Price it right
Pricing
How to price a deal and which pricing model fits each merchant. For your earnings calculator and cost floors, see Your Earnings and Partner Programs & Schedule A.
Pricing models — five ways to price processing
Pick the pricing model that fits the merchant's business and your deal. Each has different complexity, merchant psychology, and margin potential.
| Model | Merchant pays | When to use | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dual pricing (0%) | Card price vs cash price; program fee built into card price | Fee-sensitive: food, liquor, c-store, trades, startups | Two prices must be posted on menu, website, and any place the merchant lists prices (cash & card). Terminal/POS file must be built for it. Signage required. A few owners hate the optics — have interchange-plus ready. |
| Cash discount | Posted price is the card price; cash payers get a discount at the register | Simplest story at the counter — QSR, c-store, single-price menus | The discount must come OFF the posted price. A "non-cash adjustment" fee added on top of a lower posted price is what gets merchants flagged — signage and receipts must match |
| Surcharge | A disclosed % fee added to CREDIT transactions only — debit is always at the posted price | Credit-heavy B2B, professional services, big tickets where two shelf prices feel wrong | Credit only, never debit or prepaid; capped at 3% and can't exceed your cost of acceptance; card brands must be notified and a few states still restrict it — check before filing |
| Interchange-plus | True cost + transparent markup (bps + per-item) | Higher tickets, professional offices, statement beats | Know your buy rate before quoting; margin = what you quote − buy rate |
| Flat rate | One blended % (+ per item) | Micro-merchants, simplicity buyers | You eat interchange swings — keep the blend honest |
POS systems pricing
| Product | Plan / Tier | Monthly | One-time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyTab by Shift4 | Base bundle | $29.99/device | $0 (30-day trial → 36-month agreement) | Includes hardware, receipt printer, PCI compliance, 24/7 support. Add modules: Air $29.99, Mobile $20, KDS $29.99, Bump Bar $9.99, PIN pad $9.99, Label Printer $19.99, Scale $39.99, Lighthouse $20, Gift Cards $25, Workforce $35. One-time: cash drawer $129, till $25, split cable $25. |
| Square | Lite / Plus / Premium | $0 / $49 / $99 | $0 | Lite free; Plus $49/mo with advanced features (inventory, staff management); Premium $99/mo for high-volume needs (multi-location, advanced reporting, priority support). Hardware sold separately (reader $29–$299). Rates: Cash Discount 4% or Rack Rate (IC+). |
| Clover | Varies by vertical | $0–$89.95 | Varies | Hardware pricing: Solo $1,734.80, Duo $2,058.80, Mini $917.10, Flex Gen 4 $738.11, Kiosk $3,537.12 (wholesale). Plus $5/mo Clover platform fee per MID. |
| Quantic | Pro / Enterprise | $50–$80/register addl (first $60/$90) | Varies | Unified Pricing model. Per-register software. Includes setup and training package. Multi-location dashboard. |
| Korona | Core / Retail / Plus | $59 / $79 / $99 per register | Varies | Per-register pricing model. Module add-ons available. Inventory import recommended pre-install. |
| PAYS | Starter / Growth / Enterprise | $59 / $79 / $99 | Station bundle $999 or quoted hardware | All plans include online ordering. Dual-pricing signage expectations — set early. Rental hardware has early-termination penalty. |
| NRS | Single lane | Price-friendly | Varies | C-store / bodega specialist. Age verification + scan data built in. EBT/SNAP native support. |
| SumUp | Hardware-based | Varies by plan | POS Lite $499, POS $799, Terminal $249, Solo $54, Connect Plus $199, Pro $289 | Entry-level POS and mPOS options. Month-to-month flexibility. |
| Chively (via Solutions in Payments / Luqra) | Varies | TBD (pricing coming soon) | Varies | Custom POS via partner. Use Deal Desk thread for pricing until public schedule available. Not house paper. |
Terminals pricing
| Product | Model | One-time cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAX Mobile / mPOS | A920 Pro, A920 MAX, A77, others | $100–$600 | Enterprise-grade mobile terminals. Transparent PNGs available from pax.us. Compatible with most gateways. |
