It’s the age-old question, isn’t it? “How much is this going to cost?” We knew that if you were researching the Clover POS system for your business, you would get to the cost question at some point or another. Here’s your answer.
2 Ways to Purchase a Clover POS System
There are two ways to go about purchasing a Clover POS system–buying directly from First Data, and going through a merchant services provider.
1. Buy Directly From First Data
First Data is the maker of the Clover POS system. It might seem like the obvious answer to go to the point of origin for the product, but this is actually not the case with Clover. The Clover business model is designed for a point-of-contact between Clover and the merchant–a merchant services provider. For this reason, Clover does not have the infrastructure in place to maintain a customer support team large enough for their customer base, as we discussed in our blog on the pros and cons of the Clover POS system. Purchasing through a merchant services provider is recommended.
2. Go Through a Merchant Services Provider – Recommended
When you go through a merchant services provider, you receive the full benefits of their customer support team. Depending on your merchant services provider, this can include set up and training for your entire staff as well as check-in calls over the following months to ensure everything is running smoothly. A good merchant services provider will also research any current technology you have in place to determine if the Clover POS system can integrate with your hardware and software. Finally, a good MSP will be on-call 24/7 for any technology support you need after set up, including the full replacement of your Clover POS system.
These are all benefits that we provide for our clients at Cornerstone Credit Services. Give us a call if you are interested in purchasing a Clover POS system through us!
5 Fees That Contribute to the Overall Cost
Five fees go into the purchase of a Clover POS system if you buy through a merchant services provider–the cost of the Clover hardware, the set up cost, the monthly fee to the merchant services provider, the monthly fee for the Clover cloud-based software, and the monthly fees to the developers of any third-party apps you have chosen.
1. Cost of the Clover POS System
At the initial purchase of your new Clover POS system, you will pay a one-time rate for the out-of-the-box hardware set by Clover. This is the price for the hardware alone with no 1) installation and training, 2) merchant account to allow for credit card processing, 3) software plan with Clover, or 4) specialized apps for your unique business needs.
2. Cost of Set Up
At that time, your merchant services provider will put together a team tasked with getting you set up with your new Clover POS system. Depending on your business needs, this may include few or many hours for research, installation, and training, which will all affect your price point.
2. Monthly Fee to Merchant Services Provider
At the same time as you set up your Clover POS system, you are entering a relationship with the merchant services provider so you have a merchant account, which allows your business to process credit cards. The merchant services provider will charge you their rate on a monthly basis.
3. Monthly Fee to Clover
Also at the initial purchase, you will choose a software plan with Clover. The pricing of these plans depend on which Clover hardware you are using, of which there are many choices including the Clover Station, Clover Mini, and Clover Flex.
4. Monthly App Fees to Third-Party Developers (optional)
Finally, you may elect to install certain apps from Clover’s extensive app store for your system depending on your business needs. Some are free while others require monthly payments to the third-party app developers (just like smartphone apps).
The #1 Biggest Factor in Clover Pricing
At the end of the day, the biggest factor contributing to price differences with the Clover POS system is the size of your inventory, or, if you are a restaurant, the size of your menu. Large inventories and menus require long set up times which can significantly increase your rate through man hours and special apps.
Although we cannot give you an exact figure–the pricing of the Clover POS system depends largely on your unique business needs–we hope this gives you a rough idea of what to expect. If you would like to know what rate your business is looking at, we would be more than happy to quote a price for you! Simply give us a call at (907) 770-8100 or send us a message using our contact form and we will reach out to you.