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Shift4 Dine Annual Fees

Updated: August 13, 2026

Shift4 Dine Annual Fees Overview

Important: Reps must verify details and stay current with Shift4 terms: shift4.com/legal.

  • These annual fees are separate from monthly charges (Lighthouse fees and other add-ons).
  • "Boarded" (Shift4) = account fully approved (Status 600). Not tied to install, ship date, or first processing.

đź’ˇFor account-specific questions (exact fee count/amount, disputes, billing corrections), direct merchants to Customer Service (phone/chat).

 ⚠️ July 2026 update: Shift4 is replacing the separate RAF + Annual Program Fee with one consolidated Annual Service & Maintenance (AS&M) fee.

  • AS&M is expected to appear on the July statement and bill August 1.
  • The annual amount is capped at $2,000.
  • The fee is merchant-specific and shown in each merchant’s notice in Customer Hub / Location / Overview.
  • A merchant can contact Customer Service regarding the fee to negotiate a possible payment plan, waiver, and/or credit/refund. None of these options should be promised to a merchant, as they are at the sole discretion of Shift4.

Key Merchant Talking Points

  • Annual fees support security and premium support, and reduce hidden liabilities found with other providers.
  • Merchants benefit from proactive support and lifetime equipment replacement.
  • Competing POS providers often charge comparable or higher fees with less transparency.
  • For existing merchants, do not guess the fee amount if they received a notice; direct them to the amount shown in Customer Hub / Location / Overview.
  • Merchant-specific billing questions, disputes, refunds, or contract-extension/waiver conversations should go through Shift4 Customer Service / Merchant Relations.

⚠️Related, but separate, from annual fees: There is a known issue with Shift4 inactivity fees where the billing timeline may start when the application is signed and not when approved. Fees may begin around 90 days if not installed.

Current baseline: Minimum monthly processing requirement is $25 to avoid inactivity fees.

August 2026 update: Effective September 1, 2026, the inactivity fee is now $150 per TID/station for each 30-day period of inactivity. This is up from the previous $75.

September 1, 2026 pricing updates

These updates came from the August 12 call with Will and should be used when setting expectations with merchants.

Here are the main ones to be aware of:

  • Inactivity fee is increasing
     The inactivity fee is now $150 per TID/station for each 30-day period of inactivity. This is up from the previous $75.
  • The following updates mostly apply to interchange-plus merchants. Merchants on the Advantage Program, like 4% accounts, are not directly affected by these specific increases:
    • Monthly minimum is increasing
      Merchants currently at or below a $25 monthly minimum will be automatically moved to a $40 monthly minimum.
    • Card-not-present transactions
      CNP transactions will have a standardized rate of 50 basis points + $0.20 per transaction.
    • Variable discount rate + auth fees
       There will be at least a 6 basis point increase on variable discount rates, and authorization fees may increase by $0.03–$0.06 per authorization.

Sales expectation: Shift4 is tightening around merchants being ready to board and go live within about 90 days, so reps should set expectations clearly with merchants upfront.

Fee waiver / escalation path

  1. Customer Service: Request a credit (partial or full).
  2. Merchant Relations Team (MRT): Escalate if still unhappy.
  3. Relationship Manager review: Send Case #, DBA, and MID to Ryan to coordinate review.

2. Annual Service & Maintenance Fee / Annual Program Fee

Context: Shift4 has billed an annual equipment/program fee every August for many years. For 2026, this is expected to be consolidated with RAF into the Annual Service & Maintenance (AS&M) fee.

  • AS&M covers the lifetime replacement of credit card processing devices if they malfunction or need upgrading to the latest model, including overnight shipping.
  • Shift4 positions this as a nominal fee for covering upfront equipment with lifetime no-cost replacements, compared with purchasing equipment that may cost merchants thousands of dollars.
  • The fee is assessed on accounts with provided credit card processing equipment, including POS systems, standalone devices, and PIN pads, up to 4 devices.
  • This fee is in addition to applicable monthly fees.
  • Applies to POS (Shift4 Dine, legacy, etc.) and standalone merchants, including Advantage program merchants.

Annual Program Fee vs POS Monthly SAAS fees

  • Annual Program Fee / AS&M: Lifetime replacement of credit card processing devices, including overnight shipping.
  • Monthly POS SAAS fees: POS maintenance and swaps/upgrades for the full POS setup.

 

December 1, 2025

"Effective December 1, 2025"

This is when the new fee structure takes effect:

  • New rate: $325 per device
  • New cap: 3 devices max ($975 total)

Previous structure (before Dec 1):

  • Old rate: $189.99 per TID
  • Old cap: 2 TIDs max ($379.98 total)

December 2025

Charges accrue during December under the new fee structure. The December statement shows the RAF charge that will be billed in January.

Note: Merchants boarded Oct 1 - present pay the legacy $189 rate, not the new $325 rate.

 

January 2026

"Billing Period: Annually in January"

This is when merchants are actually billed and payment is processed.

The charge appears on the January 2026 statement and reflects the December 2025 period under the new fee structure.

Important: Although billed in January 2026, this charge covers December 2025 activity at the new $325 rate.