| Dejavoo (P Line, QD Line) | Z8, Z3, etc. | Varies | Pairs with iPOSPays gateway. Robust feature set. One-portal experience (payment + reporting). |
| DejaPay Pro | Hardware terminal | Varies | Simplified Dejavoo offering. Full-featured payment terminal. |
| Square Terminals | Square Terminal (handheld) | $299 | Pairs with Square POS or standalone. Simple UX, broad compatibility. Rates 2.6%+10¢ standard. |
| Clover Flex / Go | Flex (printer + scanner), Go (reader) | $738.11 (Flex), varies (Go) | Handheld + pocket reader options. Included in Clover bundles or resold separately. |
| Shift4 Terminals | SkyTab bundled | Included in SkyTab bundle | Terminals included with SkyTab base bundle ($29.99/mo). Receipt printer, PIN pad bundled. |
| Valor VL series | Countertop / mPOS | Varies | Partners with Valor gateway. One unified portal. Strong feature set. |
Gateways & processing pricing
| Gateway | Base cost | Processing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interchange-plus (IC+2bps) | $0/mo (gateway included in POS) | Interchange + 2bps + $0.0215/txn | Higher-ticket merchants, professional offices. Transparent cost model. |
| Next2Pay (house gateway) | Gateway included with Next2Pay Invoicing | Custom per deal | Invoicing + payments. Recurring billing, text-to-pay, card-on-file. Best margins. |
| FluidPay | $25/mo minimum | Quote per deal | Flexible billing models, specialty processing. Partner pricing. |
| NMI | $25/mo minimum | Quote per deal | Virtual terminal option. Broad merchant support. |
| Luqra (Solutions in Payments) | $25/mo minimum | Quote per deal | Chively POS gateway. Partner deal. |
| Valor | $25/mo minimum (or bundled with terminal) | Quote per deal | Pairs with Valor terminals. One portal for card-present + CNP. |
| Authorize.net | $25/mo minimum | 2.9%+30¢ typical | Legacy standard. Broad integration support. Higher rates. |
| iPOSPays (Dejavoo-native) | $25/mo minimum | Quote per deal | Pairs with Dejavoo hardware. Streamlined Dejavoo experience. |
Invoicing solutions pricing
| Product | Monthly / Per-seat | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Next2Pay Invoicing (house) | $25/mo buy, retail-price per deal | Trades, service businesses, professionals (roofers, electricians, plumbers) | Estimates, invoices, text-to-pay, recurring billing. Best margins. QB integration sold separately. |
| Next2Pay + QB Integration | $50/mo buy, retail-price per deal | Same as above with full QB sync | Invoicing + QB integration bundled. Seamless sync into books. |
| FieldPulse | $25/mo minimum | Field service with CRM + scheduling | Estimates → invoices → text-to-pay. Full job management suite. |
| Field Work | $25/mo minimum | Field service alternative | Job management + payments. Simpler than FieldPulse. |
| LQPay | $25/mo minimum | Healthcare-friendly billing workflows | Billing + statements. Healthcare compliance built in. |
Services & add-ons pricing
| Service | Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NextLink (Client Automation & Outreach) | Trial $599/seat/mo (3-mo term) · Annual $749/seat/mo · M2M $999/seat/mo · Enterprise 10+ custom | Automated campaigns, follow-up sequences, dashboard with replies. Per-seat licensing. Internal pricing only in hub. |
| NextFund (Business Financing) | Varies (working capital, equipment, MCA) | Second commission alongside processing deal. Fast approvals off processing history. |
| Merchant Rewards | Included with processing | Merchants earn on volume they process. Stacks with dual pricing. Pitch during statement review. |
| Chargeback Protection | Quote per deal | Risk mitigation add-on. Pricing varies by merchant type and volume. |
Building the proposal
One page tells the whole story: the stack, the pricing model, the savings vs today, and what happens next.
- Use the Proposal Studio — the document assembles live: catalog builder, one-pager, NextLink quote, all print-to-PDF on letterhead.
- Catalog numbers come from the same source as the public Build Your Solution page.
- SkyTab: start from the blank SkyTab proposal PDF.
- Next2Pay Invoicing: use the Proposal Studio above, or request a Next2Pay proposal template from the Deal Desk.
- Show annual savings from the Statement Review calculator — it's the number they remember.
- Never put buy rates, splits, or internal pricing info in a proposal.