chat, email, phone |
Looking for something different?
Start by learning what a merchant service should do for you and check out our reviews of the best merchant services for small businesses for more options.
CDGcommerce Fee Calculator
CDGcommerce Payments Calculator
Enter your current in-store and/or online sales volumes and average order values for an estimate on the monthly fees you would pay using CDGcommerce.
CDGcommerce Alternatives
 |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best for | Small businesses needing free POS | Processing over $10,000/mo. | Occasional sales or processing less than $1,000/mo. | Cheap credit card processing |
Monthly fee | $0 | $25 | $0 | $59–$99 |
Card-present transaction fee | 2.6% + 10 cents | Interchange + 0.15% + 8 cents | 2.29% + 9 cents | Interchange + 8 cents |
Keyed transaction fee | 3.5% + 15 cents | Interchange + + 0.15% + 8 cents | 3.5% + 49 cents | Interchange + 18 cents |
Ecommerce transaction fee | 2.9% + 30 cents | Interchange + 0.2% + 11 cents | starts at 2.59% + 49 cents | Interchange + 18 cents |
Looking for the lowest rates? The payment processing rates you will pay can vary based on your business size, type, and average order value. To find the most affordable option and compare multiple processing rates, read our guide on the cheapest credit card processing.
Unlike most merchant services providers, CDGcommerce does not offer a single pricing scheme, but instead offers flat-rate, interchange-plus, and monthly membership plans. The best choice among these three pricing plans depends on your monthly processing volume. CDGcommerce lost a few points for not having its own hardware and imposing chargeback and surcharge fees—the latter, for mobile keyed-in transactions and use of American Express cards.
CDGcommerce Pricing
CDGCommerce’s pricing model depends on your monthly sales volume, with a flat rate for businesses that process $1,000 to $10,000 per month, interchange-plus for businesses selling from $10,000+ to $200,000 per month, and membership pricing for businesses that process over $200,000 per month.
If you process over $200,000 per month, CDGcommerce will put you on the Wholesale Subscription/Membership plan, but other businesses may find it advantageous. For example, if you sell high-ticket items, then it may be worth the monthly fee to remove the percentages and take a lower cents-per-transaction fee. To lock in the best rates, you’ll want to pay an entire years’ worth of monthly subscription fees upfront.
For those who do not want to pay for a full year in advance, CDGcommerce also offers a custom pricing plan. However, while you can return your rented card terminal at any time, make sure this is still the case in a custom plan without being tied to a long-term contract.
Additional fees include:
- Chargeback fee: $25
- PastePay (invoicing and advanced CRM): $199/year
- Fraud Loss Reimbursement Program (fraud protection): Call CDGcommerce for pricing
- CDG360 (risk management): Call CDGcommerce for pricing
- Authorize.net, PayPal Payflow Pro, Braintree integration (alternative payment gateways): Call CDGcommerce for pricing
CDGcommerce Hardware
Each CDGcommerce subscription includes a free EMV- and NFC-compliant card reader for all subscription levels. However, it costs $79 per year to insure the equipment, which includes upgrades. The most popular terminal is the DejaVoo Z11, which has 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon and retails for $229.99 online.
It also sells the Walker 2.0 Bluetooth EMV-capable card reader for mobile solutions. It’s compatible with Apple and Android and costs $65.
CDGcommerce does not provide POS hardware, but it can work with many popular terminals, such as Harbortouch, POSitouch, and ShopKeep. It can reprogram many existing terminals and works with TSYS.
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Walker 2.0 | DejaVoo Z11 |
Bluetooth, EMV payments, compatible with all Apple and Android devices | Wi-Fi connectivity, touch screen, EMV + NFC payments, built-in printer |
$65 | $79/year |
CDGcommerce Contract & Merchant Agreement Terms
Signing up for CDGcommerce is simple. You can call, email, or live chat with a representative to get answers to all your questions and select the best plan for your business. Then, you fill out the application online. CDGcommerce will work with you to reprogram your POS system if needed, and you should be ready to accept payments in a couple of days.
While offering a pay-as-you-go plan is normal for merchant providers like Stripe (with zero monthly fees) and Dharma Merchant Services (with wholesale subscription pricing), they don’t automatically include rented-out equipment in their plans like CDGcommerce. However, CDGcommerce bills its users one year in advance, which is most likely why they don’t require a mandatory contract length. It’s important to take this into consideration before signing up for a plan.
CDGcommerce supports almost every payment type, including Level 2 and 3 processing. It offers two preferred payment gateways with waived gateway fees, but it can also work with almost any payment gateway you use. Its ecommerce integrations allow you to create an online store and accept payments by phone or online with the use of a virtual terminal.
Payment Processing
CDGcommerce allows you to accept credit card, digital wallet, and ACH payments for both online and in-person transactions with discounted rates for large-volume (like B2B) businesses and nonprofit organizations. Online and card-not-present transactions are supported by payment gateways, and in-person transactions are accepted using mobile card readers and credit card payment terminals that are fully integrated to your POS software.
