Payment and EPOS Costs for Convenience Stores and Off-Licences
Compare fees on small baskets alongside tills, barcode stock, additional service payments and the cost of keeping the queue moving.
The short answer
For convenience retail, a small per-transaction charge can add up across many low-value baskets. Use actual payment count and card turnover, and separate any third-party service collections. Add the complete till, stock and payment integration costs before choosing.
In this guide
Build the correct retail sales base
Separate ordinary retail card sales from cash and from services handled through other arrangements. If the shop provides third-party collections or similar services, establish who processes the payment and which fees are actually yours before adding them to card turnover.
Count the number of completed card payments across all tills. A basket with six items is one transaction if settled in a single payment. Include the card categories and channels used in your provider’s schedule.
Describe the full product and service mix accurately when requesting a quote, and obtain confirmation that the provider accepts the business activities concerned.
A small-basket fee comparison
Fictional shop. £45,000 monthly card sales are spread over 9,000 payments. Offer A charges 1% plus 3p per payment and £40 fixed monthly. Offer B charges 1.5% plus £25 fixed monthly.
| Component | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage fee | £450 | £675 |
| Per-payment fee | £270 | £0 |
| Fixed charges | £40 | £25 |
| Monthly total | £760 | £700 |
A costs £60 more monthly despite its lower percentage. The average payment is £5; at that basket size, a 3p charge is equivalent to another 0.6% of sales before fixed costs.
Price the working till and stock setup
- Count tills, scanners, printers, drawers and card devices.
- Demonstrate barcode sales, price changes, returns and stock adjustments.
- Check how promotions, weighted items or other essential functions work where relevant.
- Confirm whether reporting, purchasing and accounting connections need extra licences.
- For several shops, test stock transfers, permissions and site-level reporting.
Square’s stock-transfer documentation shows why plan eligibility matters for a specific function. Ask the same inclusion question of every supplier rather than assuming a feature shown in a demonstration is part of the entry plan.
Keep operational savings separate
An integrated terminal may reduce duplicate entry, but ask the supplier to show a declined transaction, refund and correction as well as a successful sale. Confirm which system supports the connection and the fault-reporting process.
Measure your existing reconciliation workload before assigning a value to time saved. Do not assume faster checkout automatically creates additional sales or reduces staffing cost.
Budget for implementation, data preparation and any period running old and new systems together. If the existing till works well, compare keeping it with a complete replacement.
Compare the first year and the ongoing bill
Run the same transaction profile through each quote, then add the required software and equipment. Test a quieter period and record all minimum terms. For several sites, avoid multiplying a per-site charge by the number of devices unless the contract actually bills that way.
Use the wider retail cost guide and the existing-EPOS switching guide, then calculate the complete alternatives.
Common questions
Why does transaction count matter for a convenience shop?
A pence-per-payment fee applies to each completed payment. With many small baskets it can materially change the effective processing cost.
Should every amount collected through the shop be entered as our card turnover?
No. Check who processes and receives each category, especially third-party service collections, and avoid counting the same payment twice.
Put your own figures to work.
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Sources and how to use this guide
Primary references checked on 15 October 2026:
Worked examples are original fictional scenarios, not customer results, market averages or provider quotations. Unless stated otherwise, they use a consistent VAT basis and include only the costs listed. Provider prices, eligibility and terms can change. Check your written agreement before deciding.
Our guides explain costs and comparison methods. They do not rank the whole market or claim hands-on product testing. Source links are references, not a claim of partnership. Read the calculation method and limitations, or about the service.