Can I change my card processor and keep my POS software?
It depends on how your software handles payments. Some software connects to outside payment gateways, so you pick the processor. Some works only with its own payment service. Some does both, depending on the product or who sold it to you. The answer is in your software's payment settings and its own help pages.
Quick definitions. A payment processor is the company that moves card money from your customer to your bank. A gateway is the connection that passes each sale from your software to that processor. Software that lets you pick the gateway is what makes changing processors possible. For the longer version, see what payment processing is.
| Kind | How payments work | What it means for your fees |
|---|---|---|
| Open | The software connects to outside gateways, so you choose the processor. | You can shop processors and keep the software. Check whether the software company charges extra for using an outside one. |
| Mixed | An outside processor works for some payments, such as online, but not for others, such as card readers in person. Or it depends on who sold the software to you. | A change may touch only part of your sales. Ask which part. |
| Closed | The software company is also your processor. | Your fees come from that company's plans and your agreement with it. Changing processors means changing software. |
How do I tell which kind of POS software I have?
Start with your statement and see whose name is on it. Then open your software's payment settings and look for a place to connect your own merchant account or gateway. If you cannot find one, ask the software company in writing. Or pick your software in our free tool and we will tell you what we have found.
- Look at the name on your processing statement. If it is the software company, you may be on a closed setup.
- Open the payment settings in your software and look for words like gateway, payment provider, or bring your own processor.
- Ask the software company: can I use a different payment processor with this product, and does it cost extra?
- Use our software picker. It covers hundreds of programs, and it says plainly when we have not checked yours yet.
What do the popular POS and store programs allow?
Here is what we have found for six popular programs, with the date we last checked each one. Some let you bring your own processor, some do not, and some depend on how you signed up. Vendors change their terms, so check the date, and open the guide to see the vendor pages we used.
| Software | Our answer | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Toast | Not inside this software | October 6, 2026 |
| Square | Not inside this software | October 6, 2026 |
| Clover | We'll check for you | October 6, 2026 |
| Lightspeed | We'll check for you | October 6, 2026 |
| Shopify | We'll check for you | October 6, 2026 |
| WooCommerce | Yes, usually | October 11, 2026 |
Can I use a different processor with Toast?
Not inside Toast. Toast's card payments run through Toast's own payment system, and we have not found a way for a typical restaurant to use a different processor with it.
As of October 6, 2026. Vendors change their terms, so check the date. Open the Toast guide for what changes and what stays.
Can I use a different processor with Square?
Not inside Square. Square takes card payments through its own payment system, and we have not found a way to use a different processor with Square's point-of-sale.
As of October 6, 2026. Vendors change their terms, so check the date. Open the Square guide for what changes and what stays.
Can I use a different processor with Clover?
We'll check, because Clover is sold through many resellers and banks, so what you can change depends on who you signed up with and what your contract says.
As of October 6, 2026. Vendors change their terms, so check the date. Open the Clover guide for what changes and what stays.
Can I use a different processor with Lightspeed?
We'll check, because Lightspeed Retail lets some merchants use an outside processor but its support article says it charges a monthly third-party processing fee when you do.
Lightspeed charges a monthly fee when you use an outside processor.
As of October 6, 2026. Vendors change their terms, so check the date. Open the Lightspeed guide for what changes and what stays.
Can I use a different processor with Shopify?
We'll check, because online Shopify lets you use an outside payment provider with third-party transaction fees, while in person its point-of-sale needs Shopify Payments.
Online, outside gateways carry extra fees from Shopify. In person, Shopify POS needs Shopify Payments.
As of October 6, 2026. Vendors change their terms, so check the date. Open the Shopify guide for what changes and what stays.
Can I use a different processor with WooCommerce?
Yes, usually. WooCommerce connects to outside payment gateways, including Authorize.Net, so you can keep WooCommerce and change who processes your card payments.
As of October 11, 2026. Vendors change their terms, so check the date. Open the WooCommerce guide for what changes and what stays.
What about SpotOn, QuickBooks Payments and other software?
We have not checked those ourselves yet, so we will not guess here. Pick yours in the software picker. If we have not confirmed it, the picker says so and we check it for you. Each answer there shows how recently we looked.
What can I do about my fees if my software only works with its own payments?
You still have moves, they are just smaller. Read your statement and find your effective rate. Ask for every fee in writing. Learn your renewal date and any early termination fee. And treat a change of software as its own decision, with its own costs, instead of a way out of a fee.
- Find your effective rate with the steps in how to read a merchant statement.
- Ask the company which pricing plan you are on, what it would take to move to a different plan, and when your agreement renews.
- Add up what the software costs you each month next to the processing fees. Compare the whole bill, not one line.
- If you are thinking about passing card fees to customers, read the rules first. Georgia's are in our card processing FAQ.
What should I check before I change processors?
Check five things before you change anything: your contract end date and any early termination fee, the cards your customers have saved on file, your recurring billing, your gift card balances, and whether your card terminals are owned or leased and will work with a new processor. Doing this first avoids most surprises.
- Contract end date and early termination fee. Read the term and cancellation pages of your agreement.
- Saved cards. Ask whether they can move, or whether customers would need to enter them again.
- Recurring billing. It is tied to those saved cards, so plan for it.
- Gift card balances, if you sell gift cards. The system that sold them tracks them.
- Card terminals. Ask whether yours are owned or leased, and whether they work with a new processor.
Will changing processors actually lower my fees?
Not always. A different processor may or may not cost you less once you compare effective rates, monthly fees, and any fee your software charges for using an outside processor. That is why the first step is to read your statement and work out your effective rate. Staying where you are can be the right answer.
A free statement review is a person walking through your numbers with you. There is no pressure to switch, and we do not promise a number we have not seen.
Common questions
Do I need new card readers if I change processors?
Often, but not always. It depends on your software, your current readers, and the new processor. A reader may be set up for one specific processor account, so ask before you count on keeping it. Ask the software company which card readers work with a new processor before you buy or return anything.
What happens to the cards my customers saved?
Saved cards usually stay with whoever stores them for you. Ask your software company or processor what can be exported, and plan this before you cancel anything, because recurring charges can stop if the old account closes too early. Ask for the answer in writing.
Is it free to find out whether my software lets me switch?
Yes. The software picker and the statement review are both free. Tell us your software and how to reach you, and a person replies within one business day. If we have not checked your software yet, the picker says so, and we check it for you. There is no pressure to switch.
Should I change my POS software just to lower my fees?
Usually not as a first step. Software is how you run your day, and a move costs time and training. Start by reading your statement. If the numbers show the software is the problem, then compare software with the full cost in front of you.
How do I get my statement reviewed for free?
Send us a request through the free statement review, or call (833) 281-9898. Tell us how to reach you, and a person from Norvet MSP replies within one business day. We read your latest statement with you and explain each fee. You decide what to do next, and there is no pressure to switch.
Next you pick your industry and software, then tell us how to reach you. There is no file to upload.