Square Point of Sale (POS) is a widely-used system for accepting payments at retail stores, restaurants, and other businesses. Its fee structure is transparent and easy to understand, which is one of the reasons it’s favored by small and medium-sized businesses.

Standard In-Person Transactions

For in-person payments processed through Square’s POS system (swipe, tap, or dip using a credit or debit card), the standard fee is 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction. This means for every transaction, Square takes 2.6% of the transaction amount, plus an additional 10¢ flat fee. This applies to payments made using:

• Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.)
• Debit cards
• Mobile wallets (like Apple Pay and Google Pay)

Online and Manual Entry Fees

If a transaction is processed online or manually keyed in (for example, if the card number is entered manually instead of swiping or tapping), the fees are slightly higher due to the increased risk of fraud. The fee for these types of transactions is 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.

Additional Square Fees for Specialty Services

Square offers other services that come with unique fee structures:

• Invoices: If you send invoices through Square, the fee is 2.9% + 30¢ for each invoice paid.
• Square for Retail/Restaurants: While the basic POS fees apply, if you subscribe to Square for Retail or Square for Restaurants, the fee can be adjusted based on the specific service tier. These subscriptions come with added features like advanced inventory management, but the fees for transactions remain consistent at 2.6% + 10¢ for in-person transactions.

No Monthly or Hidden Fees

One of Square’s most attractive features is that there are no monthly fees for its basic POS system. Businesses only pay transaction fees, with no extra charges for:

• Setup
• Refunds
• Cancellations
• Customer support

If you're interested in learning more about the cost of using Square, you can review the Square POS pricing details.

Why Square POS Fees Are Beneficial for Small Businesses

Square's transparent fee structure allows businesses to easily calculate costs without worrying about hidden charges. The flat-rate pricing model is ideal for businesses with varied transaction sizes. Additionally, Square does not charge for refunds or chargebacks, which means if a business issues a refund, Square refunds the fees as well.

For many businesses, this simplified and predictable cost structure makes Square POS a cost-effective solution, especially when compared to traditional payment processors that may have more complex or tiered fee structures.