How much does Clover cost in Canada?

The short answer

• Hardware: bought outright or paid monthly. Clover Canada does not publish device prices.
• Software: a monthly plan per location. For restaurants, Clover sells a Counter Service and a Table Service plan, in Starter, Standard and Advanced systems.
• Card processing: a percentage plus a fixed amount per sale, which Clover says varies by business type.
• Apps: anything beyond the plan, from Clover's App Market, each with its own monthly fee.
• Setup and contract: installation, menu or catalogue build and training, and the term you sign. Clover says contract terms and termination fees vary by provider.

So the honest answer to "how much is Clover" is: it depends on the system you need and who sells it to you. Get each of the five as its own line on your quote.

What Clover Canada publishes

Clover's Canadian pricing page describes the structure, not the numbers:

• Merchants pay "a monthly software fee plus processing rates per transaction."
• There are "Starter, Standard, and Advanced software/hardware plans," and "fees vary depending on your business type."
• You can pay monthly, with hardware and software in one monthly price, or pay in full and own your hardware, plus a monthly service plan.
• On processing, it shows the format with an example, "1.0% + 10¢" in person and "2.0% + 10¢" keyed in, as an example of how rates are written, not as an offer.

Clover's pricing page also lists "no hidden fees," "no PCI charge" and "no batch close fees," and says pay-monthly plans include a warranty covering "accident, theft, and loss." Those are Clover Direct's terms: if you buy from a dealer, ask whether the same apply.

Hardware

Clover's Canadian lineup and its published specifications. Prices are not published: ask for each device's price, and whether it is bought or monthly.

Clover also lists the Flex Pocket. For a quick-service restaurant, Clover packages the hardware into three systems:

Software plans

The software plan is a monthly fee per location, on top of processing. For restaurants, Clover Canada sells two:

• Counter Service Restaurant Plan: fast checkout, takeout and pickup, kitchen display and printer routing, online ordering.
• Table Service Restaurant Plan: floor plans and table mapping, ordering and firing at the table, bill splitting, tabs, tip management.

Both include 24/7 live support from Clover, according to Clover's restaurant pages. Retail and service businesses have their own plans. Ask for the plan's monthly price and exactly which features are in it, because anything missing becomes an app.

Card processing rates

Every card sale costs a percentage plus a fixed amount. Clover's pricing page uses "1.0% + 10¢" in person and "2.0% + 10¢" keyed in as examples of the format; its quick-service page says rates "can be as low as 2.3% plus 10¢ per transaction." Neither is a quote: your rate depends on your business type, volume and card mix.

What sits underneath any rate is interchange, set by Visa and Mastercard and published. For a basic Visa card tapped in store it is 1.25%, and 0.77% for small businesses, before network fees and markup. See the interchange rates guide and the card processing fees guide.

Apps

Clover's App Market adds what a plan leaves out: loyalty, scheduling, accounting connections, delivery apps. Each paid app has its own monthly fee, billed on top of the plan. List every app you rely on today and ask whether each one works on Clover and what it costs.

One Canadian detail: Clover says its Gift Cards app is currently unavailable in French and in Quebec.

Setup, contract and cost to leave

This is where Clover quotes differ most, because it depends on who sells it to you. Clover's pricing FAQ says contract terms and termination fees "can vary based on your service provider, whether Clover Direct or among our trusted partners."

For comparison, at CleverPays setup is usually negotiated and charged, and terms run from no contract up to four years. Whoever you choose, get these in writing:

1. The term, and what happens at renewal. The Code of Conduct limits automatic renewals to extensions of six months or less.
2. The cost to leave early, for each year of the term.
3. The setup charge, and what it includes: installation, menu or catalogue build, training.
4. Who owns the hardware, and the separate terms of any lease.

Clover direct or through a dealer

You can buy Clover from Clover directly or through a Certified Clover Dealer. The hardware and software are Clover's either way. What changes is the price structure, the contract, and who you call.

• Direct: Clover's own published terms, including the ones listed above, and Clover's support.
• Through a dealer: the dealer sets up the system, trains your staff and is your first call, and sets its own terms. Check a dealer in Clover Canada's Certified Dealer Directory.

Neither is cheaper by default. Compare the five costs line by line.

Questions to ask for any Clover quote

1. What is the price of each device, bought and monthly?
2. Which software plan, at what monthly price per location, and what is not included?
3. What is my rate on credit, on Interac debit, and on keyed-in or online sales, including the fixed amount per sale?
4. Which apps will I need, and what does each cost per month?
5. What does setup cost, and what does it include?
6. What is the term, the renewal, and the cost to leave in each year?
7. Who do I call during service, and when are they available?

Common questions