EFTPOS terminals in NZ: what they cost and which ones work with your POS

For most small NZ businesses the answer is to rent a terminal from a provider your POS already integrates with, and to check that integration before you sign anything. Buying outright rarely makes sense: none of the main providers publishes a purchase price, and terminals need regular replacement for security anyway. The one thing that changes from shop to shop is which provider your POS talks to, so start there.

If you just want to check your own setup, our EFTPOS checker does it in a few clicks.

The quick answer: which terminal for which POS

"Integrated" means the POS sends the sale total to the terminal, so nobody re-keys it. Here's who each POS we cover integrates with in New Zealand:

A few details that catch people out:

• Shopify POS uses its own card readers in NZ (the NZ hardware store lists a POS Terminal at $509.00, without saying whether GST is included). Linking a Windcave, Verifone or Shift4 (formerly Smartpay) terminal needs a paid third-party app such as OrderMate by Made Simple Apps (from US$9.99/month on its Shopify App Store listing); our Shopify POS EFTPOS guide explains the options.
• Loyverse works with Shift4's S800 and S920 terminals, and its Shift4 page says the integration is "currently available only on iOS devices" (iPhone and iPad).
• Hike with Windcave supports the Ingenico iPP350 and Move/5000, connected over the internet, not USB.
• Lazygrid says that if your terminal isn't one of its integrated setups, staff can enter the order total on the terminal and then mark the order as paid. That works, but it's exactly the double-keying integration is meant to remove.

Want the full picture of each system? Read our Lazygrid review, Read our Bustle review, Read our Loyverse review or Read our Shopify POS review, or line them all up on our comparison table.

What an EFTPOS terminal costs in NZ

The honest answer is "it depends on the deal", because the providers mostly quote privately. Here's what they do publish.

Monthly rental and network fees

Eftpos NZ says you can expect a monthly fee to lease your terminal, which "varies depending on the model and leasing term". On top of that there's a charge to connect to the Verifone network of $15.00 + GST per terminal, per month, and your bank may charge a one-off set-up fee for a new merchant facility.

Shift4 advertises free Android terminal rental on its Low Cost Tap & Pay plan, with a minimum monthly turnover threshold and T&Cs. You then choose how card costs are settled: one flat rate for Visa and Mastercard billed monthly, or a "No Fees" option where a surcharge goes on credit and contactless payments and your monthly transaction bill from Shift4 is $0.

Windcave doesn't publish terminal prices at all. Ask for a written quote.

Card fees are a separate cost from the terminal. Our true cost calculator puts the POS subscription, terminal and card fees together so you can see the real monthly number.

Short-term hire for events

Both Eftpos NZ and Shift4 publish hire prices for a portable terminal:

Both add a $30 + GST courier fee. Eftpos NZ also adds its $15 + GST network fee per terminal, and includes an unlimited SIM and paper rolls. Shift4 says GST applies to all its short-term plans. There's more on this in our EFTPOS rental guide.

Buying outright

You'll struggle to find a published purchase price from Eftpos NZ, Windcave or Shift4. If you want to own one, ask for a written quote. Before you buy, remember Paymark's warning that terminals "must be upgraded and replaced regularly" for security. On a rental, that replacement is the provider's problem, not yours.

Integrated vs standalone EFTPOS

A standalone terminal knows nothing about your POS. Staff ring up the sale, then type the same amount into the terminal. It works, but every busy lunch rush brings a few typos, and end-of-day totals that don't match.

An integrated terminal gets the amount straight from the POS, and the approved (or declined) result goes back to the POS. Lazygrid describes it well: the customer pays on the terminal and "the approved result returns to the POS, so staff do not have to key the amount twice". If you take more than a handful of card payments a day, integration is worth having.

Integration is a software link between your POS and the provider, so a terminal from the "wrong" provider can't simply be plugged in. That's why the table above matters more than the terminal model.

