POS System Without Credit Card Processing
Customers rarely carry cash these days, so it's crucial to have a credit card processing system attached to your POS solution.
Because many POS companies only offer their own credit card processing, or have exorbitant fees for using outside sources, business owners may find themselves in long-term, no-frills contracts, costing them big in the long run.
Finding a good POS system without an exclusive credit card processor can be difficult.
Luckily, we've done the research for you.
Continue reading to learn about the 6 best POS system solutions without credit card processing.
Top 6 POS Systems That Allow Business Owners To Choose Their Own Credit Card Processors
1. Clover
The Clover point-of-sale system is a great option for all business types, including restaurants, retail stores, and other professional services. While the hardware is certainly on the pricey side, the ability to work with a wide range of third-party payment processors is a major benefit. With that said, the payment processing they offer is quite competitive, as it uses flat-rate fees.
Because Clover POS also has a large dealer network, you can find the best price for your system through a wide range of third-party vendors.
The standard features that come with Clover include reporting tools which allow you to filter your POS reports, track your best-selling items and busiest times, get aggregate sales from multiple stores, and more.
Clover also offers 24/7 customer support over the phone, which can be very helpful for any business that runs outside of normal business hours.
You'll find several solutions for different businesses, including retail shops, quick-service restaurants, full-service restaurants, home and field businesses, and professional services.
Their wide range of hardware to choose from includes Clover Go, a small magstripe card reader that pairs with smartphones via Bluetooth, and the Clover Station Duo, the company's flagship product utilizing a 14" touchscreen, customer-facing display, included cash drawer, barcode scanner, fingerprint login, and built-in camera.
When it comes to overall flexibility, Clover is one of the best point-of-sale providers around.
Lightspeed has long been a prime choice for retailers with its top-notch cloud-based solutions. The company has a wide range of software and hardware options which a business owner can use to run transactions. You'll find multi-location management tools, inventory tracking tools, customer relationship management tools, and so much more.
While you can process payments using the company's integrated processing, Lightspeed Payments, you also have the ability to choose from a wide range of payment processors.
The Lean plan starts off at $79 per month, with a $29 per month fee for additional registers if you are using Lightspeed Payments. The hardware cost, on the other hand, is quote-based, meaning you'll have to get in touch with Lightspeed reps for more accurate pricing information.
Even with the relatively high monthly fees, it's hard to argue against Lightspeed being one of the best POS systems for retail.
For starters, you get a wide range of intuitive checkout features, and employees can bring their iPads in to check customers out from anywhere in the store when connected to the system. You also get one of the best systems to manage inventory on the market today, which provides all of your basic features, as well as features to order new stock directly, upload vendor catalog, transfer stock between multiple locations, and more.
While we could go on about the CRM features, employee management features, reporting and analytics features, and loyalty program features, it's important to mention the flexibility of the eCommerce system. Lightspeed allows business owners to manage their brick-and-mortar stores and online shops from a single eCommerce platform, which delivers 50 custom templates.
Overall, Lightspeed is one of the simplest and feature-rich retail solutions on the market today, utilizing a clean layout and a sleek interface.
3. Revel
Revel is an advanced iPad point-of-sale solution with robust functionality for restaurants and retailers.
The system starts off at $99 per month with additional costs for more terminals, making it an expensive choice for small or new businesses. However, for well-established, high-volume businesses, it is one of the most feature-rich solutions around.
The enterprise management features are some of the best on the market, allowing business owners to manage multiple locations from a single place.
In fact, a contract with Revel allows you to manage more than 1,000 franchise locations with one system.
It also integrates with other enterprise solutions, offering customer relationship management tools, centralized accounting, and an open API.
You'll find other quality multi-channel capabilities on Revel too, which are great for restauranteurs that want to expand their business beyond the dining room. You'll find online ordering capabilities, delivery tracking tools, and drive-thru-compatible hardware.
Revel offers its own payment processor called Revel Advantage, though gives users the ability to connect with their own if they choose. However, note that you can only choose from a few payment gateways that Revel connects with, so the options aren't 100% flexible.
One of the biggest downsides to Revel is that you have to enter into a three-year contract when you sign up with them. If you realize that the system is not for you and choose to drop your Revel subscription, you may incur hefty cancellation fees.
However, for high-volume businesses, the range of robust features and the quality 24/7 support year-round might be worth the extra cost.
While Lavu may not be the go-to solution for restaurant owners who want ultimate hardware flexibility, this solution has tons of customizable features that can be used to expand functionality. The Starter Plan kicks off at $59 per month, and you can add an additional terminal for $50 per month.
