Our verdict: 2.8 out of 5, and the score is really about the lock-in
Clover earns 2.8 out of 5. Its hardware is good, its direct card rates are fair, and its direct prices are mostly published. The score falls on three things: devices that work only with Clover, no reserve policy we could find in public, and a review record where unprompted owners rate it about 1.2 stars.
Clover is a point-of-sale company owned by Fiserv, and it is sold two ways. You can buy direct on clover.com, which is what we scored. Or you can get it from a bank or sales partner. Clover names Citi, PNC and Wells Fargo as sellers, plus more than 1,000 other financial institutions in one FAQ answer and more than 3,000 in another [1]. With a bank or partner, the processing agreement, the rate and the exit terms come from that seller [1].
Pros
- A low published in-person rate on Standard and Advanced: 2.3% + 10¢ [2].
- Full countertop systems with printer and customer display priced on the page [2].
- You can buy hardware outright and skip the 36-month subscription [2].
- Rapid Deposit puts card sales in your account within minutes for a 1.75% fee [2].
Cons
- Clover devices cannot be moved to another processor, even if bought elsewhere [1].
- Subscriptions are non-cancelable and roll over without 30 days' notice [1].
- Clover's terms allow suspension without notice, for any reason [3].
- Bank-sold Clover can carry different rates, fees and exit terms [1].
Clover pricing and fees, bought direct
Clover direct charges 2.6% + 10¢ for an in-person card on the retail Basic system and 2.3% + 10¢ on Standard and Advanced, with typed-in cards at 3.5% + 10¢ on all three [2]. Here is everything the retail pricing page lists, and what it leaves out.
| Fee | Basic | Standard | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card tapped, swiped or inserted | 2.6% + 10¢ [2] | 2.3% + 10¢ [2] | 2.3% + 10¢ [2] |
| Card typed in | 3.5% + 10¢ [2] | 3.5% + 10¢ [2] | 3.5% + 10¢ [2] |
| Hardware bought outright | $349 [2] | $1,899 + $84.95 a month [2] | $2,648 + $104.90 a month [2] |
| Hardware on subscription | $16 a month for 36 months [2] | $180 a month for 36 months [2] | $240 a month for 36 months [2] |
| Rapid Deposit (funds in minutes) | 1.75% fee [2] | 1.75% fee [2] | 1.75% fee [2] |
| Online card rate | Not on the retail page | Not on the retail page | Not on the retail page |
| ACH, chargeback, international card | Not published | Not published | Not published |
At our reference shop, with $30,000 a month in card sales from 1,200 in-person sales of $25, here is the monthly bill on each retail option. The math is sales times the percent, plus 10¢ a sale, plus any monthly charge [2].
| Option | Card fees | Monthly charge | Total a month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic, bought for $349 | $900.00 | $0 listed | $900.00 | 3.00% |
| Basic, on subscription | $900.00 | $16 | $916.00 | 3.05% |
| Standard, bought for $1,899 | $810.00 | $84.95 | $894.95 | 2.98% |
| Standard, on subscription | $810.00 | $180 | $990.00 | 3.30% |
Two things stand out. Bought outright, Standard edges Basic at this size, because the 0.3-point lower rate saves $90 a month and the software costs $84.95. And the subscription versions cost more every month for three years, so they make sense only if you cannot spare the cash up front. For Clover's full-service restaurant and salon prices, see our Clover fees page.
Contract, cancellation and hardware
Bought direct, the binding part of Clover is the hardware, not a processing term. Clover's FAQ says subscriptions are non-cancelable and ineligible for refunds, though you can pay one off at any time or break it to buy out or upgrade [1].
- End of term: you buy or return the equipment. If you do neither, the subscription continues at the same monthly charge. To stop it, tell Clover at least 30 days before the term ends [1].
- Account terms: Clover's terms of service run until either side ends the Clover account on 30 days' notice [3].
- Exit fees: Clover's FAQ says contract terms and any termination fees vary by service provider, whether Clover Direct or a partner bank [1]. It does not print a figure for direct accounts.
- Portability: Clover devices bought or leased from other sellers still cannot be used with other payment processors [1]. Leaving Clover means new hardware.
- Warranty: a subscription includes Clover's Equipment Protection Program, which Clover says is not available in New York or Oregon [1].
If a bank or agent sold you Clover
Your rate, monthly fees, term length and early termination fee come from that seller's agreement, not from clover.com [1]. Some sellers also put hardware on a separate lease that keeps running after you stop processing. Ask for the agreement and any lease in writing, and read our card terminal leases guide before you sign.
Holds, reserves and account terminations
We could not find a reserve or hold policy on clover.com. Clover's terms of service cover the software, and they are broad: Clover may permanently or temporarily terminate, suspend, or refuse access to its services without any notice and liability, for any reason [3]. Rules on reserves and held funds sit in the payment processing agreement, which the terms refer to separately [3] and which we did not find published.
What the review record shows: we read 60 recent Clover reviews on Trustpilot across three pages, all labeled unprompted [5]. Six described money held, withheld or not paid out, from a small $97 hold to a five-figure sum. That is 10 per 100 reviews. None described Clover closing a healthy account on its own. Far more common were cancellation fights: owners billed after returning equipment or quoted large fees to leave.
How to lower the risk on Clover:
- Before signing, ask the seller for the processing agreement and find the words reserve, hold and termination. If they will not send it, that is your answer.
- Tell underwriting about large or unusual sales before you run them, such as a catering order ten times your normal ticket.
- Keep refund and chargeback rates low, and answer every dispute with receipts.
- Keep a backup way to take cards. Since Clover hardware cannot move [1], a cheap reader from another provider is the practical backup.
Support and customer evidence
Clover's pricing page says its team is available 24/7/365 for troubleshooting and support [1]. Its help center says the fastest route is to log in, and that your direct support phone number is printed on your statement [4]. That fits Clover's two-channel model: who answers can depend on who sold you the system.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| TrustScore shown | 1.9 out of 5, from 2,213 reviews |
| Five-star share shown | 42% |
| Reviews in our sample | 60, all labeled unprompted |
| Invited share in sample | 0% |
| Organic average in sample | 1.2 stars (71 stars over 60 reviews) |
| Held or withheld funds | 6 of 60 |
| Could not reach a person or no callback | 12 of 60 |
The gap between a 42% five-star share and a 1.2-star average among recent unprompted reviews is wide, so we discount the headline score. Many complaints come from bank-sold accounts, which Clover does not control the same way, but owners rarely know the difference when they post.
Alternatives to Clover
- Square (our processing service, BatchOut, earns money on Square sign-ups): hardware you buy outright and plans you can cancel; compare on Square vs Clover vs Stripe.
- Toast: built for restaurants, with a pay-as-you-go option and no hardware bill up front.
- Helcim: published interchange-plus pricing that usually costs less once sales grow.
- Stripe: a cheap reader and no monthly fee if you sell mostly online.
Thinking of leaving Clover? Read how to switch processors first, so a subscription or lease does not follow you out. BatchOut is our own processing service; if we show it next to Clover, we label it as ours.