Bridge (bridge.co) funds up to 100% of a retail order's production cost at 1.5% to 2.3% a month. The alternatives a supplier can weigh, and what each costs per year.
Last edited 5 min read
1.5% to 2.3% a month is what Bridge publishes for its purchase order financing: up to 100% of eligible cost of goods, $50K to $10M, repaid when your retailer pays.1 The alternatives for a CPG supplier are Spring's purchase order financing and invoice factoring, also repaid by the retailer, at 12% to 36% a year; Star Funding and SouthStar Capital, which fund up to 100% of an order; and a retailer's own early-pay program, which only starts once you have shipped.
One naming note first: Bridge, the company at bridge.co, has no connection to Spring's Bridge Funding, a Spring product sized on the deposits your business already receives, with no retailer involved. Everything about the other companies here comes from their own public pages, read in October 2026 and footnoted at the end. We are Spring, so we sell one of the alternatives; check our work. None of this is legal or financial advice.
What does Bridge (bridge.co) offer, and at what price?
Bridge funds production for consumer brands selling to Walmart, Sam's Club and other national retailers, and says it is the capital behind Walmart's Purchase Order Financing Program. Its published terms: up to 100% of eligible cost of goods, facilities of $50K to $10M, and rates of generally 1.5% to 2.3% a month, with better pricing for Walmart and Sam's Club suppliers. The money goes into your account to pay your vendors, and you repay when the retailer pays you, with no daily debits; paying earlier lowers the cost. It quotes terms within 48 hours and says first orders qualify.1
Its distinctive claim is timing. Bridge says you do not need a confirmed purchase order: it works from buyer notes, before the formal paperwork arrives.2 Bridge also finances hotels, under the same name.3
What are the alternatives to Bridge for retail purchase order funding?
| Question | Published size and price | Repaid by |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge | Up to 100% of eligible cost of goods, $50K to $10M1Generally 1.5% to 2.3% a month | Your retailerWhen it pays you |
| Spring | Up to 60% of an order's costThen the invoice, when you ship. 12% to 36% a year | Your retailerWhen it pays the invoice |
| Star Funding | Up to 100% of cost of goods42% to 4% per 30 days in its FAQ, plus bank fees | Your customerAs the order is paid |
| SouthStar Capital | 100% of an order, no stated cap5Pricing set per client | Your customerThrough the invoice it advances |
| Walmart's early pay | Confirmed invoices, after shipping6A discount set with the bank | Walmart, on the due dateThe bank pays you early |
All five wait for the retailer or customer to pay, which is the point of order funding: nothing falls due in the middle of the retailer's terms. Walmart says the terms in its supplier financing programs generally run 30 to 90 days.6 The differences are how much of the order each covers, when it starts, and what it costs per year.
What does 1.5% to 2.3% a month cost per year?
A monthly rate times twelve: Bridge's published range works out to 18% to about 28% a year, before any partner pricing. Star Funding's FAQ range, 2% to 4% per 30 days, is roughly 24% to 48%. Spring's is 12% to 36% a year, charged only on the days the money is out. All of these are ranges, so the number that matters is the one in your term sheet: ask each provider for the total cost of one order, in dollars, if the retailer pays on day 60 and if it pays on day 90.
Is Spring an alternative to Bridge (bridge.co)?
Yes, for a brand that sells to retailers or distributors on net terms. Both are repaid when the retailer pays. Where they differ:
- How much, and when. Bridge publishes up to 100% of eligible production cost up front. Spring's purchase order financing pays your supplier up to 60% of the order's cost; when you ship, invoice factoring tops it up to your advance rate for that retailer, and the retailer's payment settles both. The other 40% of production is yours to find, which is the part of this comparison that does not flatter us.
- Before the purchase order. Bridge works from buyer notes. Spring's demand plan financing funds production against a retailer's demand plan before the order arrives, and you repay it monthly.
- Which retailers. Bridge's published program centres on Walmart and Sam's Club. Spring funds orders and invoices from Walmart, Costco, Target, Kroger, UNFI, KeHE and others, each at its own advance rate.
- What you sign. Spring needs a Notice of Assignment for every product except Bridge Funding: a letter asking your retailer to pay your invoices to an account Spring holds for you. Your retailer will know you have a funding partner, and your first funding waits until it acknowledges the notice, which usually takes days and occasionally a couple of weeks. What a NOA is, and what it does.
Bridge fits a Walmart or Sam's Club supplier who wants the whole production run covered before the purchase order is signed. Spring fits a brand with orders across several retailers that wants each order and each invoice funded as it comes, and repaid by the retailer. How to fund a Walmart purchase order walks one retailer through both halves.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to Bridge (bridge.co) for purchase order financing?
For a brand selling to retailers, Spring funds the order and then the invoice, repaid when the retailer pays, at 12% to 36% a year. Star Funding and SouthStar Capital fund up to 100% of an order for importers and distributors. Walmart's supplier financing program pays confirmed invoices early, once you have shipped.
Is Spring an alternative to Bridge (bridge.co)?
Yes. Both are repaid when your retailer pays. Bridge publishes up to 100% of eligible cost of goods at generally 1.5% to 2.3% a month. Spring pays your supplier up to 60% of the order's cost, advances on the invoice when you ship, and charges 12% to 36% a year on the days the money is out. Spring needs a Notice of Assignment to the retailer.
Is Bridge (bridge.co) the same as Spring's Bridge Funding?
No. Bridge is an independent company at bridge.co, with no connection to Spring. Bridge Funding is a Spring product sized on the deposits your business already receives, with no retailer involved and no Notice of Assignment.
What does Bridge charge for Walmart purchase order financing?
Bridge publishes rates of generally 1.5% to 2.3% a month, with better pricing for Walmart and Sam's Club suppliers through its partnership. At twelve months to the year, that is 18% to about 28%. Spring's purchase order financing is 12% to 36% a year.
Can I fund a Costco or Target order without a signed purchase order?
Bridge says it works from buyer notes before a purchase order is confirmed. Spring's demand plan financing funds production against a retailer's demand plan before the order arrives. Purchase order financing and invoice factoring need the order or the invoice.
Does a retailer's early-pay program replace purchase order financing?
No. Walmart's supplier financing program pays confirmed invoices early, at a discount, and an invoice is confirmed only after the goods ship. It shortens the wait after shipping, not the cost of making the goods. How to finance 60 to 90 day terms.
If a retailer has ordered from you, get started or talk to the team.
1 Bridge, Walmart purchase order financing, read October 2026. The yearly figures are our arithmetic: the monthly rate times twelve.
2 Bridge, Purchase order financing, read October 2026.
3 Bridge, home page, read October 2026.
4 Star Funding, Purchase Order Funding, read October 2026. The yearly figure is our arithmetic: the monthly rate times twelve.
5 SouthStar Capital, Purchase Order Financing, read October 2026.
6 Walmart Inc., Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, "Supplier Financing Program Obligations", read October 2026.
