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EPOS contracts, lock-in and exit
The bit that decides what everything else costs. Hardware, software and card rates are all negotiable — the term, the notice period and who owns your data decide whether you ever get to renegotiate them.
Why the contract matters more than the price
A price you dislike costs you money for as long as you are stuck with it. Everything below is about how long that is, and what it takes to stop. None of it is unusual or improper — it is simply where the commercial value sits for the supplier, which is exactly why it repays reading.
Term length
Common terms in UK EPOS run from monthly to five years. Longer terms usually accompany “free” or heavily discounted hardware, because the hardware is being financed inside them. For a single shop, anything beyond three years deserves a hard question about what you get in exchange.
Watch for separate terms on separate things. It is common for the software licence, the card processing agreement and the terminal rental to be three contracts with three different end dates, which makes leaving cleanly almost impossible without planning a year ahead.
Auto-renewal and notice
Most agreements renew automatically. The two numbers to find are the notice period and the window in which notice must be given. Ninety days is common; some require notice no earlier than six months and no later than three months before the end date, which is a narrow window to remember two years in advance.
Whatever the notice period is, put the date in a calendar the day you sign, with a reminder a month before it opens. This is the single most useful thing you can do with an EPOS contract.
Who owns your product file
This is the question that decides whether you are really free to leave. Ask it plainly and get the answer in writing:
- Can I export the complete product file myself, at any time, without asking?
- In what format — CSV, or something only their software reads?
- Does it include costs and supplier codes, or only barcodes and retail prices?
- Can I export sales history, and how far back?
- Is there a charge for any of this, and does it still apply after the contract ends?
A supplier who exports a full CSV on demand is not locking you in. One who charges for a data extract, or provides only a partial file, has made leaving expensive without ever raising the price.
Price changes during the term
Look for the clause that allows the supplier to vary charges mid-term. Most have one. The reasonable version is a defined annual increase tied to a published index, with notice. The one to question is an open right to vary on notice, particularly where it covers the card rate, because that is the charge that moves the most money.
What leaving actually costs
- Remaining term, sometimes payable in full rather than discounted.
- Hardware buyout, if it was financed inside the agreement.
- Terminal return — condition requirements, and a charge if a unit is missing.
- Data extract fee, if one applies.
- The last invoice, which may cover a period after you have stopped trading on the system.
Ask for a single figure: the total to exit in month thirteen. A supplier confident in their product will give it to you.
What good looks like
- A term you chose rather than one that was necessary to get a sensible price.
- One contract, or several with the same end date.
- A notice period you can diarise, not a window you have to hit.
- Self-service export of your complete product file, free, at any time.
- A published price you can check without asking.
- Hardware you own.
That is the shape of ours, and it is a deliberate position rather than a generous one: no minimum term, prices published on the pricing page, hardware bought outright, and your product file exportable whenever you want it. If you are currently in a term and working out when you can move, how switching works covers the timing.
Questions
The ones people ask next.
How long are EPOS contracts usually?
Monthly to five years. Three to five year terms normally come with subsidised or free hardware, because the hardware cost is financed inside the term. Monthly rolling is increasingly common and is worth asking for even when it is not advertised.
Can I get out of an EPOS contract early?
Usually only by paying the remaining term, and sometimes a hardware buyout on top. Check whether the remaining term is discounted for early settlement — some agreements do, many do not. Get the exit figure in writing before assuming.
Who owns the data in my EPOS system?
You own your business data, but ownership and access are not the same thing. What matters practically is whether you can export it yourself, in a format another system can read, without a fee. Ask for that in writing rather than relying on the ownership clause.
What is a typical notice period?
Ninety days is the most common. Some agreements also define a window — for example, notice not earlier than six months and not later than three months before the end date. Diarise both dates on the day you sign.
Does epos-365 have a minimum term?
No. There is no minimum term and no exit fee, hardware is bought outright so you own it, and you can export your full product file whenever you want. Every price is published on the pricing page rather than quoted on a call.
Want this applied to your own shop?
Tell us the trade, the number of tills and who takes your card payments. You get a written quote back on one page.