Toast Credit Card Processing Fees: Complete 2025 Breakdown

Section 1 — Toast Pricing Overview

Toast is a restaurant-focused POS and payment platform that bundles software, hardware, and payment processing. Pricing varies by plan tier and is higher for restaurants that opt out of Toast payments.

Plan	Monthly Software Fee	Processing Rate
Starter Kit (1 terminal)	$0/mo (limited features)	2.99% + $0.15
Point of Sale plan	$69/mo	2.49% + $0.15
Build Your Own	$110+/mo	Negotiable (lower rates)
Enterprise	Custom	Custom (interchange-plus available)
Card-not-present / online orders	—	3.5% + $0.15

Toast requires use of Toast Payments for processing — you cannot use a third-party processor. This lock-in means rates cannot be negotiated down without upgrading to a higher plan or enterprise tier.

Section 2 — True Monthly Cost for a Toast Restaurant

For a typical full-service restaurant doing $75,000/month in card volume:

• Software plan: $69/month (Point of Sale plan)
• Processing at 2.49% + $0.15: ~$1,868 (assuming 500 transactions)
• Hardware financing: $75–$150/month (Toast terminal leases)
• Toast add-ons (online ordering, loyalty, etc.): $50–$150/month
• Total monthly cost: ~$2,100–$2,250

Section 3 — Hidden Fees Toast Restaurants Often Miss

Beyond the visible processing rate and subscription, Toast charges several additional fees:

• Toast Takeout (online ordering): $75/month or per-order commission model
• Toast Payroll: $13/employee/month
• Chargeback fees: $15 per dispute
• Installation fees: $500+ for on-site setup depending on restaurant complexity
• Termination fees: Up to 3 months of remaining contract value
• Hardware damage/replacement: Not covered by standard warranty without Toast Care plan

Section 4 — Compare With Interchange-Plus Pricing

For restaurants above $30,000/month, the processing cost difference between Toast's flat rate and interchange-plus is substantial:

Pricing Model	Effective Rate	Monthly Cost (on $75k volume)
Toast (flat-rate at 2.49%)	~2.7% all-in	~$2,025
Interchange-Plus (typical restaurant)	~1.9%	~$1,425
Potential Monthly Savings	~0.8%	~$600/month

Restaurant interchange rates average 1.65%–1.80% for most card types. Toast's markup above interchange is significant for higher-volume locations. See our complete processing fee breakdown for how restaurant interchange is calculated.