Cardience Review

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4.3
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How did they treat you? ▼

Note: It appears Cardience is no longer in business.

Unclear Affiliation with Outsourced Sales Service Credico

Cardience is a merchant account provider that offers payment processing services for multiple business types. The company's website highlights restaurants, bars, retailers, lodging & tourism, and taxi & limousine businesses as the focus of their merchant services. Its website also advertises its payment gateway services. There is some evidence that the company is associated with an outsourced sales service called Credico, but the exact nature of this relationship is currently unknown.

Cardience Headquarters and Ownership

Based in Chicago, Illinois, the company is a registered ISO/MSP of Merrick Bank, South Jordan, Utah, with headquarters located at 525 W Monroe St Ste 900 Chicago, IL 60661-3793. This is the same address as Credico. Antoine Nohra is listed as the founder and CEO of Credico.

Cardience Review Table of Contents

  • Costs & Contract: Cardience appears to offer multi-year contracts with early termination fees ranging from $295 to $500.
  • Complaints & Service: Cardience has received fewer than 10 public complaints.
  • BBB Rating: Cardience (as Credico (USA), LLC) has an “A-” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 3 complaints and 1 review in the past 3 years.
  • Sales & Marketing: Cardience appears to hire independent sales representatives and has received a low number of complaints about its sales practices.
  • Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Cardience

Cardience Customer Reviews

Here's What Their Clients Say

Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints <10
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint N/A

Low Complaint Total

There are only a few Cardience negative reviews outside of this review and the BBB, which would normally indicate that the company is not a scam or ripoff. However, the complaints filed with the BBB have historically described aggressive, deceptive sales practices by the company’s agents and expensive contract terms. These complaints are echoed in the comment section below this review and elsewhere. Many complainants also mention difficulty reaching a company rep to cancel service and unhelpful customer support when they did get through.

Cardience Lawsuits

We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Cardience. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.

Cardience Support Options

In this case, the company’s score has been lowered by the content and consistency of the complaints rather than the volume of complaints. Cardience only offersdedicated phone support line to its customers on its website. This support channel is not sufficient to qualify it as a top-rated credit card processor for customer service at this time.

Cardience Online Ratings

Here's How They Rate Online

Online Ratings Summary
Product & Service Complaints 1
Billing & Collection Complaints 0
Advertising & Sales Complaints 2
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints 0
Delivery Complaints 0

Under 5 Complaints

Cardience is listed on the Better Business Bureau as Credico (USA), LLC and currently has an “A-” rating based on 3 complaints filed in the past 36 months along with 1 closed in the last 12 months. 1 complaint is related to a product or service issue and 2 pertain to an advertising and sales issue. 1 of these 3 complaints was resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 2 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response. The company also received 1 informal review, but this appears to pertain to a different business entirely.

An “A” Performance

Given the company’s low complaint total and in spite of 2 unanswered complaints, we agree with the BBB’s rating. Merchants should note, however, that there are valid reasons to be skeptical of the BBB’s rating system.

Cardience Fees, Rates & Costs

A Closer Look at The Contract

Cost & Fees Summary
Swiped Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Keyed-in Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Virtual Terminal Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Payment Gateway Fee Undisclosed
Statement Fee $8 Per Month
Monthly Minimum Fee $30+
Early Termination Fee $295-$500
PCI Compliance Fee Undisclosed
Equipment Lease Terms Undisclosed

Cardience Contract Terms

According to merchant complaints, the standard Cardience contract appears to be a multi-year agreement with an early termination fee between $295 and $500. It is unclear whether these figures may partially be derived from cancellation penalties associated with equipment leases, but they are nonetheless higher than industry averages. Merchants are more likely to see savings with a low-cost payment processor.

A dedicated section of the Cardience website also details its hardware options. The company advertises that it provides countertop, wireless, mobile and virtual terminals. It appears that its terminal offering is their own proprietary hardware and software, though each section doesn’t detail the brand or model of the terminals. In addition, the company provides gateway services for its merchants. However, like the equipment leasing structure of their agreements, no gateway fees are disclosed.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Cardience also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising its virtual terminal and payment gateway services. However, pricing is not disclosed on either of those services. Additional rates and fees, including gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and additional transaction rates typically apply to these e-commerce services.

