Shift4 Advantage Program
Updated: May 12, 2026
Overview
The Advantage Program is a Shift4 program designed to help merchants automate processing-cost recovery through one of three customer-facing pricing models: Dual Pricing, Supplemental Fee, or Cash Discount.
Requirements and compliance
- Participation must comply with applicable laws, card network rules, and required customer notices.
- Participation requires Daily Discount billing.
- Merchants must display required signage and notices at the point of entry and point of sale. Notice must also be provided on the customer receipt.
Quick comparison (at-a-glance)
|
Option |
What the customer sees |
How it works (high level) |
Watch-outs |
|
Dual Pricing |
Two prices shown: cash price and non-cash price on customer-facing displays and receipts. |
Provides two price points so customers can choose based on tender type. |
Requires correct signage and clear price displays. |
|
Supplemental Fee (with discount) |
A fee can be applied to purchases. The merchant has discretion to remove the fee on a specific transaction. |
Per Shift4 terms, the fee may apply to cash and non-cash transactions, including credit, debit, EBT, and prepaid transactions. |
Reps must avoid framing this as “cash discount” behavior. |
|
Configurable settings changes can affect Daily Discount billing application. |
 |
 |
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|
Cash Discount |
A discount is offered for purchases made with cash. |
Encourages cash payments by offering a discount. |
Requires correct signage and clear customer notices. |
Setup and operational notes
- Only one Advantage Program option can be active at a time (Dual Pricing or Supplemental Fee or Cash Discount).
- Advantage Program changes are not automatically enabled on some POS brands. Even if configured in Lighthouse Business Manager, the program may still need to be manually enabled by the appropriate technical teams.
- Pricing changes typically take effect on the 1st of the billing month.
Shift4 Dine-specific behavior notes
Dual Pricing
- In Shift4 Dine, the cash price is automatically applied on the Payments screen when cash or gift cards are selected.
- Dual Pricing requires clearly displaying both cash and non-cash prices across menus and other customer-facing materials. It is not sufficient to only say “prices are X% higher when using a credit card.”
Debit and EBT compatibility (implementation note)
- Internal reference notes indicate Shift4 FAQs describe Advantage Program and Debit/EBT as generally incompatible unless using Shift4 One with standalone devices (A800, A80, A930). Confirm current requirements in Shift4 documentation/support before enabling Debit Gateway in an Advantage Program environment.
Tip handling (common merchant question)
- For Supplemental Fee and Dual Pricing, internal guidance notes the Advantage Program fee can apply to tips only when the tip or gratuity is part of the initial sale (Tip Prompt). If tips are adjusted after the original transaction, the fee is not applied to the adjusted tip amount.
Reporting
- The Advantage Program Summary Report in Lighthouse Business Manager can be used to understand Advantage Program fees and their relationship to deposits and tips (where applicable).
Annual fees (separate from the Advantage Program configuration)
Shift4’s annual fees can apply regardless of Advantage Program selection.
- Regulatory Assurance Fee (PCI): Shift4 Knowledge indicates merchants may be billed $325.00 per device (up to a maximum of 3 for $975.00) annually.
⚠️Internal notes may reference legacy RAF amounts and caps for older onboarding cohorts. When amounts differ, Shift4’s current terms and Shift4 Knowledge should be treated as the source of truth, and the merchant should be directed to Shift4 Support for account-specific confirmation.
Representative guidance (tone and wording)
⚠️Compliance and wording matter. Representatives should describe what the program does operationally.
Representatives should not provide legal or tax advice.
Safe, rep-ready language (general)
- “The Advantage Program uses required customer notices and point-of-sale pricing displays to help a merchant automate processing-cost recovery, depending on the selected configuration.”
- “Shift4 requires specific signage and receipt notices for compliance.”
What to avoid
- Statements that present any configuration as a workaround or encourage skipping required setup, signage, or customer notices.
Support and Escalation
- For setup questions during onboarding, the merchant’s assigned Pre-Launch Specialist should be the primary contact.
- For ongoing support and billing questions, Shift4 Support should be used through standard channels.
