We have the early termination terms of 21 of 21 POS systems. "Not published" counts as data: it tells you the vendor doesn't disclose it.
A POS contract can outlast your menu, your manager and sometimes your lease. Yet the term and the cost of leaving are rarely on the pricing page. They sit in terms of service, merchant agreements and applications you see once: the day you sign.
That's why we publish them for every vendor we track, with the same template:
- Initial term: how long you're committed.
- Automatic renewal and notice: how the contract renews, and how far ahead you have to cancel.
- Early termination fee: how it's calculated, with the clause cited.
- Exclusive processing commitment: whether the contract commits you to process cards only with them for the whole term.
- Price increases: whether they can raise prices or fees during the term.
- Trial: whether there's a trial period and, when the vendor says so, whether billing starts before you're up and running.
Each row shows its source and the date we verified it. When a vendor doesn't publish a term, you'll see "Not published" or "Quote only". We don't guess.
The early termination fee depends on your contract, your volume and your equipment, so a single number can mislead. To see what leaving would cost a restaurant like yours, use the 36-month cost calculator and set the month you'd leave.
If a vendor gives you the contract in Spanish, ask which version is legally binding. Often it's the English one.
This page is general information, not legal advice. What you sign is what counts: read your own contract and get every promise in writing.
How the early termination fee is calculated
21 POS systems compared. One token each, grouped by how the fee is worked out.
- The terms set no early termination fee · 5Eats365, GoTab, Loyverse POS, Rezku, and Square for Restaurants
- A percentage of the fees left in the term · 4Lightspeed Restaurant, NCR Voyix Aloha, Revel Systems, and Toast
- A percentage of the fees left, card processing included · 2CAKE and TouchBistro
- A fixed amount · 1Heartland Restaurant
- An amount per device for each month left · 1Shift4 POS
- No formula in our catalog yet: read the clause in the table · 5Epos Now, HungerRush, Oracle MICROS Simphony, PAR POS, and SpotOn
- Not published or quote only · 3Clover (Quote only), Lavu (Not published), and Qu POS (Not published)
Not published, quote only, or no formula yet: that is not the same as zero.
Contract terms by POS
| Product | Initial term | Auto-renewal | Early termination fee | Exclusive processing commitment | Price increases during the term | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAKESource: CAKE (opens in a new tab) | Quote only | Renews for 24 months60 days' notice to cancel renewal | Pay-as-you-please plan: $150 times the months left. Other plans: 0.80 × (monthly software fees + average processing fees of the last 3 months) × the months left, per location (§6.2).How it's calculated: 80% of the fees left in the term, processing included | Yes, for the whole term | CAKE can change recurring fees at any time with 30 days' notice (§6.9); if you don't accept the change you can end the agreement before it takes effect and pay only for the service up to your notice. Renewals are billed at the higher of the renewal rate in your order and CAKE's then-current pricing. | N/A |
| CloverSource: Clover (opens in a new tab) | 36 monthsSource: Clover (opens in a new tab)Clover's hardware promotion requires a 3-year contract. Terms vary by bank or reseller; a CardConnect agreement filed in court in 2021 also set three years. | Being re-verified()(due for a re-check)Source: CourtListener (C.D. Cal. 8:21-cv-02130) (opens in a new tab)One-year extensions in a CardConnect agreement filed in court in 2021; other providers may differ. | Quote only | Yes, for the whole term | Being re-verified()(due for a re-check)Source: CourtListener (C.D. Cal. 8:21-cv-02130) (opens in a new tab) | N/ASource: Clover (opens in a new tab)Clover publishes no trial for its restaurant plans. |
| Eats365Source: Eats365 (opens in a new tab) | Month to month | No auto-renewal | No early termination fee in the published agreement; subscription fees already paid are not refunded. | No exclusivity commitment | Fees are those in your order form. Eats365 may modify the agreement by posting changes, which take effect 30 days after posting and don't apply retroactively; it may also change or discontinue products without notice. | 14-day trialSource: Eats365 (opens in a new tab) |
| Epos NowSource: Epos Now (opens in a new tab) | 12 months | Renews for 12 months30 days' notice to cancel renewal | Hardware-as-a-Service: the monthly fee for each month left in the period. ProtectNow: the outstanding balance of the contract. | No exclusivity commitment | Epos Now can raise support plan fees at any time with 30 days' notice; if you don't accept, you can cancel the plan with a pro-rata refund (terms §11.8). It can also start, raise or remove charges for its APIs with 7 days' notice. Software and support prices go up with your number of devices and locations. | N/A |