Contract Complaints

Complainants also mention an $8 monthly statement fee and monthly minimum fees that total over $30. We have not found any specific mention of Cardience PCI Compliance fees, but the company may still charge them. If you have had any experience with the standard Cardience contract, please share that information in the comment section of this review.

Cardience Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs

Should You Work For Them?

Jobs & Marketing Summary
Employs Independent Resellers Yes
Advertises Deceptive Rates No
Discloses All Important Terms No

Outside Sales Staff

Cardience appears to utilize independent sales representatives to market its services, which is a common practice within the merchant services industry. The use of independent reps is often linked to high complaint totals among merchants, as these representatives typically receive less training and supervision than W2-employed, in-house sales reps. In this case, we’ve managed to find four negative Cardience reviews that describe a pattern of nondisclosure and misrepresentation by the company’s sales team, specifically regarding unsolicited, in-person sales calls.

No Deceptive Quotes

Although Cardience does not appear to use deceptive advertising in its public-facing materials, the company’s score in this section is in danger of falling if further complaints arise regarding its sales team. If you suspect that Cardience is charging you undisclosed fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to eliminate hidden costs.

Our Cardience Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts

An Above-Average Option

Cardience rates as an above-average merchant services provider by our standards. The company’s score is slightly impacted by complaints about its sales tactics and contract terms and by the complaints on its BBB profile. It is possible that the company’s overall rating may change as more becomes known about its standard contract terms and more merchants post public feedback about the company. To get the best deal on payment processing services, merchants should compare Cardience’s pricing and terms to top overall providers.

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Which is Most Important for You?

If you had to pick one, which quality would you say will be the most important with your next credit card processor? Tap or click your selection to register your vote:

  1. Low Transaction Fees
  2. No Monthly Fees
  3. No Contract
  4. Reliable Customer Support
  5. Quick Signup

Testimonials & Complaints

How Did Cardience Treat You?

2 User Reviews

  • Juan

    I completely agree with the commenter before me. Cardience is a complete scam, with sales agents that lie and tell you what you want to hear in order to get you to sign the contract. Cardience then goes on to separate itself from their sales agents by claiming that the sales agents are from a third party company and there is no way to verify what they said. I’ve been charged multiple bogus fees, such as the Merchant Insights Essentials fee, which was $20 a month and which they refused to return, the security fee which was $130, and the PCI monthly fees. When I complained about these fees, they told me that most came from the credit card association and that there was no way to get rid of them. When I called to cancel the service, their “loyalty specialist” claimed that we should have called earlier so that they could give us some papers to sign to get rid of the PCI monthly fee. This just goes to show cardience’s dishonorable actions, actively misleading customers in order to make more money off of them. Additionally, the only reason I signed the contract with cardience was because the sales agent promised I could leave with no penalties. Now that I cancelled service with Cardience, they removed $400 from my bank account, calling it a cancellation fee while we were still in dispute through the Better Business Bureau. I had barred them from my bank account, but they accessed it by using the name Pivotal instead of Cardience. The complaint at the BBB is still open and I will be fighting this because there is no possible way they are getting away with this.

  • Mirisciotti Photography

    I am very unhappy with Cardience the rep Loyd who is local sent me a copy of my contract that was blurry no one could read it or the terms on it. The customer service is terrible they never get on the phone I was told the went home after five and I called way before 5pm, they also told me they were in a meeting the next time I called. They also avoided my request to speak to the customer service. I was suppose to have a mobile swipe that only cost if I made a transaction. I called my local rep Loyd he came to my work place took only one payment off said it would be cancelled permanently.I am still being charged every month since I signed up with them and the rep took my swipe with him and pivitol is the company who it belonged to. There were a lot of extra fees added to my bill wed reports and alerts 9.75 which I opted not to have A benefit club I opted out of they charge me 10 bucks security/compliance 139.80 elitemerit3,merit 111, merit 111 DB, world merit the list goes on and on of extra bogus fees that were never mentioned when I signed the contract . I can keep going but what I really would like to know can there be a class action law suit with this company since there are so many of us being affected? Michelle

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