Key Nuance to Clarify with Merchants:

The fee is "effective December 1, 2025" (when the new rate starts), but merchants are "billed in January" (when payment is processed).

Some merchants may see "billed in January starting 2026" and think it doesn't apply until next year, but the December effective date means the new higher rate applies to their December 2025 activity.

Legal Documentation and Notification

Legal Reference:

  • The legal outline can be found in Shift4's Merchant Processing Agreement Terms & Conditions
  • Specifically, refer to Section 5.4.1 under "Other Fees"

Official Terms & Conditions Language:

Regulatory Assurance Fee. An annual $325 regulatory compliance fee will be charged to Merchant each January per MID (billed on a per-TID basis, up to 2 TID) in connection with Company's tax reporting and other regulatory and security obligations.

Note: The above language reflects the standard fee structure. The updated $325 per TID (up to 3 TIDs) applies to merchants boarded before October 1st, 2025.

Merchant Notification:

  • Merchants received notice on their statements or will see it when logging into Lighthouse Business Manager
  • The fee appears on the statement under "Other Detail"

Fee Waiver Process

Shift4 has the ability to opt merchants out of this fee on a case-by-case basis. For unhappy merchants, follow this escalation process:

Step 1: Customer Service

  • Contact customer service to request a credit
  • Customer service will review and may provide a partial or full credit

Step 2: Merchant Relations Team (MRT)

  • If the merchant is not satisfied with the customer service response, escalate to MRT
  • MRT is the retention team and will work with the merchant to address concerns

Step 3: Relationship Manager Review

  • If the issue remains unresolved, send the Case #, DBA, and MID to Ryan so we can coordinate this with our assigned Shift4 Relationship Manager for review

Important: The Relationship Manager does not have direct ability to refund this fee; it must go through the proper channels (Customer Service → MRT → RM review)

Was I notified about this charge?

Yes, your November Lighthouse Business Manager notice discloses the date this would be billed. The disclosure is acknowledged in Section 13.1 of the Merchant Processing Agreement, stating that merchants have read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions.

Where can I locate my Terms & Conditions?

Terms and Conditions for all merchants can be found at shift4.com/legal.
Reference: Shift4 Knowledge: Regulatory Assurance Fee (PCI)

2. Annual Program Fee

Important Note: Please note we've been billing our annual fee every August for many years. This is not a new fee for Shift4. We are looking into moving to billing this fee to an anniversary basis instead of billing all merchants at once which tend to cause a backlog in customer service phone/chat queues for 2 business days.
As a reminder, the Annual Fee provides credit card terminals, pin-pads, and processing equipment to our merchants with no upfront costs, including complimentary upgrades and swaps to new equipment whenever the old equipment doesn't work.
This fee is applicable to POS (SkyTab, legacy, etc.) and standalone merchants, including advantage program merchants.

How much is the Annual Program Fee?

Merchants are billed $250 per Device (up to a maximum of four for $1000) annually.

FAQs

1. Where can I locate the Annual Fee disclosure?

To locate the Annual Fee disclosure, you can refer to the following sections in the relevant agreements:

  • Merchant Processing Agreement: The disclosure is acknowledged in Section 13.1, where it states that merchants have read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions available at www.shift4.com/legal.
  • POS System Service Agreement: Refer to Section 4.d for details specific to the POS system's service terms regarding annual fees.
  • Free Equipment Program: Information regarding annual fees can be found in Section 2 of the terms.

2. How does this fee differ from the POS Monthly SAAS fees?

Annual Program Fee covers the lifetime replacement of your credit card processing devices if they malfunction or need upgrading to the latest model, including overnight shipping. This fee is nominal for covering upfront equipment with lifetime no-cost replacements compared to purchasing equipment. This fee is in addition to the monthly POS SAAS fees.
Monthly POS SAAS Fees covers the POS maintenance and swaps/upgrades for your entire POS setup (POS system, printers, cash drawers, etc.).

Total Annual Costs

2026 Merchants & Recent Signups (Boarded Oct 1, 2025 or Later):
These merchants receive the lower fee structure and are exempt from the rate increase.
For merchants boarded on or after October 1, 2025 (including all 2026 signups):

  • For 2 TIDs/Devices: $878/year
    • Regulatory Assurance Fee: $378 (2 Ă— $189)
    • Program Fee: $500 (2 Ă— $250)
  • For 1 TID/Device: $439/year
    • Regulatory Assurance Fee: $189
    • Program Fee: $250

For merchants boarded before October 1, 2025:

  • For 2 TIDs/Devices: $1,150/year
    • Regulatory Assurance Fee: $650 (2 Ă— $325)
    • Program Fee: $500 (2 Ă— $250)
  • For 1 TID/Device: $575/year
    • Regulatory Assurance Fee: $325
    • Program Fee: $250

Combined Value Proposition

Transparent and Predictable: "Your business receives enterprise-level security, premium support, and lifetime equipment replacements with predictable annual costs."

Unmatched Value: "These fees not only safeguard your business but also eliminate the stress and hidden costs associated with other POS systems."