For B2B and professional service businesses, CDGcommerce supports invoiced payments processing and recurring billing, which includes Level 2 and 3 data processing and secure customer data vault for subscriptions. While you can download its free mobile app, CDGcommerce also supports a mobile-friendly virtual terminal for businesses such as housekeeping and service technicians.
Other payment processing features include:
- Recurring billing or subscriptions
- Automated billing
- Mobile payments
- PCI certification
- Debit and small-ticket discounts
- Reservation software integration for restaurants
- Integration with over 350 applications, such as QuickBooks and MaxMin
Mobile Payments
CDGcommerce offers a mobile app that lets you accept payments anywhere using Wi-Fi or a direct wireless connection. The app is not limited to EMV and NFC payments; it is also capable of sending invoices and receipts to your customers. A mobile app like this is highly useful for off-site businesses such as service providers, delivery companies, farmers markets, food carts/trucks, trade shows, sales booths, and anywhere else.
Payment Gateways
CDGcommerce can help you select the right payment gateway. It also works with Authorize.net and Quantum Gateway to waive gateway fees, which can save you hundreds of dollars a year. It can also support services like Shopify, PayPal, Braintree, NMI, and others. However, between the two preferred payment gateway applications, merchants subscribed to a flat-rate plan can only use Quantum Gateway.
Deciding on which payment gateway to choose will depend on the payment tools you need for your business. For instance, Authorize.net is best if you have a subscription-type business, because it includes an automatic card updater, so you’re assured that payments always go through. However, B2B businesses need both Level 2 and 3 processing, which is only available with Quantum Gateway.
Quantum Gateway | Authorize.net | |
|---|---|---|
No gateway fee No transaction fee US-based support PCI level 1 compliant Secure vault Recurring billing Virtual terminal Inline frame Hosted web order form Level 2 processing Integration API Cart integrations POS integrations | ✓ | ✓ |
Level 3 processing Custom user permissions Customer authentication | ✓ | ✕ |
Card updater | ✕ | ✓ |
Online Sales
CDGcommerce allows you to create an online store with inventory tracking. It also has a virtual terminal if you want to collect payments over the phone. The ecommerce package includes integration into third-party billing software, recurring billing, discounts and loyalty programs, automatic email receipts, and mobile processing.
CDG integrates with the most popular ecommerce software such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and X-Cart.
CDGcommerce works with all business types—retailers, restaurants, service professionals, nonprofits, B2Bs and even international merchants. It offers a fully integrated CRM feature for a fee and a wide range of integrations. However, its next-day deposit speed and additional fees for other services pulled down its score for features and tools.
PastePay CRM
For an additional $199 per year, you can get the PastePay program through CDGcommerce. This is a third-party CRM that offers billing and marketing tools. You can store customer data and create customer groups for loyalty programs or email and text promotions. PastePay has a scheduling and appointments function that can include up-front payments. Further, you can create invoices, issue electronic gift cards, and create buttons for your website for appointments or sales.
If your business does not need a full POS system, you may find PastePay a cost-effective addition. Not many merchant account service providers offer a similar, fully integrated CRM feature. Stripe comes close with its partnership with myCred but will require you to have some technical skills to be able to plug in a few lines of code. However, you’ll notice that you need PastePay to be able to create payment buttons or share payment links, which almost all other payment gateways, like PayPal and Shopify, provide at no extra cost.
PastePay is an additional charge but offers many useful online tools. (Source: CDGcommerce)
Ecommerce Integrations
CDGcommerce provides integration with more than 350 apps, most of which are for ecommerce features. For instance, while it recommends Quantum Gateway and Authorize.net as payment gateways, there are other platform options that works with the software:
- SlimCD
- PayPal Payflow Pro
- Braintree
- Cayan
- NMI
- CyberSource
- eProcessing Network
- Shopify
It also supports a variety of shopping cart and online store platform integrations:
Shopping Carts | Online Store Platform |
|---|---|
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POS Integration
PastePay leads the list of POS that works with CDGcommerce. However, this cloud POS is advertised on the CDG website mainly for its advanced invoicing tools and CRM features. For those looking for a full POS system, PastePay also offers appointments and scheduling features, subscription and recurring billing management, and payment terminal integrations.
Other POS integrations include Vital POS and Echo POS, both of which offer full POS software and hardware features that integrate directly with CDGcommerce.
Other Integrations
CDGcommerce does not list all of its partner integrations. However, it highlights other business management tools like QuickBooks for accounting, Dejavoo, Verifone, and Ingenico for payment terminals, and authentication tools like Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode.
