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Hospitality and Food

Payment processing for
Cafes

Cafes run on volume and speed, and the payments that happen away from the register have to keep up: online preorders, catering trays, and house accounts.

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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 keep counter sales on their existing point of sale, add hosted online payments for orders and event deposits, invoice catering and house accounts, and settle quickly through Flux.

A typical Flux setup for cafes

Cafe money is many small taps in a narrow morning window, and those counter sales stay on the cafe's existing point of sale. Flux handles the money away from the register: online preorders paid ahead through hosted fields, settling 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. Online orders, invoices, and house account charges sync to QuickBooks with sales tax, 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 online preorder the fixed 30 cents is a much larger share than it is on a forty dollar catering tray. 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 friction sits in the orders that are not: online preorders, catering trays, and house accounts. Online preorders run card-not-present through hosted fields and deserve a clear pickup-time policy, catering terms belong on the invoice, and a small refund issued on the spot beats an argument. Let the QuickBooks sync carry the daily close for everything Flux handles.

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 run a cash discount program so customers who pay by card cover the processing fee. 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 run a cash discount program, so customers who pay by card cover the processing fee.

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 automatically.

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.

Ready to get cafes paid with Flux?

Cards, ACH, and stablecoins in one platform. Apply in about two minutes.

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