Acfn Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
ACFN is an ATM franchise where franchisees own and operate cash machines placed in hotels, bars, and other high-traffic businesses. Franchisees manage a route of ATMs, handling cash loading, servicing, and account relationships, typically as a home-based, part-time business.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A ACFN franchise requires a total initial investment of $38K – $58K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 1.3% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $38K – $58K
- 2nd pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 1.3%
- 0th pct Retail
- Units
- 210
- 35th pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Retail avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $38K – $58K including a $25K franchise fee, 1.3% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports forecast/projection based on historical system-wide ATM surcharge averages (not actual franchisee P&L) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 46/100 (higher is better).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -7.5% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- ACFN Franchised Inc.
- Predecessor
- A.F.F.A. Inc. (AFFA)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President/CEO
- Jeffrey D. Kerr
- Incorporated in
- California
- HQ
- 75 East Santa Clara Street, Suite 1450, San Jose, California 95113
- Auditor
- Simon & Edward, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $15.0M
- vs $15.3M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jeffrey D. Kerr
- Headquarters
- California
- Founded
- 2002
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 39
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 88% below the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25K | $25K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $500 | $2K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $12K | $32K |
| Total initial investment | $38K | $58K |
Source: ACFN 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $38K – $58K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $500 – $2K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 1.3%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.3%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 2.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 1.3% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.3% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $12 |
| Training fee | $995 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 2.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
ACFN did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one ACFN unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
192%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 reports forecast/projection based on historical system-wide ATM surcharge averages (not actual franchisee P&L) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. We omit it from rankings.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 2.5% — below the Retail average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports forecast/projection based on historical system-wide ATM surcharge averages (not actual franchisee P&L) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System contracting at -7.5% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Retail averages
How Acfn Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 210
- Opened
- 26
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 46
- Turnover rate
- 23.3%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -7.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -7.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 26
- Closed (3yr)
- 46
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 43
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 39 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $71K
- Median loan
- $35K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (2 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
ACFN presents HIGH RISK due to contracting unit count, absence of financial disclosures, questionable franchisor financial health, unprotected territories, and lack of performance benchmarks.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Simon & Edward, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 46 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORSystem shrinking rapidly: 210 units declining 9.9% year-over-year indicates deteriorating franchisee satisfaction and/or market demand
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure: Absence of Item 19 financial performance data prevents ROI assessment and suggests franchisor may lack strong performer data
- 03HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE: Indicates the franchisor itself may have financial stability issues or internal operational challenges
- 04MINORUnprotected territory: Franchisees face direct competition from other franchisees in same area, increasing business risk and margin compression
- 05MINORLow royalty rate (1.25%) masks potential profitability concerns: May indicate franchisor cannot extract sustainable fees, suggesting unit economics are weak
- 06MINORModest franchise fee ($25,000) relative to total investment suggests low barriers to entry and potential oversaturation risk
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 2.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 100 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | State in which the Area of Operation is located (arbitration governed by Federal Arbitration Act) |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 8 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Virtual (4 video conference calls)
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisor and franchisee jointly (franchisor approves all ATM locations)
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
248 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
ACFN · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a ACFN franchise?
The total investment to open a ACFN franchise ranges from $38K – $58K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do ACFN franchise owners earn?
ACFN does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the ACFN FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the ACFN FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is ACFN's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for ACFN (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many ACFN franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, ACFN has 210 total units in the United States, including 210 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 26 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is ACFN a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates ACFN as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 46 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.