What a POS system actually costs in Greater Boston
Your cost comes down to two things: the hardware, which is a one-time cost, and your processing rate, which is ongoing. No "call for a price" runaround — tell us what your business does and we'll put both in writing.
Reader Only
For businesses that just need to take card payments.
- Tap, chip and swipe reader
- PCI-compliant setup
- Processing-rate comparison
- Local install and training
- Same local support number
Full POS
A complete countertop system for one station.
- Touchscreen POS and card reader
- Menu or catalog configured for you
- Employee logins and reporting
- Receipt printer and cash drawer
- On-site install and staff training
- Offline mode tested before we leave
Multi-Station
Multiple terminals, handhelds or locations — built to scale.
- Multiple stations and handhelds
- Kitchen displays or back-office setup
- Multi-location reporting
- Shared inventory across stations
- Priority local support
- Phased rollout if you need it
Total due today: $0.00. Hardware sizing and a processing-rate comparison cost nothing and carry no obligation. We'll tell you the contract term on any option up front.
The part most people get wrong
Almost everyone shopping for a POS system focuses on the hardware price and skims the processing rate. It's backwards. Over three years, the rate is usually the larger number by a wide margin — and unlike hardware, it compounds quietly every month without you noticing.
Here's a way to think about it. On meaningful monthly card volume, a difference of a few tenths of a percent in your effective rate adds up to real money over a year. That difference is invisible on a quote sheet and obvious on an annual total. It's why we start every conversation with your current statement rather than a hardware catalog.
What your effective rate actually is
Take your total fees for a month and divide by your total card volume. That's your effective rate, and it's the only figure that lets you compare two offers honestly, because it includes the monthly fee, the PCI fee, the batch fees, the statement fee and everything else spread across three pages of a statement designed to be hard to read.
Bring us a statement and we'll calculate it with you, for free, and show you what a different structure would mean at your volume. Sometimes the answer is that you're already on a good rate. That happens, and we say so.
What's always included
- Hardware sizing for your space and volume
- Processing-rate comparison on your own statement
- On-site install and staff training
- Menu or catalog configured before install day
- Offline mode tested before we leave
- Local support — a tech answers the phone
What drives your hardware cost up or down
- Number of stations. The single biggest factor. One counter station versus four plus handhelds is a different project.
- Whether anything leaves the counter. Handhelds, mobile readers and rugged devices for shops and job sites all add cost — and usually pay for themselves.
- Kitchen routing. Printers are inexpensive; kitchen display screens are not. We'll tell you honestly which your kitchen needs.
- Peripherals. Scales, label printers, 2D scanners and customer displays are each small, and they add up. We'll tell you what to skip.
- Catalog complexity. A deep variant catalog or a 200-item menu takes real configuration time. It's included, but it affects the timeline.
One thing we'd push back on: buying the cheapest receipt printer. It's the component that fails first and it stops you completely when it does. Spending a little more there is the best value on most quotes.
Pricing questions, answered straight
Why don't you publish prices?
Because a published price for a POS system is almost always a lie by omission — it's the cheapest possible configuration, before the printer, the drawer, the install and the rate. We'd rather give you a real number for your actual business, which takes one conversation. What we won't do is make you chase us for it.
What's the difference between the hardware cost and the processing rate?
Hardware is a one-time cost — the terminal, printer, drawer, scanner, handhelds. The processing rate is ongoing, charged as a percentage of your card volume plus any per-transaction and monthly fees. Over three years the processing rate is almost always the larger number, which is why it deserves more of your attention than the hardware does.
How do I compare two processing offers honestly?
Ask for the effective rate: total fees divided by total card volume. It's the only number that captures the monthly fees, PCI fees, batch fees and statement fees that a quoted percentage hides. If a vendor won't give you an effective rate on your own volume, that's informative.
Is the install really free?
Yes — on-site installation and staff training are included in what we quote, not billed separately. It's the main practical reason to buy from a local provider rather than ordering hardware online.
What's due at signing?
Nothing is due to get a quote — $0.00, and no obligation. What's due at signing depends on the hardware and the option you choose, and we'll state it plainly in the quote along with the contract term.
Will I be locked into a long contract?
We'll tell you the term on any option before you sign it, including early-termination language. Some platforms have terms, especially where hardware is financed rather than purchased. If we think a term is unreasonable for your situation, we'll say so.
Can you beat my current rate?
Often, and sometimes not. Send a recent statement and we'll show you the math either way. If you're already on a competitive rate we'll tell you — a comparison is only worth anything if you believe the person doing it.
How quickly can we be live?
Most setups are live within about two weeks of approving the quote. That's mostly menu or catalog building plus hardware delivery. If you're opening on a fixed date, tell us the date and we'll work backward from it.
Want a real number instead of a range?
Send a recent processing statement and we'll calculate your effective rate for free — then show you what a different structure would mean at your volume.
Areas we serve across Greater Boston
Six counties, same local number. Pick your town to see who we work with there, or call (617) 958-8599 and a local tech will pick up.
Suffolk County
Middlesex County
Norfolk County
Essex County
Plymouth County
Worcester County
Also serving: Winthrop, Belmont, Lexington, Melrose, Stoneham, Wakefield, Winchester, Reading, Wilmington, Billerica, Bedford, Natick, Weston, Wayland, Sudbury, Concord, Chelmsford, Tewksbury, Milton, Westwood, Canton, Randolph, Holbrook, Walpole, Sharon, Saugus, Swampscott, Marblehead, Nahant, Lynnfield, Danvers, Beverly, Hingham, Hull, Abington, Rockland, Whitman, Hanover, Bridgewater, Kingston, Duxbury, Marshfield, Shrewsbury, Westborough, Northborough, Grafton, Auburn and surrounding communities throughout the six-county Greater Boston area. Don't see your town? Call (617) 958-8599 — if we cover it, we'll tell you; if we don't, we'll say so.