The hidden cost of commissions: what you’re really paying on your POS terminals

Accepting card payments in unattended environments is no longer a “nice to have”—it’s the bare minimum customers expect. The convenience of paying with a card, mobile, or loyalty tools is essential to avoid losing sales.

What many businesses don’t realize is that the commissions they think they’re paying on their POS terminals don’t always match reality. What gets agreed upon is one thing… but what you actually end up paying is often much higher.

How POS commissions really work

In theory, a €1 transaction with an agreed fee of 0.4% should cost €0.004. But most providers of payment systems for unattended machines apply a minimum fee of €0.01 per transaction, which means in practice you’re paying double or even triple what was agreed.

When we’re talking about thousands of payments—very common in hospitality, retail, or subscription services—this silent difference eats into your margins without you even noticing.

Why some cards send your POS fees through the roof

Not all cards carry the same conditions, and that’s where many businesses discover unexpected surcharges:

• Intra-European cards → when the card comes from another EU country, fees often rise to 1%–1.5%.
• International cards (outside Europe) → costs here skyrocket, ranging from 2%–3% per transaction, sometimes with an additional fixed fee.
• Benefit cards (corporate, meal vouchers, prepaid, etc.) → in addition to the percentage, they usually include a fixed surcharge of up to +€0.30 per transaction, making low-value payments especially expensive.
  
  
  

Let’s look at a real example

A business generating €250,000 annually through POS terminals might expect to pay around €2,000 in fees (0.40%).

Reality check:

• Actual commissions paid: ≈ €9,850
• Extra cost vs. expectations: over €7,800 per year

This “invisible cost” significantly erodes profitability—and the worst part is that most businesses don’t even realize it until they run the numbers.

The alternative: transparency and savings with Frekuent

Our proposal is simple:

• Cut your commission costs by up to 85%
• Enjoy up to €400 or 250 transactions per month per device.
• No hidden tricks. No rounding up.
• 100% transparent pricing.

The result: Businesses that migrate all their devices to Frekuent cut their commission costs by up to 85% per year.

In summary

Hidden POS commissions are no small matter. They can add up to thousands of euros every year and quietly erode your business profitability.

Transparency is no longer a “nice to have”—it’s what your company needs to make decisions based on real data.

Want to learn more about hidden POS fees? Download our free report here and discover how to save up to 85% on commissions.