POS terminals payment providers

POS acceptance in brief

POS (point of sale) covers card-present payments in physical locations: countertop and portable terminals, mPOS readers paired with a phone, SoftPOS apps that turn an Android phone into a contactless terminal, and integrated POS systems for retail and restaurants. Behind every terminal there is an acquirer that settles the merchant, and often a separate provider for hardware and software.

Who looks for POS providers

• Retail, hospitality and services opening new locations or replacing a processor.
• Omnichannel brands that want one acquirer for online and in-store, with unified reporting.
• PSPs and ISOs adding card-present products to their offer.
• Delivery and field businesses that take payments on the go.

Costs to compare

• Card processing rates — card-present pricing is usually lower than online, with interchange-plus or blended options.
• Hardware: purchase, rental or free with volume commitments; SoftPOS avoids hardware but has per-transaction limits for PIN in some markets.
• Monthly fees, PCI compliance fees, early termination clauses.
• Settlement time and whether next-day funding is available.

Local specifics

Terminal certification and preferred schemes differ by country. In Turkey virtual and physical POS are issued by banks; in Brazil instalments at the terminal and PIX by QR are expected; in the US EMV chip, contactless and wallets are standard. QR payments at the counter are covered on the QR page.

Checklist

• Supported cards, wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) and local schemes.
• Integration with your till or ERP, offline mode, tipping, receipts.
• Chargeback handling for card-present disputes.

{count} companies on this page work with POS. Related hubs: card acquiring, acquiring banks. See offers or post a request.