Common questions. Straight answers.

A merchant account is the account that lets your store accept card payments and receive the money. You need one to take cards. We set it up alongside your register so the two are configured together rather than bolted on afterward.

Every merchant account goes through underwriting before it is approved. The processor reviews your business type, your expected volume and your average ticket. That review sets your final pricing, which is why no honest quote can be final before it happens.

Your business details, a recent processing statement if you already take cards, and the basics on what you sell and how much you run monthly. If you are opening a new store and have no statement yet, we work from your projections instead.

No, and neither can anyone else honestly. Approval is the processor and sponsor bank decision, not a sales decision. What we can do is tell you up front if something in your setup usually causes friction, so you are not surprised.

A merchant category code classifies what your business sells. It affects your interchange cost and your underwriting. A liquor store and a gas station carry different codes and different economics, which is one reason a single flat quote across store types is a red flag.

In-person cards are 2.50% plus $0.10. Keyed and online are 2.90% plus $0.25. Zero cost processing puts the fee on the cardholder at 3.95% and you pay 0%. Sample pricing applies to new accounts applying directly; pricing is subject to underwriting, MCC and the merchant agreement; rates may differ and are subject to change.

Square's US fees page at squareup.com/us/en/payments/our-fees, retrieved 13 September 2026, lists tap, dip or swipe at 2.6% plus 15 cents, 2.5% plus 15 cents, and 2.4% plus 15 cents. Our published in-person rate is 2.50% plus $0.10. Type both into the fee calculator on the same volume. Square can change that page. Ours is still subject to underwriting, MCC and the merchant agreement.

No monthly fee, no annual fee, no setup fee, no statement fee, no PCI fee, no customer service fee and no batch fee. The published monthly minimum is $0.00 to $25.00, waived once discount charges exceed $25.

Month to month, with no early termination fee. If you rent equipment and do not return it, that carries a $395 fee. Your written agreement controls any other obligations.

Deposits land the next business day. Batching at the end of your day is what starts that clock, so a late batch pushes the deposit, not the sale.

Flat rate charges one percentage on every card, which is simple and usually costs more as volume grows. Interchange plus passes through the card networks actual cost and adds a fixed margin on top, which typically wins for an established store. We run both against your own statement instead of guessing.

Disputes are $25.00 each, and $25.00 per representment if you contest one. Ask for the written dispute process before you sign, because the cheapest chargeback is the one you never owe.

A register screen, a card reader, barcode scanning, inventory software and reporting. On our setups the processing is configured with the register rather than added later by a second vendor.

Tap to Pay is included with every merchant account. A handheld smart terminal is $199.00 to buy or $24.95 a month to rent, with one free per location. An all-in-one terminal is $399.00 to buy or $49.95 a month to rent.

Sometimes. It depends on the make, the model and how it was locked down by your last processor. Tell us what is on your counter today and we will tell you honestly what carries over.

Ask for the written multi-location terms. Some accounts report more than one store; do not assume every location shares one dashboard until the agreement says so.

The register setup we quote includes the inventory and reporting the store needs to run. Extra modules are listed on the written quote, not assumed. If a brochure lists invoicing, loyalty or text-to-pay, confirm those lines in writing for your account.

Tap to Pay is included with every merchant account. A handheld terminal is also on the published hardware list. Any other off-counter method has to be on the written quote for your store.

Yes. EBT acceptance is part of the counter setups we do for corner stores. SNAP authorization is a USDA program. Item eligibility and split tender have to work in the register; we scope that on the demo rather than treating it as a slogan.

Yes. Age checks are part of the liquor and convenience setups we quote. How the check is done, and what the cashier still has to verify by eye, is scoped on the demo for your store.

The state runs its own lottery terminal, so the work is reconciliation rather than integration. We set the counter up so lottery sales and register sales stay straight at close instead of turning into a nightly hunt.

Scan data programs need sales detail from the register in the format the program asks for. We check whether your POS version and item file can send that during setup. Payment amounts and eligibility stay with the manufacturer program.

Yes, where the rules allow. The distinction matters: cash discount, surcharging and dual pricing are three different programs with different legal treatment by state and different card brand requirements for how prices are posted. We set it up correctly or we tell you it is not a fit for your store.

Yes, and it is where most systems fall over. You buy by the case and sell by the bottle, so the system has to hold both units for the same product and keep the count honest when a case becomes twelve.

Often the catalog work happens while the current register stays live. Someone stays on the phone through the first busy shift. Whether you need a short closure or a lane-by-lane cutover depends on hardware, payment boarding and the number of lanes.

It depends on underwriting, the hardware you pick and how clean your current item data is. Rather than quote you a number we cannot control, we confirm the timeline for your store before you commit to anything.

Your old processor keeps its own records, and you should download your statements before you close the account. We migrate the item library and pricing that the register needs to run, not the historical transactions.

Card data is handled under the processor PCI program. Complete the PCI checklist and the non-compliance fee, published as $0.00 to $79.00, is waived. Ask for the current security addendum if you need the technical controls in writing.

Call us and a person helps diagnose whether the issue is the register, software, connection or processing. The available repair or replacement path depends on the hardware and written support terms.

We set up stores across the US. Setup and support happen by phone, video and shipped, pre-configured hardware, so a store in Memphis gets the same setup as one in Queens.