| GoTabSource: GoTab (opens in a new tab) | Month to month | Renews for 1 monthSource: GoTab (opens in a new tab)After the initial period on your order form, the agreement renews month to month at GoTab's current rates.14 days' notice to cancel renewal | No early termination fee for the software, per GoTab's pricing. | Yes, for the whole termSource: GoTab (opens in a new tab)While you use GoTab, guest payments go through GoTab's processors; the terms offer no option to bring another processor. | GoTab can change its fees with written notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term (§4.1), and each monthly renewal is at GoTab's current rates. Its pricing page says core software prices haven't changed since 2023.Source: GoTab (opens in a new tab) | N/ASource: GoTab (opens in a new tab)GoTab offers a demo, not a trial. |
| Heartland RestaurantSource: Heartland Payment Systems (opens in a new tab) | 36 months | Renews for 12 months60 days' notice to cancel renewal | $295 per location if you end the agreement before the term is over, charged at Heartland's discretion in one ACH debit (§11.4). A separate $100 fee applies if you end the equipment agreement early.How it's calculated: Flat $295 | Yes, for the whole term | Heartland may amend its fee schedule with at least 15 days' written notice, pass on card network and third-party cost increases with 15 days' notice, and change your discount and transaction fees without notice if your volume or average ticket differs from your application (§6.2, §6.3). | N/A |
| HungerRushSource: HungerRush (opens in a new tab) | 36 monthsSource: HungerRush (opens in a new tab)The $149 package is a 36-month agreement. HungerRush's Terms and Conditions set a 4-year initial term unless your quote says otherwise. | Renews for 36 months30 days' notice to cancel renewal | The monthly subscription for the full term, plus 90% of the average monthly fees of the referred processor (excluding interchange) times the months left, plus repayment of any incentives. | Yes, for the whole term | The pricing page says the price is locked for the 36 months, with no annual escalators or CPI increases.Source: HungerRush (opens in a new tab) | N/A |
| LavuSource: Lavu (opens in a new tab) | 36 months | Renews for 36 months()(due for a re-check)Source: Lavu (archived copy) (opens in a new tab)Each renewal lasts as long as the initial term (36 months on the current offer), at Lavu's then-current prices.0 days' notice to cancel renewal | Not published | No exclusivity commitment()(due for a re-check)Source: Lavu (archived copy) (opens in a new tab)Lavu's terms have no exclusive-processing clause and its help center covers restaurants that process outside Lavu Pay, though MenuDrive charges 2% without it. The order form for Lavu's 36-month deals isn't public. | Lavu can change fees for later subscription periods with notice; if you don't accept, you must cancel before the renewal date. It can also add new recurring fees with notice, and your continued use counts as acceptance. Renewals are at Lavu's then-current prices.()(due for a re-check)Source: Lavu (archived copy) (opens in a new tab) | N/A()(due for a re-check)Source: Lavu (archived copy) (opens in a new tab)Lavu publishes no trial for the POS. |
| Lightspeed RestaurantSource: Lightspeed (opens in a new tab) | Quote only | Quote only | The sum of unpaid one-time fees, the recurring fees left in the current term, and the difference between list price and any discount you received on software or hardware (§13.5).How it's calculated: 100% of the fees left in the term | Yes, for the whole term | Lightspeed may change fees and products with 30 days' written notice (§20.8). A renewal is billed at the then-current prices, and discounts from your first order form don't carry over (§5.2). | N/A |
| Loyverse POSSource: Loyverse (opens in a new tab) | Month to month | No auto-renewal | No early termination fee. | No exclusivity commitment | Loyverse can change its fees, or introduce new pricing packages and terms, at any time with 14 days' prior notice.Source: Loyverse Commerce (opens in a new tab) | 14-day trial |
