For an event, market or busy season, short-term EFTPOS hire in NZ costs about $95 to $180 + GST for anything from a few days to a month, plus courier and sometimes a network fee. For a business that trades all year, you're choosing between a monthly lease and a "free" rental tied to your card fees.
The catch is that every provider prices on a different basis. Below, we've put the published prices side by side on the same footing.
Short-term EFTPOS hire prices
All prices are as each provider publishes them, excluding GST.
| Provider | Hire period and price | Extra fees |
|---|---|---|
| Eftpos NZ (Verifone) | Up to 1 week $120; 8 to 15 days $140; up to 1 month $160; longer on application | Network fee $15 per terminal; courier $30 per order |
| Shift4 (formerly Smartpay) | 2 days $140; 7 days $150; 30 days $180; longer on seasonal or long-term plans | Courier $30 (delivery and return) |
| Skyzer | Weekend hire $95 (Move 5000); 2 weeks, 1 month and longer also offered | Courier $15, or pick-up and drop-off in Onehunga, Auckland |
| EFTPOS NOW | Quote only, "from a 1-day event through to a 5-month seasonal booking" | Ask |
What a one-week hire really costs
Add the fees on and the gap between the two biggest names narrows:
- Eftpos NZ, up to a week: $120 + $15 network fee + $30 courier = $165 + GST.
- Shift4, 7 days: $150 + $30 courier = $180 + GST.
For a month, it's $160 + $15 + $30 = $205 + GST at Eftpos NZ, against $180 + $30 = $210 + GST at Shift4. Skyzer's $95 + GST is its weekend hire; it also offers 2 weeks, a month or longer, so ask for those prices before you compare.
What's included also differs. Eftpos NZ's hire comes with an Android terminal, an unlimited SIM, 24/7 support and paper rolls. Shift4's comes with a prepaid SIM with unlimited data.
Long-term rental and lease prices
None of the big three terminal providers, Windcave, Shift4 and Eftpos NZ, publishes a fixed monthly lease price or a purchase price. We couldn't find a pricing page on Windcave's site. You'll get a quote. What's published is a set of ranges and a few reseller prices:
- Lease: Eftpos NZ's blog puts leasing "from around $35 - $50 + GST per month, per EFTPOS terminal". Shift4's blog says leasing a terminal from most providers "typically costs $30–$60 + GST per month, per terminal", and sets that against $0 rental on its own plan. Eftpos NZ's May 2025 cost breakdown also uses $30–$60, so treat all of these as ballparks.
- Buy: Eftpos NZ's blog puts a purchase at "around $1000 - $1900 + GST, per terminal".
- mPOS devices: Eftpos NZ's blog says mobile EFTPOS or "mPOS" devices from your merchant bank cost "around $25 - $40 + GST per device, per month".
- A reseller example: Positive Systems advertises "Fixed line or Broadband Eftpos rental for $35 + GST per month", month to month, subject to credit criteria.
- "Free" rental: Shift4's Low Cost Tap & Pay offers "FREE Android terminal rental", subject to a minimum monthly turnover it doesn't publish. You pay through its card rate instead: Shift4's cost blog shows "~ 1%" per transaction for this plan, and says it sets the rate for your business based on the cards you accept. Our Shift4 guide explains how it works.
Watch the contract length. Windcave's 2021 guide to card payments says leases run "usually for 36 months". Shift4's referral terms mention "a new minimum 24-month terminal rental contract". Eftpos NZ's comparison table, a competitor's page, describes Shift4's offer as "12 months free (with 36-month term)".
The fees on top of rental
The terminal is only one line on the bill. Ask about each of these:
- Network fee. The payment network your terminal runs on charges monthly. Eftpos NZ's 2025 blog puts the Verifone network at $15.00 + GST per terminal per month, and the Paymark network at $18.90 + GST.
- SIM. For a mobile terminal, Eftpos NZ's blog quotes "around $13.00 + GST per month", or $5.00 + GST for a backup SIM that "covers up to 200 transactions".
- Merchant service fees. Your bank or provider charges a percentage on contactless, credit and online payments. When a customer inserts or swipes an EFTPOS card and picks CHQ or SAV, BNZ and ASB list no merchant service fee. Our EFTPOS fees guide has the full picture.
- Courier. Short-term hire usually charges for delivery and return, as in the table above.
Want a year's total? Put the numbers into the true cost calculator.
Before you hire: what you need
- A merchant ID. This identifies your merchant account, which is how card takings reach your bank. Eftpos NZ says that if you already have a Verifone Merchant ID it can dispatch a terminal "in as little as one business day", and if you don't, it will guide you through the bank process. Maverick Technology says short-term clients "must already have a Paymark Merchant ID". Shift4 offers 24-hour delivery to existing customers or merchants with a merchant ID. Sort this early: it's the step most likely to hold you up.
- 4G or Wi-Fi. At a market or field day, don't rely on venue Wi-Fi. Eftpos NZ and Shift4 both include an unlimited-data SIM with short-term hire.
- Standalone or integrated. A standalone terminal means typing each amount in by hand. That's fine for a stall. For a café or shop, see the next section.
Renting a terminal that talks to your POS
If you run a POS, rent a terminal it can integrate with, so the sale amount goes straight to the terminal and nobody re-keys it. Some examples from the systems we cover:
- Lazygrid works with Windcave, Eftpos NZ (Verifone), Shift4 (formerly Smartpay). It also rents a Stripe WisePad 3 at NZ$50 a week, or sells one for NZ$199 (GST not stated). Read our Lazygrid review.
- Tabin's starter pack, NZ$56.35/mo incl. GST, bundles a Windcave terminal with its POS. Read our Tabin review.
- Bustle works with Eftpos NZ (Verifone), Windcave, Shift4 (formerly Smartpay). Read our Bustle review.
- Loyverse integrates with Shift4 (formerly Smartpay), iOS only. Read our Loyverse review.
Check your own combination with the EFTPOS checker, and see who integrates with Windcave and Shift4. Using Shopify POS? Its readers don't take plain EFTPOS cards, so read our Shopify POS and EFTPOS guide before you hire.
Rent, lease or buy?
- Hire short-term for events, markets and seasonal trade. It costs more per week, but there's no contract.
- Rent month to month if you're new or unsure, so you can walk away without a long contract.
- Lease if you're settled and the monthly price is clearly lower. Read the term first: 24 or 36 months is common, and leaving early can cost you.
- Buy only if you're sure of your provider and network for years. At around $1,000 to $1,900 + GST a terminal, that's roughly 20 to 54 months of lease payments at $35 to $50 a month, and you may still pay maintenance. Windcave's 2021 guide notes that buying usually adds "a monthly maintenance and support fee".
For the hardware itself, see our EFTPOS terminals guide. Choosing a POS to go with it? Compare all seven systems.