Flat fee vs. per-transaction commission: the real math for a restaurant POS
“No monthly fee” is how Square, SumUp and most generic retail POS terminals sell themselves. It sounds great until you run the numbers against the real card takings of a restaurant that’s actually trading — because that “free” plan charges a percentage on every card sale, and that percentage grows with every euro the venue brings in.
The two models, in one line
- Per-transaction commission (Square, SumUp and most generic retail POS): €0/month subscription, but roughly 1.25% + €0.05 on every card charge.
- Flat fee (the Bouzon Digital POS): €29.99/month, whatever you bill. Bouzon Digital keeps 0% of your sales — the only percentage that exists is the card processor’s own fee (the same one your bank terminal already charges), and it is €0 when the guest orders by QR and pays at the card terminal or in cash. Paying from their phone (Table self-service) goes through the payment gateway instead, and carries the same kind of fee as any card charge.
The math with real takings
Using a 1.25% + €0.05/charge model:
| Monthly card takings | Approx. commission | Bouzon Digital flat fee | Yearly difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~€2,400/month | ~€30/month | €29.99/month | Roughly the same: this is the break-even point |
| €10,000/month | ~€125/month | €29.99/month | ~€1,100/year more expensive with commission |
| €20,000/month | ~€250/month | €29.99/month | ~€2,640/year more expensive with commission |
The break-even point sits below €2,500/month in card takings — a level most active restaurants clear on any given weekend. That’s why “no monthly fee” only looks cheaper on opening day, with an empty till. Once the business bills what a normal venue bills, the variable commission starts costing more than a flat subscription, and it keeps climbing with no ceiling while the flat-fee POS stays put at €29.99/month.
Note: Square/SumUp’s commission already covers card acquiring — it’s their only charge. Bouzon Digital’s flat fee is separate from that acquiring cost: the card processor still charges its usual fee on top, the same one any card terminal would charge. These are two different things, and this table compares them to see which weighs more on the business, not to claim one replaces the other.
What each model includes
Per-transaction POS systems like Square or SumUp charge separately for — or simply don’t offer — reservations and stock management, so you end up adding another product and another invoice. The Bouzon Digital POS lets you add reservations (+€9.99/month) and Stock & Recipes (+€19.99/month) on top of that same flat fee: the POS + Stock combo comes to €49.98/month, still with no commission on sales and still independent of how much you bill.
The question to ask before choosing
It isn’t “how much does the terminal cost?” — it’s “how much will I bill by card this month, and next year, if the business does well?”. A commission model rewards a restaurant for not growing. A flat-fee model does the opposite: the more you sell, the less that subscription weighs against each euro coming in.
Source for the figures: our own calculation using Square/SumUp’s public reference rates (1.25% + €0.05/charge) against the Bouzon Digital POS’s €29.99/month.