Square got you started. The flat rate wasn't meant to scale.
Square deserves its reputation: nothing beats it for taking your first card payment in ten minutes. This page is about what changes when your volume becomes real.
Compare against my real numbersWhere Square shines
Day-one simplicity
Sign up at breakfast, sell by lunch. No underwriting wait, no setup conversation.
Beautiful free software
The free POS app is genuinely good for a stall, a side gig or a first month.
Predictable flat pricing
One rate, no statement to read. At low volume, simplicity is worth the premium.
Where the broker wins
The rate at real volume
Flat rates bundle a generous margin. At $15K+ a month, bid processing routinely beats it by thousands a year, and dual pricing can remove the cost entirely.
Account stability
Instant-approval platforms also freeze and hold funds by algorithm. Underwritten merchant accounts with a local broker don't surprise you on a Friday.
A human who knows you
Our support is a Federal Way phone number, not a help center. When something breaks during service, that difference is everything.
Equipment without rental math
Free terminals on accounts we open, no hardware-as-subscription.
Keep Square if you're under roughly $8K a month and value simplicity above all. Past that, the premium you're paying for simplicity buys a lot of broker.
Fair questions
Is Square bad?
No. It's excellent at what it's built for: instant, simple, low-volume acceptance. It's just priced for convenience, and convenience pricing scales badly.
When does switching make sense?
Around $8-15K a month in card volume the math starts favoring a real account, and it accelerates from there. One month of statements answers it precisely.
Will I lose my sales history?
We migrate catalogs and customers where the systems allow, and you keep access to your old reporting either way.
Square froze my funds. Can you help?
This is one of the most common calls we get. Underwritten accounts through us establish your risk profile up front, which is exactly why they don't freeze by surprise.
Can I keep hardware I bought from Square?
Square hardware only runs Square. The good news: replacement terminals on our accounts are free, so the switch doesn't cost equipment money.