7 Best Virtual Terminals of July 2025

The right virtual terminal can save you time and money when you need to manually enter credit card transactions.
Virtual terminals let businesses manually enter payment details without a card reader or point-of-sale hardware. If your business often receives phone, fax, email or mail orders from customers, you’ll need a virtual terminal to accept those card payments and a company to process them.
Most payment processing companies offer their own virtual terminals, and the best option is typically to stick with a single provider to avoid unnecessary complications. Still, make sure to consider a service’s overall costs — as well as factors like deposit speed, customer support and online payment options — to determine which virtual terminal is the best fit for your business.
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Here are NerdWallet’s top picks for the best virtual terminals.

Best Virtual Terminals

Product Best for NerdWallet rating Payment processing fees Monthly fee Learn more
Square

Square POS

on Square POS's secure website

Overall virtual terminal

In-person:

2.6% + $0.15


Online:

2.9% + $0.30

$0

and up.

on Square POS's secure website

U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank Merchant Services

on U.S. Bank Merchant Services' secure website, Member FDIC

Fast deposits

In-person:

2.6% + $0.10


Online:

2.9% + $0.30

$0

and up.

on U.S. Bank Merchant Services' secure website, Member FDIC

Stax

Stax

on Stax's secure website

Subscription pricing model

In-person:

0% + $0.08


Online:

0% + $0.15

Plus interchange

$99

and up.

on Stax's secure website

Shopify

Shopify Retail POS

on Shopify POS's secure website

E-commerce integration

In-person:

2.6% + $0.10


Online:

2.9% + $0.30

$39

and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.

on Shopify POS's secure website

Clover

Clover POS

on Clover POS's secure website

POS flexibility

In-person:

2.3% + $0.10


Online:

3.5% + $0.10

$0

and up.

on Clover POS's secure website

TouchBistro

TouchBistro

on TouchBistro's secure website

Restaurants

N/A

Quote-based.

$69

and up.

on TouchBistro's secure website

Dharma Merchant Services

Dharma Merchant Services

Surcharging option

In-person:

0.15% + $0.08


Online:

0.2% + $0.11

Plus interchange

$20

for most industries; $15 for nonprofits.

Product Best for NerdWallet rating Payment processing fees Monthly fee Learn more
Square

Square POS

on Square POS's secure website

Overall virtual terminal

In-person:

2.6% + $0.15


Online:

2.9% + $0.30

$0

and up.

on Square POS's secure website

U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank Merchant Services

on U.S. Bank Merchant Services' secure website, Member FDIC

Fast deposits

In-person:

2.6% + $0.10


Online:

2.9% + $0.30

$0

and up.

on U.S. Bank Merchant Services' secure website, Member FDIC

Stax

Stax

on Stax's secure website

Subscription pricing model

In-person:

0% + $0.08


Online:

0% + $0.15

Plus interchange

$99

and up.

on Stax's secure website

Shopify

Shopify Retail POS

on Shopify POS's secure website

E-commerce integration

In-person:

2.6% + $0.10


Online:

2.9% + $0.30

$39

and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.

on Shopify POS's secure website

Clover

Clover POS

on Clover POS's secure website

POS flexibility

In-person:

2.3% + $0.10


Online:

3.5% + $0.10

$0

and up.

on Clover POS's secure website

TouchBistro

TouchBistro

on TouchBistro's secure website

Restaurants

N/A

Quote-based.

$69

and up.

on TouchBistro's secure website

Dharma Merchant Services

Dharma Merchant Services

Surcharging option

In-person:

0.15% + $0.08


Online:

0.2% + $0.11

Plus interchange

$20

for most industries; $15 for nonprofits.

Best Virtual Terminals

Square POS

Best for Overall virtual terminal

Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 2.9% + $0.30

Monthly fee
$0

and up.

on Square's website

Square POS

Best for Overall virtual terminal

Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 2.9% + $0.30

Monthly fee
$0

and up.

on Square's website

U.S. Bank Merchant Services

Best for Fast deposits

Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30

Monthly fee
$0

and up.

on U.S. Bank's website, Member FDIC

U.S. Bank Merchant Services

Best for Fast deposits

Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30

Monthly fee
$0

and up.

on U.S. Bank's website, Member FDIC

Stax

Best for Subscription pricing model

Payment processing fees
In-person: 0% + $0.08
Online: 0% + $0.15

Plus interchange

Monthly fee
$99

and up.

on Stax's website

Stax

Best for Subscription pricing model

Payment processing fees
In-person: 0% + $0.08
Online: 0% + $0.15

Plus interchange

Monthly fee
$99

and up.

on Stax's website

Shopify Retail POS

Best for E-commerce integration

Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30

Monthly fee
$39

and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.

on Shopify's website

Shopify Retail POS

Best for E-commerce integration

Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30

Monthly fee
$39

and up for e-commerce plans with POS Lite; Can upgrade to POS Pro for an extra $89.

on Shopify's website

Clover POS

Best for POS flexibility

Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.3% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10

Monthly fee
$0

and up.

on Clover's website

Clover POS

Best for POS flexibility

Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.3% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10

Monthly fee
$0

and up.

on Clover's website

TouchBistro

Best for Restaurants

Payment processing fees
N/A

Quote-based.