| NCR Voyix AlohaSource: NCR Voyix (opens in a new tab) | 36 months | Renews for 12 months60 days' notice to cancel renewal | You can cancel by calling NCR Voyix, but if you cancel, or NCR Voyix ends the service for cause, during the term, you are charged at once for every month left in the term, adjusted if you lose promotional pricing. Adding a product with a longer minimum term (such as hardware paid in installments) extends the whole term to match. Subscribed hardware must be returned, and returning it before the initial term ends carries restocking fees. These are the published Aloha Cloud terms; enterprise Aloha master agreements are not public.How it's calculated: 100% of the fees left in the term | No exclusivity commitment | On an annual or multi-year plan, NCR Voyix can raise rates once a calendar year, including during the initial term, by up to the change in the Consumer Price Index plus 5% (never less than 5%). On other plans, rates and fees can change at any time with 30 days' email notice. NCR Voyix can also change the agreement with 30 days' notice; you can reject a change by canceling within those 30 days, under the agreement's terms. | N/ASource: NCR Voyix (opens in a new tab) |
| Oracle MICROS SimphonySource: Oracle (opens in a new tab) | Not publishedSource: Oracle (opens in a new tab)The length of the initial services period is set in your order and Oracle doesn't publish it. | No auto-renewalSource: Oracle (opens in a new tab)Simphony Plus Edition (metered) has no renewal term: after the initial period the service keeps running until either side gives at least 60 days' written notice. | Oracle's Cloud Services Agreement makes an order non-cancelable and the sums paid nonrefundable, and it has no clause to leave early for convenience. If Oracle ends your order because you breached it, you pay what had accrued plus all sums remaining unpaid for the order. Oracle publishes no fee formula; what you owe if you leave during the initial services period depends on your order. After that period, either side can end the service with 60 days' notice. Oracle Payments is billed per payment. | No exclusivity commitmentSource: Oracle (opens in a new tab) | Simphony usage is charged at the rates in your order. Oracle Payments is charged at Oracle's then-current price list, so the card rates can change when Oracle updates that list. Services you add later are billed at Oracle's then-current price.Source: Oracle (opens in a new tab) | N/ASource: Oracle (opens in a new tab) |
| PAR POSSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab) | 36 months | Renews for 12 months30 days' notice to cancel renewal | PAR's subscription agreement makes orders non-cancellable and gives no right to leave early for convenience; either side can end it only for an uncured material breach or insolvency, and your payment obligations survive termination. PAR publishes no early termination fee formula. If you close a location for good and give 30 days' notice, PAR drops it from the next bill (with a prorated refund or credit if you prepaid for the year). If you also process cards with PAR Payment Services (optional, 36-month term renewing for 12 months), leaving early costs your estimated monthly card volume times PAR's own processing fees (not interchange or network fees) for every month left, and the same fee applies if PAR ends it for your breach, if you don't start processing within 60 days, or if your volume drops below 75% of your estimate for two months in a row. | No exclusivity commitment | Unless your order says otherwise, fees rise automatically at each yearly renewal by the change in the Consumer Price Index plus 2%. If you buy direct from PAR, PAR can raise them by more with 60 days' written notice before the renewal. | N/ASource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab) |
| Qu POSSource: Qu Beyond (opens in a new tab) | Not published | Not publishedSource: Qu Beyond (opens in a new tab)The Qu Pay terms refer to an initial term and renewal terms, but their length is set in the Master SaaS Agreement, which is not public. Qu's new Qu Pay Terms and Conditions page (updated Sep 22, 2026) also leave the term, renewals and leaving early to the Master SaaS Agreement and your sales order. | Not published | Not publishedSource: Qu Beyond (opens in a new tab)Qu works with Qu Pay or integrated providers; any processing commitment would be in the Master SaaS Agreement, which is not public. | For Qu Pay: after the initial term, Qu can raise processing prices with 3 months' notice before the term ends, effective at renewal. It can also pass through card network or acquirer fee increases at any time, adjust prices for inflation once every 12 months with 1 month's notice, and update these terms with 30 days' notice. Software price terms are in the Master SaaS Agreement, which is not public.Source: Qu Beyond (opens in a new tab) | N/ASource: Qu Beyond (opens in a new tab)No trial is published. |
| Revel SystemsSource: Revel Systems (Shift4) (opens in a new tab) | 36 months | Renews for 12 months30 days' notice to cancel renewal | If you end early, you pay the greater of six months of recurring fees or all the recurring fees left in the term, as liquidated damages, on top of what you already owe (§11).How it's calculated: 100% of the fees left in the term | Yes, for the whole term | Revel may raise any fee at any time with 30 days' written notice. From the first anniversary it may also raise your total fees by the greater of the prior year's CPI-U change plus 1% or 4% (§4.3). | N/A |
