Payment processing by industry
A restaurant, a dental office and a contractor all take cards, but not in the same way. Pick your industry to see how payments work for businesses like yours, with a guide that goes deeper.
Pick your industry
Restaurants payment processing
Tips at the terminal, tableside payments and small checks where every cent of the fee shows.
See restaurants paymentsRetail payment processing
Counter and floor sales on chip and tap, refunds to the original card, and an online store alongside.
See retail paymentsGuide: Choosing a retail POS system
Medical and dental payment processing
Copays at the front desk, balances after insurance, and payment plans billed on a schedule.
See medical and dental paymentsAutomotive payment processing
Large repair tickets, parts counter sales and approvals taken over the phone.
See automotive paymentsHome services payment processing
Cards taken in the field, invoices sent when the job is done, and faster funding.
See home services paymentsProfessional services payment processing
Invoices with payment links, retainers on recurring billing, and payments taken by phone.
See professional services paymentsE-commerce payment processing
Hosted checkout or a gateway on your own site, with fraud screening and subscriptions.
See e-commerce paymentsWellness and fitness payment processing
Membership dues on recurring billing, class packs, drop-ins and front-desk retail.
See wellness and fitness paymentsGuide: Gym membership billing
B2B and franchises payment processing
Card and ACH payments on invoices and contracts, across every location of a franchise.
See b2b and franchises paymentsGuide: How B2B payments work
Nonprofits payment processing
Online, monthly and event giving, with each interchange rate visible on the statement.
See nonprofits paymentsHotels and lodging payment processing
Check-ins, phone reservations, deposits and incidental holds at the front desk.
See hotels and lodging paymentsGuide: Hotel credit card processing
What changes from one industry to the next
Three things, mostly. How the card is taken (in person, online, by phone or on an invoice) moves the interchange rate. The size of a typical sale decides whether the fixed per-sale fee or the percentage matters more. And some businesses need extras, such as tips, deposits, holds or recurring billing.
Every industry page explains those parts for its own businesses. For how pricing works across all of them, see payment processing and our pricing page, or check your current cost with the effective rate calculator.
Questions about industry payments
Does Clearo charge different rates for different industries?
Interchange itself varies by industry, because the card networks set some rates by merchant category. Clearo's markup is quoted for each business's own volume and card mix, so the best way to see your numbers is a free statement review.
My industry isn't listed. Can Clearo still help?
Probably. These pages cover the businesses we hear from most, not the only ones we work with. Contact us with what you sell and how your customers pay, and we'll tell you plainly whether we're a good fit.
Which terminals do these industries use?
Clearo has no terminals of its own. As an authorized reseller we supply terminals from partners such as Clover and Helcim, chosen for how you take payments. The POS terminals page covers the options.
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Get a Free Statement Review
Send us your most recent processing statement and we'll walk you through every fee on it, line by line. You don't have to switch processors to get the review.