pmtbox alternatives

Pros

• Published interchange-plus markup with automatic volume discounts: 0.40% + 8¢ in person up to $50k a month, lower above that.
• No monthly, PCI, statement, annual or batch fee, and no cancellation fee: month-to-month.
• Fee Saver credit card surcharge with no program fee: your customers pay 3% on credit cards and you keep paying the normal rate on debit. In person it currently works only on the Helcim Smart Terminal.

Cons

• No integration with restaurant POS systems such as Toast, Square, Clover or Lightspeed is documented; in-person payments run on Helcim's own app and devices (or its terminal API).
• Online and keyed-in payments carry a higher markup: 0.50% + 25¢ up to $50k a month.
• Support isn't 24/7: phone Monday to Friday 7 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM, Mountain Time.

Pros

• Its rates and main fees are published: 2.6% + 15¢ in person on Square Free, with no monthly, PCI, statement, chargeback or inactivity fee.
• Month to month, with no early termination fee: you end it by deactivating your account.
• Deposits the next business day at no extra cost for payments taken before 8 p.m. ET, and instant transfers for 1.95%.

Cons

• The surcharge only covers in-person credit card sales: debit and online sales keep Square's rate, and it isn't available in Connecticut, Maine or Massachusetts.
• Online payments cost 3.3% + 30¢ on Square Free and keyed-in cards 3.5% + 15¢; the lower in-person rates require Square Plus ($49) or Premium ($149) per location.
• 24/7 phone support only with Square Premium; on Square Free, phone support is weekdays 6 am to 6 pm PT and only for the first 90 days.

Pros

• Next-day deposits by default and same-day at no cost for batches closed by 10:30 a.m. ET, and technical support around the clock.
• A published in-person rate of 2.69% with no per-transaction fee, and no PCI fees under PCI Plus.
• Works with other POS systems, and offers a dual pricing program.

Cons

• Above $100,000 in 12 months on any one card network you move automatically to a 3-year agreement, at fees set at that time, whose early termination fee is the fees left in the term (at least $295), which North can estimate from your volume.
• A payment page on your own website is priced by quote, and the dual pricing program's fees aren't published.
• Its devices only process through North, and smart terminals add a monthly software fee per device.

Pros

• Publishes its rates and QuickAccept's full fee schedule: no monthly, PCI, statement or batch fees.
• Same-day deposits into your Chase business checking account at no extra cost.
• QuickAccept's terms have no minimum term or early termination fee, and fee changes come with 30 days' notice.

Cons

• QuickAccept only works with a Chase Business Complete Checking account ($15 a month unless waived, for example with $2,000 a month in QuickAccept deposits).
• The QuickAccept phone line is open weekdays only, not 24/7.
• The terms and other fees of standalone terminal accounts set up with an advisor aren't published.

Pros

• Rates drop automatically as your monthly volume grows, in three published tiers.
• Publishes every fixed fee: $9.95 a month per location plus $10 for PCI, with no fees for chargebacks, downgrades or voice authorizations.
• No early termination fee or monthly minimum, per Wells Fargo.

Cons

• With equipment or a gateway not from Wells Fargo, in-person payments may be charged the online or keyed-in rate.
• Deposits arrive the next business day at the earliest, into a Wells Fargo business account.
• The terms behind the offer aren't linked from its pages, so the length of the term, renewal, holds and price-change rules aren't public.

Pros

• A published in-person flat rate of 2.29% + 9¢, with no monthly fee.
• Month to month: the user agreement lets you close the account without cost.
• Hardware bought once: $79 for the card reader (less for your first one) and $199 for the all-in-one Terminal.

Cons

• Card payments in person only work with the PayPal POS app, which isn't built for restaurants.
• Getting money to your bank takes 1 to 3 business days, unless you pay 1.5% for an instant transfer.
• PayPal can place reserves and holds, and raise rates up to 5% with 30 days' notice on accounts it sees as risky.

Pros

• Month to month, with 30 days' notice before fee changes.
• One system for in-person and online sales, with no PCI, statement or setup fees.

Cons

• You pay a Shopify plan on top of the card rates ($39 a month on Basic).
• Shopify POS is built for retail: the industries Shopify lists for it don't include restaurants.
• Its card readers only work with Shopify Payments, and POS Pro is billed yearly for 12 months.

Pros

• No monthly fee with card readers or POS Lite, no chargeback fee and no monthly minimums.
• Hardware bought once: the Plus card reader is $54.
• Next-day payouts to the SumUp Business Account, which has no monthly fee.

Cons

• 3.5% + 15¢ online and keyed in.
• Card payments only work through SumUp's own app or POS, which isn't built for full-service restaurants.
• Paid POS plans lock you into 12-month contracts that renew automatically.

Pros

• Card rates published on clover.com: 2.3% + 10¢ in person and 3.5% + 10¢ typed in.
• A cash discount program that covers every card, so your customers pay the card cost.
• 24/7 support.

Cons

• Monthly, annual and PCI fees depend on your account and aren't published, so we can't calculate its cost.
• Contract terms and termination fees vary by who sells you Clover; the current hardware promotion requires a 3-year contract.
• Clover devices can't be used with another processor, and hardware subscriptions can't be canceled.

Pros

• Publishes a monthly fee ($13.95), a $0 setup fee and ranges for its qualified rates.
• If fees go up, the Program Guide it posts lets you leave without penalty before they take effect (30 days' notice).
• Next-day deposits and 24/7 support by phone and email.

Cons

• Tiered pricing: it publishes only ranges for its qualified rates, not your rate, so you can't tell what any card, including rewards, business or keyed cards, will cost.
• Three-year term; the early termination fee is written in your fee schedule, and after the term fees keep running until you cancel in writing.
• Advertises equipment leases without publishing their terms.

Pros

• Instant deposit puts your card sales in your account in seconds (Toast doesn't publish its cost).
• Toast Dual Pricing covers credit and debit cards, so your customers pay the card cost (for eligible new customers).
• 24/7 support by phone or web messaging, included.

Cons

• Toast doesn't publish its card rates or processing fees: they're in your quote. The rates we show come from a third-party review, and without the fees we can't calculate its full cost.
• Processing is only with Toast POS, and the term is set in your order form; leaving early costs the software fees left in it ($150 for each month left on pay-as-you-go).
• Toast Dual Pricing packages can carry a monthly processing minimum.