Cardknox Gateway Review

Alternately, you can just use the Cardknox gateway with a different credit card processor if you're already taking cards and would prefer not to switch. Read on to learn whether Cardknox is the right choice for your business.

What is Cardknox?

Cardknox is a payment gateway and payment processing company owned by Fidelity Payments. The company was founded in 2010 with the goal of helping software developers and business owners implement solutions to process EMV (chip) credit card payments. It's based in Lakewood, NJ.

Compatible Processors

Cardknox's website claims that the gateway is compatible with major payment processors. However, it doesn't specify those processors. If you're already working with a processor, you can check directly with that company to see if it supports the Cardknox gateway.

Cardknox Features

The company offers a hosted checkout page, perfect for businesses that aren't tech-savvy or don't want to spend time developing and coding in order to take payments. You can even take payments in mulitple currencies. Cardknox's other payment features include Apple Pay integration, PIN debit acceptance, gift card acceptance, check processing, and installment payments. 

Apple Pay Integration

Are your customers using Apple Pay? When you use Cardknox, you're automatically compatible with Apple Pay. You don't even need any custom integrations. That means more payment choices for your customer, reducing friction at the most critical point in the process: the point of purchase. 

PIN Debit Card Acceptance

PIN debit cards generally have the lowest processing fees. When used as the processor, Cardknox allows you to accept those payments, which saves you money and satisfies your customers. Not using Cardknox as the processor? Not to worry. You can still accept debit cards, you'll just run them "as credit." Customers will not enter their PINs.

Gift Card Acceptance

You want to be able to process the gift cards you sell. Cardknox lets you do just that. It even migrates gift cards from third-party platforms so existing balances will stay active.

Check Processing

Some customers still prefer the good old paper check. Give your customers the flexibility to pay with their preferred method by accepting checks. Cardknox's gateway processes this payment type without hassle.

Installment Payments

Offering installment plans lets your customers pay you, on their schedule. Cardknox enables your customers to pay by installment without headaches. Installement payment plan capabilities are a great choice for businesses that sell high dollar-amount goods and services to customers that want to space out the payments. 

Other Features

In addition to the payments-related features noted above, Cardknox offers services such as gateway emulation, a card updater, SDKs for terminals, and anti-fraud tools. The company also provides real-time reports, ensuring that you have the most up-to-date information to make intelligent decisions about your business. 

Gateway Emulation

Do you want to process transactions with third-party software that doesn't directly support Cardknox? That's okay - Cardknox's gateway emulator enables it to use those same requests and respond in the same ways as those other gateways without using a single line of code. It's the perfect option for ensuring you can use the systems and software that you'd like. 

Card Updater

It's a headache when a credit card is declined because your customer didn't provide the most up-to-date information. Cardknox's card updater automatically updates these details so your transactions will be approved. If you have a lot of "card on file" payments (such as monthly memberships) card updater is an invaluable service that can save you time and money. 

SDK for Terminals and EMV for Browser POS systems

Cardknox was created with developers in mind. If you want to integrate with a number of terminals, Cardknox most likely has the SDK.
EMV cards are the wave of the future. Cardknox's solution lets you accept EMV chip credit cards with your browser-based POS system.

Fraud Prevention Tools

Nothing hurts your business more than fraud. Cardknox's FraudShield technology rates a transaction's risk before approving it, so you'll have a better understanding of the risk level involved with accepting a particular transaction. But even if there's a chargeback, you'll still receive your payment.

Accessories

As a gateway, Cardknox doesn't provide accessories. However, if you're using Cardknox as your processor and taking payments in person, the company sells EMV card terminals and is a reseller of a number of POS systems.

Security

Cardknox is PCI compliant. It stores credit card information off-site, so its clients remain PCI compliant as well. The payment gateway utilizes a number of security mechanisms to keep consumers safe. Cardknox's FraudShield technology scans transactions, approves them, and ensures you get paid no matter what. Its tokenization technique assigns a unique identifier to each transaction. Its multi-tokenization function allows the same token to be used across multiple Cardknox accounts.

Cardknox also uses 3D Secure. 3D Secure is a protocol that adds an extra layer of security by authenticating online credit card payments. Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode are the two primary 3D Secure programs available from the credit card brands. The integration with 3D Secure is included automatically with Cardknox.