The Starter Plan comes with the Lavu real-time reporting app, loyalty program tools, inventory tools, and team management functions. To get online ordering, tableside ordering, API access, QuickBooks integration, and other higher-end features, you must upgrade.
One of the main selling points for Lavu is that you can pick and choose from a wide range of high-end, third-party features. This is what makes it one of the most favored restaurant POS systems on the market.
The integration capabilities are better than most systems, giving you the flexibility to customize your Lavu system to fit the needs of your business without any unnecessary bells or whistles.
If you upgrade your Lavu plan and get access to the open API, the system becomes even more flexible. You then get access to create your own custom checkout processes, reservations, loyalty programs, menu customizations, and more.
As for card processing, you can go with Lavu Pay, which comes with quote-based pricing, or integrate with a third-party payment processor, which will cost you an additional $25 per month per terminal.
Note that the one major drawback of Lavu is the limited hardware. The system is iOS-based, meaning Android users might want to look at other options. Lavu sells printers, terminals, card readers, and other types of hardware, though compared to many other systems on this list, many of the options are quite limited.
5. QuickBooks
QuickBooks is one of the biggest names in the world of online accounting software. However, they also have one of the best POS software on the market today. One of the main strong points is the company's QuickBooks accounting integration, which comes with everything from accounting payment processing to payroll to time-tracking.
Every aspect of your business can be seamlessly connected using a single account. Many business owners like the idea of having a single brain point for their entire businesses, and QuickBooks provides an excellent solution for such.
QuickBooks offers third-party payment processing as well. But if you choose to integrate with QuickBooks Payments, they have an excellent option for businesses that process more than $7,500 per month.
Plus, QuickBooks will closely work with business owners to come up with personalized plans that make the most financial sense for their needs.
Beyond that, QuickBooks offers a wide range of high-end invoicing and mobile app features for businesses on the go.
One of the major downsides to QuickBooks is you won't get integrated hardware. Some alternative merchants offer free terminal options with their included contracts or a range of hardware options to choose from. However, you'll have to sign up for other hardware if you go with QuickBooks, which can be a considerable drawback, depending on your business type.
TouchBistro is one of the few major restaurant POS solutions that allow you to connect with other third-party payment processors if you choose, though the company also has its own payment processor that accepts card payments.It is a great locally-installed option for businesses, offering a solution for every type of food business, whether a full-service restaurant, a catering company, a food truck, or a bakery. We love TouchBistro's cutting-edge hardware technology as well.
One of the things that the company allows you to do is display high-quality menus on larger screens via Apple TV and make changes in real-time with the digital menu board sync.
The POS software for TouchBistro starts off at $69 per month, though the hardware s completely quote-based, meaning you'll have to get in touch with the reps at TouchBistro for an estimate.
The company also runs quote-based payment processing, determining rates based on the size of your business.
Overall, TouchBistro is an excellent option for any restaurant that hasn't totally warmed up to the idea of having a point-of-sale system that is 100% cloud-based. With hybrid point-of-sale software, you have locally-installed data that can also be sent to the cloud.
While other cloud-based solutions have the ability to accept payments without the internet using offline functionality, TouchBistro utilizes real-time reporting, inventory management, and more, even during an internet outage.
The company offers top-notch, 24/7 customer support, making it a great choice for restaurant businesses that run outside of normal business hours, such as bars or nightclubs. It also comes stacked with several restaurant-specific features, helping you to optimize your FOH and BOH operations.
There are a few drawbacks to note about TouchBistro, however, including the fact that online ordering and customer loyalty programs will cost extra under every plan. Plus, you must renew contracts automatically, and you're not allowed to terminate them early without getting hit with a large fee. That said, they're still one of the best iPad POS systems available.
Final Thoughts
There are many aspects to consider when searching for the best POS system for your business. Management tools for employees, inventory, and customers, reporting and analytics features, hardware options, and phone support are among the most important.
However, the most overlooked feature is the ability to integrate with other payment processing companies in order to accept credit and debit cards. The majority of POS providers require signing up for their exclusive processing. While some merchants offer excellent rates, you may not want to be locked into their operation if you currently have a processor you enjoy using or if you want the ability to shop around.
Window shopping for POS prices? Click the button below and answer a few quick questions to let us know what you're in the market for. This is a FREE service provides price quotes from the most reputable POS providers in the country. You'll be able to compare multiple price quotes at once. Best of all, every option you will receive will be tailored to your specific POS preferences.
Get started today!
Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author
