Credit card terminals. Honest pricing on what matters — the processing.

If you've shopped for a credit card terminal recently, the pitch usually sounds like this: "Sign up with us and we'll give you a free terminal." The terminal might be free, but the trade is buried elsewhere — a 3-year contract with a $495 early termination fee, an inflated processing rate that pays for the hardware many times over, a "non-compliance" fee charged because you didn't fill out a PCI questionnaire, or a sneaky lease that costs you $40/month for 48 months on a $300 device.

That model exists because most ISOs treat the terminal as the thing they sell, and the processing relationship as the thing that funds it. We do the opposite. The processing relationship is the product. The terminal is just how you accept cards.

So we charge zero on the hardware itself. If you qualify (most merchants do), we'll place a terminal at no charge — no lease, no contract penalties, no hidden hardware fee. If you want to own a terminal outright, we'll sell you one at our cost. If you already own a terminal from a previous processor, we'll reprogram it onto our processing and you keep the hardware you already paid for. The economics work because we make money the same way on every merchant — through honest, fully-disclosed interchange-plus processing — regardless of how the hardware got there.

We work with every major terminal brand, but we've narrowed our active recommendations to two manufacturers: Dejavoo and PAX. Together they cover virtually every use case — countertop, wireless, PIN pad, dual-screen, mobile — at price points that work with our processing economics.

Dejavoo is our default recommendation for most merchants. The cash discount programming is the cleanest in the industry, the lineup is broad (Android P-series, Android QD-series, and the classic Linux Z-series), and support response time is excellent. Most of our placements end up on a Dejavoo Z11, P3, or QD2.

PAX is our pick for wireless/mobile-heavy use cases — the A920 is the workhorse for restaurants doing tableside service, home services like HVAC and plumbing, food trucks, and pop-ups. Long battery, built-in 4G, full Android OS.

Verifone, Ingenico, and First Data we support primarily for reprogramming. If you already own a Verifone V200c, V400m, VX520, Ingenico Move 5000, Desk 5000, First Data FD130, FD150, or Clover Mini/Flex (when used as standalone), we can in most cases reprogram it onto our processing — you keep the hardware you already paid for.

Roughly three-quarters of our merchants run on standalone terminals rather than full POS systems. Here's why a terminal makes sense for them — and might for you:

Small & quick-service restaurants

QSR, counter-service, food trucks, and small dine-in operations where the order-taking happens verbally or on paper, not through a touchscreen. A terminal handles the payment cleanly without forcing the operator to manage a POS database, menu items, and inventory they don't need.

Salons, barbers, spas, nail shops

Most service businesses charge for the service rather than itemizing products. Tip handling, multi-clerk tracking, and standalone simplicity make terminals the dominant choice in this space.

Auto repair, mechanics, body shops, detailing

Higher-ticket service businesses where the invoice is generated elsewhere (shop management software, paper). The terminal's job is just to accept the payment. Cash discount programs work especially well here because the ticket size is meaningful.

Home services — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping

Mobile businesses where the terminal travels to the customer. PAX A920 is the workhorse here — 4G connectivity means it works at any job site, and the battery lasts a full day of service calls.

Smoke shops, vape shops, specialty retail

Often paired with cash discount to keep prices competitive. The terminal handles surcharge and dual pricing cleanly. Many of these merchants don't need inventory management, just clean payment processing.

Professional services — law, accounting, consulting

Invoice-driven businesses where the terminal is used occasionally for client payments. Often paired with a card-on-file gateway for recurring or saved-card workflows. Read more about recurring billing →

Faith-based organizations & nonprofits

Churches, schools, and advocacy groups taking event payments, donations, and program fees. Terminals are inexpensive to deploy and operate, and the cash discount option can be structured to comply with nonprofit rules.