Flux gives cafes fast card payments, hosted fields for online orders and deposits, and settlement that keeps cash moving instead of stuck for a week.
Why cafes choose Flux
Fast settlement
Card payments settle in one to two business days so you can cover payroll and inventory.
Online orders and deposits
Take deposits and online orders through hosted fields that keep card data off your systems.
Volume pricing
High-volume cafes can move to custom pricing as monthly volume grows.
How cafes get paid
Cafes lead with cards for speed at the point of sale, add hosted online payments for orders and event deposits, and settle quickly through Flux.
A typical Flux setup for cafes
Cafe money is many small card-present taps in a narrow morning window, so the setup is built around line speed: contactless at the counter, tip prompts on screen, and no signature stops. Tickets are small and frequent rather than large and rare, and the whole morning batch settles together in 1-2 business days. Wholesale is usually not your side, but catering trays and office coffee drops fit as simple card or ACH invoices.
Regulars are the recurring layer: a card on file can run a monthly house account or a prepaid drink subscription, charged automatically instead of tapped daily. Daily totals, tips, and sales tax sync to QuickBooks, so reconciliation is a glance rather than a spreadsheet. There are no monthly fees on qualifying card volume, minimums, or contracts, which suits a cafe that closes for a week in August or runs a second seasonal cart only in summer.
What cafes should watch
Do the math on your average ticket. Flux charges a flat 2.9% plus 30 cents, and on a four dollar latte the fixed 30 cents is a much larger share than it is on a forty dollar brunch tab. That is simply how small tickets work on card rails; encouraging bundled orders, house accounts billed monthly, or larger prepaid purchases shifts more volume into tickets where the fixed part matters less.
Disputes are rare when every sale is a tap in person, so the real friction is operational: tip screens that slow the line, refunds for a wrong drink, and end-of-day counts. Set tip prompts once and leave them, issue small refunds on the spot rather than arguing, and let the QuickBooks sync carry the daily close. If you add online preorders, those run card-not-present through hosted fields and deserve a clear pickup-time policy.
Simple, transparent pricing
Flux charges a flat 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction, with volume discounts for higher-volume cafes and the option to pass the fee to the customer at checkout where local surcharging rules allow. No setup fees and no contracts. Accounts processing under $100,000 a year in card volume may be subject to a $20 monthly account fee.
Frequently asked questions
How do cafes accept payments with Flux?
Cafes accept credit and debit cards, ACH bank transfers, and stablecoins through one Flux integration, with drop-in hosted fields that keep card data off your own systems.
What does Flux charge cafes?
A flat 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction, with volume discounts for higher-volume merchants and no setup fees or contracts. Accounts processing under $100,000 a year in card volume may be subject to a $20 monthly account fee. You can also pass the processing fee to the customer at checkout where local surcharging rules allow.
How fast do cafes get their money?
Card payments settle in one to two business days and ACH in one to three business days. Stablecoin payments go to your wallet instantly.
Is a flat rate workable when most of my tickets are under five dollars?
The 2.9% plus 30 cents structure means the fixed 30 cents weighs more on a small ticket, so run the math against your own average sale. Many cafes offset it by nudging bundled orders, monthly house accounts, or prepaid subscriptions that raise the average ticket. There are no monthly fees on qualifying card volume or minimums stacked on top, so the per-transaction math is the whole picture.
Can regulars keep a tab that bills monthly instead of paying every morning?
Yes. A card stored on file can run a monthly house account or a recurring drink subscription, charged automatically on the schedule you set. Each charge lands in QuickBooks like any counter sale.
What is the best way to handle catering trays for offices?
Invoice it rather than ringing it at the counter. Offices often pay by ACH from accounts payable, which settles in 1-3 business days, while a card payment link works for anyone who wants it on a company card.
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