See how quickly a one-off cost, such as buying terminals instead of renting them or paying an exit fee to move to a cheaper plan, is recovered by the yearly saving.
Enter the one-off cost of the change and the yearly saving it produces. The calculator subtracts any credit you receive, adds up the saving year by year (changing it by the percentage you enter) until it covers the net cost, and shows the net saving over the period you choose.
Worked example (illustrative): a shop rents two terminals at $35 a month each ($840 a year). It could buy two terminals for $700 in total and pay a $200 exit fee to leave its rental agreement, a one-off cost of $900, then pay no rental. Payback = $900 ÷ $840 = about 1.07 years. Over three years the net saving is $840 × 3 − $900 = $1,620.
For a switch, the yearly saving is the difference between your current yearly fees and the new provider's yearly fees on the same card mix. Use the card fee calculator to work out both.
Limits: owned terminals still need a processing plan, may need software support and eventually need replacing; enter a negative yearly change if you expect the saving to shrink. The figures are illustrative, not any provider's prices. See renting versus buying terminals and switching payback.
Worked costings and choosing a provider
Compare renting and buying card terminals on total cost, payback and contract terms, with a worked example, the hidden equipment fees to check, and tap-to-pay on phones.
Costly mistakes, disputes and official sources
How to read a merchant services and terminal rental agreement, how early termination fees are calculated, and how the unfair contract terms rules protect small businesses on standard-form contracts.
Worked costings and choosing a provider
Work out whether moving to a cheaper card payment plan is worth it after exit fees, new terminals and set-up time, with a worked payback example and a no-downtime switching plan.