Chargeback Protection
CDG’s chargeback program deserves a special callout. Its fraud protection feature evaluates each transaction in real time and automatically rejects ones identified as high-risk. It can also customize the level of protection by providing you with security tools that allow you to set your preferred risk tolerance. In cases where claims are filed, CDGcommerce provides immediate notification and assistance in disputing chargebacks. It also has a fraud loss reimbursement program of up to $100—or up to $250 if you sign up to CDGcommerce’ Fraud Defense Suite.
Some providers like Square Payments also reimburse successful chargebacks up to a certain amount. However, you’ll rarely find merchant account providers that partner with nationally accredited collections agencies where you can submit your claim and help you collect any lost payments. You get 50% of any collected on your behalf, which is better than losing the money completely. Additionally, the chargeback fee is refunded if you win the dispute.
As with other leading merchant account services providers, CDGcommerce has authorization-level fraud prevention tools such as IP Identity Verification, Address Verification, and 3D Secure available for all its merchant account plans.
Customer Support
The 24/7 support is highly praised by users; a review of a new business owner on its website noted that they felt comfortable going to them with all their newbie questions. CDGcommerce lacks any online demos or a knowledge base, however.
We gave CDGcommerce almost perfect scores for its ease of use, popularity, and wide integrations. Although its flexible pricing scheme is attractive, small business owners may find other providers more cost-effective. Square, for example, does not charge any monthly fees and offers slightly lower transaction fees than CDGCommerce’s flat-rate pricing.
Although it offers numerous integrations, the PastePay program, which offers recurring billing, cloud POS, and a fully integrated CRM, comes with an annual fee. Its card reader also comes with an annual insurance fee.
We kept small businesses in mind when we scored CDGcommerce, and its pricing and add-on fees make it a more suitable choice for high-volume businesses.
What Users Think in CDGcommerce Reviews
Although CDGcommerce is listed in Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating and accreditation, there are no reviews for it. There are very few reviews on other websites, and those are usually over three years old. These older reviews ran hot or cold, either praising customer support to the stars or calling the company a scam. One positive reviewer even went so far as to accuse the one-star review of being spam.
CDGcommerce’s mobile payment app CDGpay has no reviews on Google Play and only has 100+ downloads. It has one rating of 5 out of 5 on the App Store.
Methodology: How We Evaluated CDGcommerce
We test each merchant account service provider ourselves to ensure an extensive review of the products. We then compare pricing methods and identify providers that offer zero monthly fees, pay-as-you-go terms, and low transaction rates. Finally, we evaluate each according to a range of payment processing features, scalability, and ease of use.
The result is our list of the best overall merchant services. However, we adjust the criteria for specific use cases, such as for different business types and merchant categories. This is why every merchant services provider has multiple scores across our site, depending on the use case you are looking for.
Click through the tabs below for our overall merchant services evaluation criteria:
20%
Pricing & Contract
30%
Payment Types
25%
Sales & Account Management Features
25%
Expert Score
20% of Overall Score
We awarded points to merchant account providers that don’t require contracts and offer month-to-month or pay-as-you-go billing. Additionally, we prioritized providers that don’t charge hefty monthly fees, cancellation fees, or chargeback fees and only included providers that offer competitive and predictable flat-rate or interchange-plus pricing. We also awarded points to processors that offer volume discounts and extra points if those discounts are transparent or automated.
CDGcommerce received mostly average scores for this category. Although it does not require contracts nor imposes a cancellation fee, it has a monthly fee-based plan and a chargeback fee. Additionally, its card reader requires a monthly insurance fee.
30% of Overall Score
The best merchant accounts can accept various payment types—including POS and card-present transactions, mobile payments, contactless payments, ecommerce transactions, and ACH and eCheck payments—and offer free virtual terminal and invoicing solutions for phone orders, recurring billing, and card-on-file payments.
CDGcommerce’s support of a wide range of payment types allowed us to give us perfect scores for all but one sub-criteria in this category. Among the payment types we considered, the only one it cannot accommodate is stored payment.
25% of Overall Score
We prioritized merchant accounts with free 24/7 phone and email support. Small businesses also need fast deposits, so payment processors offering free same- or next-day funding earned bonus points. Finally, we considered whether each system has affordable and flexible hardware options and offers any business management tools, like dispute and chargeback management, reporting, or customer management.
We gave CDGcommerce a perfect score for its 24/7 customer service support. It lost minor points for its next-day deposit speed. The additional fees for other features, such as PastePay, also pulled down its score.
25% of Overall Score
We judged each system based on its overall pricing and advertising transparency, ease of use (including account stability), popularity, and reputation among business owners and sites like Better Business Bureau. Finally, we considered how well each system works with other popular small business software, like accounting, point-of-sale, and ecommerce solutions.
CDGcommerce earned above average scores for its ease of use, integrations, and popularity.
*Percentages of overall score
Bottom Line
CDGcommerce is a cost-effective merchant service that offers credit card processing at flat rates or interchange-plus rates, depending on your sales volume and needs. It handles in-person and online transactions and integrates with a multitude of POS and ecommerce platforms.
