Forwardly does not charge a subscription fee to use the platform. However, businesses that enable credit card payments are required to remain PCI-compliant to continue accepting cards.
As part of PCI compliance, card-accepting businesses must complete and submit a SAQ-A (Self-Assessment Questionnaire) on an annual basis. This is an industry-standard requirement designed to help protect cardholder data and reduce fraud risk. Forwardly prompts businesses when it is time to submit or refresh this form and prepares the form for your business, so submission takes only a minute.
If the required SAQ-A is not submitted by the deadline, a $35 per month non-compliance fee is applied. This fee is not a subscription charge. It reflects the additional risk and compliance costs charged by our card processing partner, Finix, associated with maintaining an active card-accepting account without a valid PCI attestation on file.
To stop the non-compliance fee, simply submit the required SAQ-A form. Once the form is received and verified, the fee will no longer apply going forward. If you no longer wish to accept credit card payments, you can also disable card payments to avoid future compliance requirements.
If you have questions about the SAQ-A or the PCI non-compliance fee, submit a ticket, and our team will assist you.