MerchantRateCheck
Non-negotiable
$30 to $80/month for 36–48 months

Hardware Lease

A 36–48 month lease on a payment terminal at $30–$80/month. Almost always a bad deal — the terminal is worth $200–$500 retail and the lease is non-cancellable.

Hardware leases are one of the worst deals in merchant services. A $400 retail terminal leased at $50/month for 48 months costs $2,400 — six times retail. The lease is typically non-cancellable, separate from your processing contract, and often outlasts the processing relationship itself (so you keep paying for a useless terminal after switching processors).

If a processor offers 'free terminal placement' as part of a lease, the cost is buried in the lease and your processing rates. If they offer to buy the terminal outright at retail or near-retail, that's fine. Reputable modern processors (Helcim, Stax, Dharma) sell or rent terminals at fair prices and never push leases.

If you already have a hardware lease, check the cancellation language. Most leases have no exit before term end — you may be stuck paying out the remainder regardless of whether you process through that company.

Who charges it
Hardware leasing company (often a separate entity from the processor).
Typical range
$30 to $80/month for 36–48 months

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