Call for free POS terminals opens - Mastercard will distribute 4750 of them for 1 year. Which businesses benefit?
Applications are now open to receive 1 of the 4,750 free POS terminals in Mastercard's POSI program. Only small and medium-sized businesses operating in the food, hotel, taxi, bar and restaurant sectors are eligible to receive a free POS terminal, where they will have zero commission for up to one year on transactions made by citizens with their cards at the POS.
However, only grocery stores that carry out transactions up to 19,000 euros per year with POS terminals will have zero commission on card transactions. Also, only hotels that carry out up to 24,000 euros of card transactions on POS terminals in 1 year, only restaurants and cafes that carry out up to 15,000 euros of card transactions on POS terminals and only taxis that carry out transactions up to 2,000 euros per year with POS terminals will have zero commission on their customers' card transactions on POS terminals. If this threshold is exceeded, then a commission will be paid.
Only businesses that have not previously had a POS terminal and have a physical store can apply to receive one for free. They can visit physical bank branches to apply and sign the contract.
The program began on May 1 and will end either after the distribution of 4,750 new POS terminals, or on April 30, 2026, whichever comes first.
Each business can receive a maximum of 1 POS terminal at no cost, while installed POS terminals must remain active and perform a minimum of four Mastercard transactions per quarter. After the end of the 12-month period, merchants can return the POS terminal at no cost or penalty, or switch to the pre-determined contract terms with the participating financial institution before the start of the 12-month period. So, if businesses choose to keep this POS terminal, after 1 year from installation, they will no longer have zero commissions, but the fees that the bank has foreseen in the regular POS contract will apply.
Mastercard’s National Digital Payments Acceleration Program (POSI), in collaboration with the Albanian government, aims to support small and medium-sized businesses in their transition to digital payments. The program supports merchants in deploying acceptance devices and expanding the network of businesses that accept card payments.
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