Payment channels and methods that fit the people you serve —and your business.

Payment processing solutions act as the bridge between a customer's payment method and a merchant's bank account. When a customer pays, the system securely captures their details through the channel they choose, routes the transaction to the appropriate card network or bank for authorization, and settles the funds.

Payment processing software is the technology that enables businesses to accept, manage, and reconcile payments digitally. It handles everything from capturing card or bank details at checkout to authorizing transactions, settling funds, and generating reports — all while keeping sensitive data secure and helping businesses stay compliant with standards like PCI DSS.

CSG Forte offers flexible pricing models tailored to your business, including service fees to be covered by customers or absorbed by the business alternatives. Fees are itemized and transparent, like per-transaction rates, monthly account fees, and optional product fees, which are all clearly outlined in your fee schedule.

Pricing is set during onboarding, and contract terms vary by relationship type, so there's no one-size-fits-all lock-in.

Setup timelines vary by integration complexity, but CSG Forte's embedded payments platform is designed for speed. Merchants can get processing quickly with self-service onboarding, and partners can get merchants live in days, not weeks.

For larger or more complex implementations, dedicated implementation engineers and solution architects guide the process from configuration planning through go-live.

Payment processing refers specifically to the technical act of authorizing and settling a transaction, which is handled by payment processors. A payment solution is broader — it encompasses the full ecosystem around that transaction, including how payments are accepted, managed, protected, and reported. CSG Forte offers both: the processing infrastructure and the surrounding tools for operations, fraud protection, and integration.

Integration complexity depends on your setup, but CSG Forte is designed to layer on top of existing CIS, ERP, and billing systems without a rip-and-replace. Options range from low-code hosted payment pages and BillPay portals to robust REST APIs with full lifecycle control. Developer documentation and code samples make technical integration straightforward for most teams.

CSG Forte supports one-time, scheduled, and recurring payments across ACH and card. Account Updater automatically refreshes applicable expired or reissued card credentials before a payment fails, preventing interruptions.

For failed ACH payments due to Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF), our Direct Recovery automates re-presentment at no additional cost to you, achieving over 60% success on returned items — keeping your revenue flowing without manual intervention.

Dex, CSG Forte's cloud-based payments operations platform, centralizes everything: real-time transaction reporting, funding and settlement visibility, dispute management, chargeback tracking, and exportable custom reports.

Finance teams can monitor activity by channel or payment method, issue refunds, manage role-based access, and connect payment data directly to downstream ERP and accounting systems — all from one payments platform.

CSG Forte offers a layered fraud defense: tokenization and Forte.js keep sensitive data off your servers, Forte Protect provides PCI-validated point-to-point encryption for in-person transactions, and ACH Validate checks account ownership against more than a billion records.

Payments Protection.ai adds AI-powered, near real-time transaction monitoring across cards, ACH, and digital wallets — with industry-tuned rules that reduce fraud losses and cut false positive flagging.

The right payment solution depends on how your customers pay, which channels you operate (online, in-person), and how payments connect to your back office. Key factors include payment methods needed (card, ACH, digital wallets), whether you need recurring billing, your integration capabilities, and your compliance requirements. CSG Forte's modular platform lets you start with core acceptance and add capabilities as your business grows.