MTech Blog

Insights for smarter payments

Practical guides on card processing, dual pricing, POS systems and ATMs: what they cost, how they work, and how to choose.

Two countertop card terminals, the kind often pitched as a free credit card machine for small business

"Free" Credit Card Machines for Small Business: What's the Catch?

"Free credit card machine, no cost to you." You've heard the pitch. Nothing's free, so who's paying for it? Here's how free terminals actually get paid for, the leasing trap that catches thousands of small businesses, and the five questions to ask before you sign anything.

Customer paying at a busy restaurant counter, where Toast vs Clover vs Square fees add up on every order

Toast vs. Clover vs. Square Fees: What Restaurants Really Pay

Toast, Clover and Square all advertise a simple rate. Then the statement shows up. Here's what Toast vs Clover vs Square fees actually look like for a restaurant: per-transaction rates, monthly software, hardware, contracts, and the costs nobody mentions on the sales call.

Restaurant owner and chef reviewing transparent pricing, a reminder of how to read a merchant processing statement line by line

How to Read Your Merchant Processing Statement (and Spot the Padding)

Your processing statement is 6 pages of codes and abbreviations, and that's not an accident. Here's how to read a merchant processing statement section by section, which fees are real, which ones are padding, and the three numbers you should check every month.

Laptop showing a transparent pricing dashboard, the kind of view that tells you if you have a good credit card processing rate

What Is a Good Credit Card Processing Rate? Your Effective Rate, Explained

Your processor quoted you 2.6%. So why does your statement say you paid more? Here's how to find your real effective rate in two minutes, what a good credit card processing rate looks like for your type of business, and the red flags that mean you're overpaying.

Customer paying at a cafe counter, illustrating dual pricing vs surcharging at checkout

Dual Pricing vs. Surcharging vs. Cash Discount: What's the Difference?

Dual pricing, surcharging and cash discounts all promise to cut your card fees. They are not the same thing. Here's what each one looks like to your customer, where the legal landmines are, and which one we'd actually set up for your business.

Cafe counter with a mounted ordering kiosk under a menu board, showing how legal dual pricing posts cash and card prices upfront

Is Dual Pricing Legal? What NY, NJ & CT Owners Need to Know

Is dual pricing legal, or is it going to get you in trouble? Short answer: it's legal when it's set up right. Here's what owners in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut actually need to do, and the mistakes that get businesses fined.

Bread & Butter Market storefront on Driggs Avenue, where MTech installed the grocery store POS system

Inside the Bread & Butter Market Install: How MTech Connected an Entire Williamsburg Market

Eight NCR checkout lanes. Deli scales that print barcodes for the front registers. Tap to Order kiosks, kitchen screens and printers all talking to each other. Here's how MTech set up Bread & Butter Market at 460 Driggs Ave in Williamsburg, in the words of the people who built it and run it.

Dual pricing menu board with separate card and cash prices to cut credit card processing fees, above a DEXA POS counter

Why Are My Credit Card Processing Fees So High?

Thousands a month in card fees and nobody ever told you why? MTech founder Samir Kadi breaks down the four factors driving your credit card processing fees, the hidden padding processors add on top, and how dual pricing gets you to essentially zero.

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