%201.svg)
%201.svg)
The rental illusion
Renting hardware turns a one-off cost into a permanent line item. It feels safe — small monthly payments, replacements included — but over a typical multi-year agreement the rental usually exceeds the purchase price of the same class of device, and the contract's lock-in clause quietly removes your ability to switch providers.
The simple comparison
Take a handheld terminal owned outright at $550 (Payflo Go). Against a rental at even a modest monthly fee, ownership typically breaks even well inside the hardware's working life — after which the device costs you nothing. Rental never stops.
What ownership really buys you
- Exit freedom. If your provider stops earning your business, you leave — no early-termination fees on equipment.
- No double-paying. Venues that change rented systems often end up paying out an old contract while paying for the new one.
- Asset on the books. Owned hardware is a business asset you can depreciate; talk to your accountant about the treatment that suits you.
When rental can make sense
Genuinely short-term operations — a pop-up or a single festival season — may prefer renting. For a permanent venue, the case is much weaker.
Where the real money is
Hardware is the small number. The processing rate on your card volume is the big one — a venue's transaction fees usually dwarf hardware costs within months. That's why it pays to look at the whole package: owned hardware, transparent software pricing (Payflo plans run from free to $149/month) and merchant fees from 1.1% depending on volume, with no lock-in contracts.
.png)
.png)
