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Software plans
| Plan | Price | Billed per | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shift4 POS | $29.99/monthShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | device | Starting price. Billed as a Software Support Fee per terminal under the Service Agreement (§3.c); the exact amount is in your POS Exhibit A. Remote installation is included; on-site installation for 2 or 3 workstations costs $599 unless you process more than $30,000 in one of the first three full months (Service Agreement §5.a). |
Processing rates and fees
| Fee | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| In-person card rate | 2.75%Shift4 (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · Standard Pricing in Shift4's online checkout. | per transaction · In person |
| In-person fee per transaction | 15¢Shift4 (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | per transaction · In person |
| Online card rate | Not publishedSee my price for Shift4 POS (opens a price request form)Shift4 (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | per transaction · Online |
| Annual Program Fee | $250/yearShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Contract or terms · | per device |
| Regulatory Assurance Fee | $189.99/yearShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Contract or terms · | per device |
| Debit enablement fee ($20 per quarter) | $80/yearShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Contract or terms · | per account |
| Online ordering | $34.99/monthShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Contract or terms · | per locationOnly if you add Shift4's online ordering (MPA §5.4.9). |
| xDine online ordering platform | $49.99/monthShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Contract or terms · | per locationOnly if you use xDine (MPA §5.4.10). |
| Inactivity fee | $150/monthShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Contract or terms · | per deviceOnly for months without card processing, after 30 days without using it (MPA §5.4.4). |
| On-site installation (2 or 3 workstations) | $599 one-timeShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Contract or terms · | per locationWaived if you process more than $30,000 in any one of the first three full months; remote installation is included (Service Agreement §5.a). |
What one $35 sale costs in card fees
Example · Shift4 POS. With the card rates in the table above. Example, not a quote.
In person
- Ticket
- $35
- 2.75% of a $35 ticketIn-person card rate
- $0.96
- 15¢ per transactionIn-person fee per transaction
- $0.15
- Card cost of one sale
- $1.11
Paid by your customers
With this program your customers pay the card cost on the cards it covers, so those cost your restaurant $0 in our estimate. A surcharge only covers credit cards: your restaurant still pays the vendor's rate on debit. We show what your customers pay apart and never add it to your cost. Card network rules and state laws apply, and some states limit surcharges.
| Card type | Dual pricing or cash discount | Surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Credit cards | Your customers | Your customers |
| Debit cards | Your customers | Your restaurant, at the card rate |
It isn't free: your customers pay it
| Fee | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Advantage Program (dual pricing, paid by your customers) | 4%Shift4 Help Center (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · 4% is the default. The same FAQ says the merchant can set a lower customer-facing rate or a higher one up to 5%. | per transaction |
Current promotion
Signing bonus
$5,000Source: Confirmación directa al comparador (1-oct-2026); pendiente de PDF público (opens in a new tab)The extension through October 31, 2026 was confirmed to us directly on October 1, 2026; Shift4's public terms (the version linked from shift4.com/legal) still say the promotion ended September 30, 2026. The conditions are those of that version. We will update the source when Shift4 publishes the new document.- Conditions
- A $5,000 cash signing bonus for US restaurants open at least 12 months that move to Shift4 POS from another company's POS. You sign Shift4's standard processing agreement, install and run your first live transaction within the promotional period, and average at least $30,000 a month in card volume with Shift4 over your first two calendar months. Not for businesses that processed with Shift4 or its referral partners in the previous 6 months, that are already their leads, or that share ownership or a franchise with an existing merchant. Paid by ACH about 60 days after it is earned. Shift4 decides who qualifies and can change or withdraw it without notice. It does not pay your current provider's early termination fee, and the 36-month term and the per-device early termination fee still apply.
- What you need to qualify
- An average of at least $30,000 a month in card sales over the first 2 months
- Valid until
Counts in the RTC Score only if our reference restaurant qualifies.
The switching or signing incentive is one of the criteria with the most weight in the RTC Score. We count a promotion only while it's current, with a fixed published amount and conditions our reference restaurant meets. "Up to" amounts, buyouts of your current contract and unpublished amounts don't count. The cost calculator subtracts one only when your numbers qualify.
Hardware
- Ownership
- Loaned: the vendor keeps ownershipShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Contract or terms · Hardware comes with $0 upfront cost and must be returned when the agreement ends (MPA §8.5.4).
- Works with another processor
- NoShift4 (opens in a new tab) · Contract or terms ·
| Item | Upfront | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| POS station (loaned) | $0Shift4 (opens in a new tab) · Vendor website · | — |
Hardware warranty
The same rows for every POS: how long the main terminal is covered against defects when you get it a standard way (buying, leasing, renting, a subscription or a loan), the conditions, including what it leaves out and what keeping it costs, and the price to replace that terminal outside the coverage.
| Hardware warranty included | Lifetime, while your agreement is activeSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Lifetime here means for as long as your agreement is active, the same rule we apply to every vendor whose coverage lasts while you keep the contract, rental or subscription that carries it. The hardware is loaned, the Service Agreement runs as long as the 36-month processing agreement and its 1-year renewals (§2.c), and the equipment goes back to Shift4 when it ends. The word "lifetime" is on the pricing page, not in the contract: the contract commits Shift4 to repair or replace defective equipment at its discretion (Service Agreement §5.b). It covers defects only, and Shift4's billing glossary says the yearly fee per device is what pays for these replacements (see the conditions). |
|---|---|
| Warranty conditions | Shift4 checks the problem remotely and decides whether to repair the unit, send parts or send a replacement, and it does not guarantee a fix (Service Agreement §5.b). The replacement ships first; you return the defective unit within 60 days or Shift4 can charge its replacement cost, typically $200 to $1,000 per device (MPA §8.5.4). Not covered, and fixed only for an extra charge whose rate is not published: accidents, natural disasters, negligence or misuse, changes you make, unauthorized repairs, relocation and theft (§5.f). The risk of loss or damage is yours from delivery, you must insure the equipment for at least 12 times your total monthly service fee (§4.g, §4.h), and damage beyond normal wear is billed at the full cost of the equipment, which is not published (§4.f). Coverage requires processing only with Shift4 (§2.a). What keeping the coverage costs: every device carries a $250 Annual Program Fee and a $189.99 Regulatory Assurance Fee a year, or an Annual Service and Maintenance fee that replaces both (MPA §5.4.1 to §5.4.3), and Shift4's billing glossary (updated July 8, 2026) says that maintenance fee is what covers the lifetime replacement of its devices, including overnight shipping. The Service Agreement, though, charges you for all shipping, $25 by ground per base package (§3.b; MPA §5.4.11); the contract prevails (§10.o). There is no published plan for accidental damage, and what a sales rep says is not a warranty (§10.o).Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) |
| Price to replace the main terminal | Not publishedSee my price for Shift4 POS (opens a price request form)Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)The main terminal is the loaned POS workstation with a 14-inch touchscreen. Shift4 publishes no purchase or replacement price for it. If it is damaged beyond normal wear, lost, stolen or not returned, Shift4 charges the full cost of the equipment, which is not published (Service Agreement §4.f). The only public figure is the $200 to $1,000 per device that the processing agreement cites for unreturned devices (MPA §8.5.4). |
The RTC Score only counts how long defects are covered. What the coverage leaves out (accidents, theft, loss) and what it costs to keep are in the conditions. A protection plan sold separately doesn't count; if the vendor offers one, it's in the conditions. The replacement price isn't added to the 36-month cost, because there's no public data on how often equipment fails.