Have you ever been in the checkout line and the person in front of you has all their groceries packed, but they’re still waiting for the payment to go through? The cashier apologizes and runs the card again. Suddenly, that once short line is five people deep and getting longer.
Preventing this type of situation is one of the many reasons you need to choose the right grocery store payment processor.
In this article, we’ll cover the basics of payment processing and our top payment processor picks for grocery stores in 2025.
Any time someone pays for an item with a credit card, debit card, or contactless payment, the actual moving and authorizing of funds goes through a vendor called a payment processor.
Payment processors also:
All payment providers must meet the latest security and compliance standards, particularly PCI-DSS compliance.
Payment processors take a small amount of each transaction as a processing fee, with an average fee between 1.5 and 3%. Processors usually offer flat or custom fees based on different payment methods, business transaction volume, and other factors.
Many payment processors are integrated directly with your point of sale (POS) system, meaning you’ll use the same system to run payments that you use to manage your store.
However, there are also non-integrated processors. Here are the major differences.
Unless your store relies on specific software or existing systems, we always recommend using an integrated payment processor.
Choosing a non-integrated processor has several distinct disadvantages for grocery stores.
If you’re still using older systems requiring a separate payment processor, it might be time to consider an upgrade. The advantages of a modern grocery store POS system far outweigh any short-term discomfort.
Related Read: 5 Best Supermarket POS Software Providers: Features, Pricing, & Reviews
To offer your customers a smooth customer experience and allow them to use their preferred payment method, you need a payment processor.
But which one is right for you? Here are a few factors to consider.
To help you narrow down your choices, here are our top four picks for grocery store payment processing in 2025.
IT Retail is our industry-leading POS solution built specifically for small to mid-sized grocery stores and supermarkets. In addition to flexible, in-house payment processing, we also offer many useful tools that simplify managing inventory, employees, demand forecasting, and more.
Standout Features
Fees and Pricing
We work with businesses to set custom processing fees based on your budget and business needs. Visit our pricing configurator to get your custom quote.
Payment Depot (powered by Stax Payments) is a non-integrated processor that serves a variety of retail industries. While not a standalone system like others on the list, they offer custom fees and integrations with popular POS systems, making them a good fit for businesses just starting out.
Standout Features
Fees and Pricing
Payment Depot works on an interchange plus (IC+) model. Businesses pay the interchange fee set by the card network plus a small markup. Markup ranges from 0.2% to 1.95%. Hardware pricing is provided through a custom quote.
POS Nation is a top-rated POS system used by retailers in various industries, including grocery stores. In addition to custom, in-house processing, they also provide advanced inventory management, product auto-ranking, and reporting.
Standout Features
Fees and Pricing
POS Nation offers several pricing tiers based on different business sizes and needs. They also provide custom processing fees for credit cards and digital wallets.
Square is a widely used platform for managing payments both in-store and online. Square offers its customers free point of sale software and flat payment processing fees, making it a good option for new businesses.
Standout Features
Fees and Pricing
Square’s standard processing fee is 2.6% + $0.10 for contactless payments, swiped cards, or inserted cards. Square’s retail POS solution starts at $29/month.
An integrated payment processor streamlines the checkout process while saving staff valuable time on data entry and reconciliation. An in-house payment processor provides bonuses like a single support team and more chances to negotiate flexible rates.
Regardless of which payment processor you use, payments are only a small part of your business. To find long-term success, use a system that can help you manage all aspects of your grocery store in one place.
IT Retail has helped grocers, supermarkets, and other food markets find success for over 25 years.
With in-house payment processing, real-time inventory tracking, and other advanced features, we give small and mid-sized grocers the tools they need to stay competitive and provide stellar customer service.
Schedule a custom demo to learn more about our payment processing services and grocery store management system.