Monthly fee
$69

and up.

on TouchBistro's website

TouchBistro

Best for Restaurants

Payment processing fees
N/A

Quote-based.

Monthly fee
$69

and up.

on TouchBistro's website

Dharma Merchant Services

Best for Surcharging option

Payment processing fees
In-person: 0.15% + $0.08
Online: 0.2% + $0.11

Plus interchange

Monthly fee
$20

for most industries; $15 for nonprofits.

Dharma Merchant Services

Best for Surcharging option

Payment processing fees
In-person: 0.15% + $0.08
Online: 0.2% + $0.11

Plus interchange

Monthly fee
$20

for most industries; $15 for nonprofits.

What is a virtual terminal?

A virtual terminal is an online application that makes it possible to process card transactions from anywhere with an internet connection, even when you aren’t face-to-face with a customer.
These transactions are usually initiated by phone, email or fax orders, making virtual terminals a convenient alternative if you can’t accept cards in person with POS hardware or online through an e-commerce site. Many payment processors and POS software providers include virtual terminals as part of their services. Standalone options may also be available, but choosing a company with strong overall payments infrastructure can make sense — especially since some don’t charge a subscription fee to use their terminals.
After setting up an online account with your virtual terminal provider, you’ll log in and navigate to its payments section. Exact directions and information needed varies based on provider, but generally you’ll enter the following information to process transactions:
  • Card number.
  • Expiration date.
  • CVV/CVV2 number (the three- or four-digit number on the back of a card).
  • Customer name.
  • Billing ZIP code.
There may also be an area on the screen to write a note to the customer, as well as an option to email or text a payment confirmation. Processing fees are deducted from the payment before the transaction funds are transferred to your business account.

How much does a virtual terminal cost?

Many payment processors give you access to a virtual terminal for free. If there are no monthly subscription fees, that means you’re typically just responsible for payment processing fees.
At a minimum, those include interchange rates and per-transaction fees or markups. Card-not-present transaction fees are usually higher than in-person fees because they’re considered to have a greater potential for fraud. While some payment processors treat virtual terminal transactions as online transactions, others charge more expensive transaction rates for manually keyed-in transactions.
For example, Square and U.S. Bank Merchant Services charge 3.5% plus 15 cents per manually keyed transaction compared to 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions. That means, for a $1,000 purchase, you’d pay about $6 extra in fees if it was manually entered instead of processed online.
Separately, if you plan to use POS software for in-person or online sales, make sure to factor those monthly costs in too.

What businesses use virtual terminals?

Businesses that accept payment information from customers who are not physically there — card-not-present transactions — use virtual terminals. They’re also an option when a mobile card reader is required (but unavailable) or when customers prefer contactless payments.
Businesses that may use virtual terminals include:
  • Mail-order and telephone-order businesses, also called MOTO businesses.
  • Restaurants, diners and cafes that process phone and online orders.
  • Delivery-based businesses such as food and beverage stores, florists and gift shops.
  • Mobile businesses such as food trucks, pet groomers and photographers.
  • Freelancers such as web designers, artists, SEO specialists and bookkeepers.

How to choose a virtual terminal

Here are some factors to consider to choose the right virtual terminal for your small business.

Payment processor and POS integrations

If you already have a POS system, your best option is generally to use your existing provider’s virtual terminal (if they offer one). However, if more than about a quarter of your transactions are entered manually, looking for a different payment processor that offers a more robust virtual terminal or lower transaction fees could be a smart choice.

Price

The cost of credit card processing is important to consider when evaluating your options. There are a variety of payment processing pricing models, such as flat-rate, interchange-plus and membership plans. Because each payment processor has different pricing, it’s not easy to make a quick side-by-side comparison.
This credit card processing fees calculator can help you get a good idea of the cost of each plan based on your volume of manual transactions.
For example: Say a processing service charges $100 monthly to use its platform, and its virtual terminal option is free. Its processing fees are 2% of the transaction total plus 10 cents per transaction. If you do 80 manual transactions a month for a total of $4,000, you would pay the monthly fee of $100 and processing fees of $80 (2% of $4,000) plus $8 (10 cents x 80 transactions) for a total of $188.
A company with a high volume of phone orders could benefit from a membership-based model with lower processing fees, while a business that does a small volume of phone orders may pay less with a flat-rate model and no monthly fee.

Payment speed

The money your customers pay you doesn’t immediately get transferred to your business’s bank account. Ideally, you’ll receive the funds the next business day and have an option to pay extra for same-day deposits.

Fraud and chargeback protection

Virtual terminal transactions carry a higher risk of fraud and chargebacks because the customer isn’t making the purchase in person and credit card numbers can be keyed in wrong. Make sure your payment processor offers fraud and chargeback protection tools in some capacity, especially if you aren’t familiar with the company. Many processors include security tools in their services or offer advanced security tools as an add-on.

Customer support

At a minimum, you want support available during the hours you'll be submitting transactions. Getting 24/7 phone and/or chat support is ideal, but isn’t always available. Searching through customer reviews of a product may give you some insight into a provider’s quality of service and general response times.
Last updated on April 10, 2024