| RezkuSource: Rezku (opens in a new tab) | Month to month | No auto-renewal | No early termination fee; fees already billed are not prorated. | No exclusivity commitment | The Terms of Use set no price lock and no notice period for price changes: Rezku says it may change the terms at any time, and the latest version binds you when you use the service. | N/A |
| Shift4 POSSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | 36 months | Renews for 12 months90 days' notice to cancel renewal | Liquidated damages: a base monthly amount per device, set by your estimated monthly card volume ($100 under $10k up to $750 over $250k), times the number of terminal IDs, times the months left in the term (MPA §8.5.5). Unreturned equipment is charged on top.How it's calculated: $100 to $750 per device for each month left, depending on your card volume | Yes, for the whole term | From the first anniversary, Shift4 may raise total fees each year by the greater of CPI-U + 1% or 7% (MPA §12.15), and the agreement says the bank or Shift4 can change the fees at any time. The Service Agreement lets Shift4 change its rates and fees with 30 days' written notice (§3.e) and raise them each year by the greater of CPI-U + 1% or 4% (§3.g). | 30-day trialSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)The trial starts at installation. Charges apply during the trial, and equipment added later is not eligible. |
| SpotOnSource: SpotOn (opens in a new tab) | 36 monthsSource: SpotOn (TSYS processing terms) (opens in a new tab)Same rule for every vendor, the longest binding term among the software and processing agreements. SpotOn's published processing terms set a 3-year initial term (§4.1). The All-In plan also has a 2-year software minimum, and POS Essentials software is month to month. | Renews for 12 monthsSource: SpotOn (TSYS processing terms) (opens in a new tab)Renewal of the processing agreement.30 days' notice to cancel renewal | Software: all monthly subscription fees left in the term (Merchant Terms §10.4), and if you leave within two years you may be charged the difference between the hardware list price and the discounted price you paid (§1.4). Processing: 30 days' notice plus an Account Closure Fee whose amount is in your application (§5.2.C). | Yes, for the whole termSource: SpotOn (TSYS processing terms) (opens in a new tab) | SpotOn may change its fees with at least 30 days' notice (Merchant Terms §3.3); the processing agreement can be amended with 30 days' notice. | N/A()Source: SpotOn (opens in a new tab)SpotOn publishes no trial period. |
| Square for RestaurantsSource: Square (opens in a new tab) | Month to monthSource: Square (opens in a new tab) | No auto-renewal | No early termination fee. Subscription fees already paid are not refunded. | No exclusivity commitment | Square may change its subscription fees with reasonable advance notice, and it may amend its terms at any time with the notice it considers reasonable (General Terms). | 30-day trialSource: Square (opens in a new tab) |
| ToastSource: Toast (opens in a new tab) | Quote only | Renews for 12 months30 days' notice to cancel renewal | On subscription plans, the software subscription fees left in the term; on a pay-as-you-go plan such as the Starter Kit, $150 for each month left. Plus any processing fee tied to software financing (Merchant Agreement §8.4).How it's calculated: 100% of the fees left in the term | Yes, for the whole term()Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab) | Software fees stay the same during the initial term. Toast may change card rates and other non-software fees at any time with 30 days' written notice, and any fee at or during a renewal. If it raises card rates or the core POS fee, you can terminate without the early termination fee (Merchant Agreement §6.2). | N/A |
| TouchBistroSource: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab) | Quote only | Quote only | Default Amount (§22): repay the full incentive, plus all software and hardware fees, plus other amounts including payment processing fees that would have been payable for the rest of the term.How it's calculated: 100% of the fees left in the term, processing included | No exclusivity commitmentSource: TouchBistro (opens in a new tab) | TouchBistro may change fees with 30 days' written notice; if you disagree, you must tell TouchBistro in writing before the change and may cancel at the end of your current term. | N/A |
This is general information about published contracts, not legal advice: read your own contract and check with a lawyer before you sign.
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