The NZ providers

Eftpos NZ (Verifone)

Eftpos NZ supplies Verifone terminals and also runs the Verifone network. Its current range includes portable Android terminals (the new Victa Portable, V660p Plus and T650p), countertop units (T650c, the P630 and M424 PIN pads, M440) and a self-service UX700, plus V210 and V400c machines that connect to the Paymark network. It says its devices integrate with "700+" POS systems.

One thing to know: by default an Eftpos NZ terminal accepts NZ-issued EFTPOS and debit cards. To take credit and contactless cards such as Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay, your bank sets up a credit merchant facility.

The Victa Portable is the newest model: Android 13, a 6.7-inch screen, a built-in receipt printer and a battery rated for twelve hours of continuous use.

Windcave

Windcave is a NZ terminal and payments provider. Its terminals are PCI PTS 6.x compliant and point-to-point encrypted, and it says it integrates with more than 300 POS, property management and ERP systems. It doesn't publish prices, so you'll be quoting directly. See which POS systems work with it in our Windcave integrated POS guide. Windcave terminals named by POS vendors include the Ingenico iPP350 and Move/5000 (Hike's list).

Shift4 (formerly Smartpay)

Smartpay now trades as Shift4; its site says "Smartpay is now Shift4". Many people still search for "Smartpay EFTPOS machines", and they're the same company. Its terminals take "Tap, Insert, or Swipe", come with a multi-network SIM and Wi-Fi back-up, and settle seven days a week. Loyverse lists the Shift4 S800 and S920 for New Zealand, and the S920 is the one Shift4 offers for short-term hire. Our Shift4 integrated POS guide lists the POS systems that connect to it.

Paymark (the network) and Tap on Mobile

Paymark is a payment network, not a POS integration you pick. Terminals from providers such as Eftpos NZ connect to it. Paymark also offers Tap on Mobile, which turns an NFC-capable phone into a card reader: Android devices running the last three versions of the OS (currently v12 or higher), or Tap to Pay on iPhone. It accepts Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and other wallets, and Paymark says that with no network fee you can save up to $18.90 a month plus terminal rental. It's a good back-up or a start for a very small trader, but it isn't integrated with the POS systems in our table.

Countertop, portable or phone?

• Countertop terminals (or a PIN pad) sit by the till on a cable. Best for a fixed counter.
• Portable terminals have a battery, often a printer, and a SIM or Wi-Fi. Best for table service, markets and deliveries. Most current Android models do both jobs.
• Phone-based options like Paymark's Tap on Mobile use no extra hardware but only take contactless payments.

Taking payments away from the counter is its own topic; see our mobile POS and portable EFTPOS guide.

Connectivity: Ethernet, Wi-Fi or 4G SIM

Every terminal needs an internet connection to process a payment. You have three ways to give it one:

• Ethernet (cable): the most reliable for a fixed counter.
• Wi-Fi: fine if your Wi-Fi is solid across the whole floor.
• 4G SIM: keeps working if your broadband drops and is essential away from the shop. Shift4's portable terminal has built-in 4G as well as Wi-Fi and LAN, and Eftpos NZ's hire terminals run on an unlimited SIM, so you're not relying on venue Wi-Fi.

For an integrated setup, check how the terminal must connect to your POS. Hike's Windcave integration, for example, works only over the internet, not USB.

From swipe readers to EFTPOS terminals

Ten-plus years ago, a common question was which magnetic stripe reader (MSR) to plug into your POS computer: USB or serial, which card tracks to read, how tough it needed to be. In New Zealand in 2026 you don't buy a separate card reader for your POS. The EFTPOS terminal does the job, reading chip, contactless and (still) the stripe, and it comes from your payment provider rather than being plugged into the PC.

The stripe itself is fading. Mastercard said in 2021 that, starting in 2024, stripes would no longer be required on new cards in regions where chip cards are already widely used, and that they'd be gone altogether by 2033. If you still use a stand-alone stripe reader for something like loyalty cards, a barcode or QR code read by a 2D scanner is the modern replacement; see our barcode scanner guide.

Outside NZ?

This page is written for New Zealand businesses and NZ providers. If you're elsewhere, our POS comparison still lines up what each system costs and does.