Whether you are opening a new cafe, launching a food truck, or rethinking the layout of your shop counter, the question is the same: what do you actually need to start taking payments? This guide covers the essentials — from choosing an EFTPOS terminal to handling cash — and then shows you how to build on that foundation with loyalty, cheaper contactless payments, and the ability to sell anywhere you go.
The essentials
At its simplest, a payment-ready counter in New Zealand needs three things:
- An EFTPOS terminal — this is non-negotiable for most businesses. Customers expect to tap a card. You will need a terminal from a provider like Worldline (formerly Paymark), Verifone, or a bank-supplied device. Expect to pay $30–80/month in terminal rental plus per-transaction fees (typically 1.5–3% on credit cards, lower on debit/EFTPOS).
- A cash float — even though card payments dominate, some customers still pay cash. Start with enough coins and small notes to make change. A basic cash drawer or till is fine.
- A way to track what you sell — this could be a full POS system (Square, Lightspeed, Vend) or just a notebook at the start. A POS gives you sales reporting, inventory, and receipt printing, but it is not mandatory on day one.
That is enough to open. You can take card payments, handle cash, and keep a record of your sales. Most small NZ businesses start here.
Choosing an EFTPOS provider
The main EFTPOS providers in New Zealand are Worldline, Verifone, and bank-supplied terminals (through ANZ, BNZ, etc.). There are also newer options like Square that combine terminal and POS in one.
Things to consider:
- Monthly cost — rental fees vary. Some providers lock you into contracts; others are month-to-month.
- Transaction fees — credit card transactions cost more than EFTPOS. The merchant service fee on a Visa or Mastercard credit card in NZ is typically 1.5–3%, while EFTPOS transactions are often a flat fee of a few cents. For a full breakdown, see What are merchant service fees?
- Portability — if you plan to sell at markets or events, you need a terminal that works on mobile data or Wi-Fi. Portable terminals cost more and depend on a cellular connection.
- Integration — if you use a POS system, check which terminals integrate with it.
If you are not sure whether you need a traditional terminal at all, see Do you still need an EFTPOS terminal?
Counter layout
Where you put things matters. The EFTPOS terminal should face the customer and be within easy reach. If you are in hospitality, the payment point is usually at the end of the ordering flow — the customer orders, you make their coffee, they tap and go. In retail, it is typically at a fixed checkout counter.
Keep the counter uncluttered. Customers need a clear place to tap their card or phone. If you accept cash, the till should be behind the counter and out of reach. Signage showing which payment methods you accept helps avoid confusion.
Going further: add loyalty and cheaper payments
Once you have the basics sorted, there is a way to build on your counter setup without replacing anything. tapara is a free add-on that sits alongside your existing EFTPOS terminal and gives you three things a standard counter cannot do:
- A real loyalty programme — not punch cards, but an automated system with tiers, rewards, and customer intelligence. You know who your regulars are, how often they visit, and what they buy.
- Contactless payments at a fraction of the cost — bank-to-bank payments via Open Banking, with near-zero fees compared to the 2–3% you pay on card transactions. Customers who pay through tapara save you money on every transaction.
- Portability — your counter does not have to be a counter. Take the NFC pad to a farmers’ market, a festival, or a pop-up. Same app, same payments, same loyalty. No portable terminal to lease.
All you need to add is your smartphone (which you already have) and a tapara NFC pad — a small branded tag that costs a few dollars and requires no power, no wires, and no lease. Place it on your counter next to your EFTPOS terminal.
How the NFC pad works
The NFC pad is a passive tag — a small, flat square with no battery, no charging, and no pairing. It draws power from the customer’s phone when they tap it.
When a customer opens the tapara app and taps their phone on the pad, your merchant app instantly shows who they are: their name, their loyalty tier, how many times they have visited, and what they usually order. Before a word is spoken, you know the customer.
Accepting payments through tapara
tapara uses Open Banking to move money directly from the customer’s bank account to yours. No card network in the middle. No interchange fees, no scheme fees. The customer authorises the payment in their banking app, and settlement happens end-of-day. This works with all major NZ banks: ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, and Westpac.
For customers who are not on tapara, you can show a QR code instead. They scan it with their phone camera, see the order total, and pay via their bank — no app download required.
Cash works too. When a customer pays cash, you confirm it in the app and the transaction is recorded like any other — the customer still gets loyalty credit and the sale appears in your analytics.
Customers who prefer to pay by card still use your existing EFTPOS terminal. tapara does not replace that — it gives you an additional, cheaper payment option that runs alongside it.
Setting up your payout account
In the tapara app, you enter your NZ bank account number. This is the account that receives your settlements. Bank-to-bank payments go directly from the customer’s bank to yours — no intermediary holding the money.
Building your loyalty programme
This is what makes tapara more than a payment tool. Every transaction — whether the customer pays via Open Banking or cash — feeds into a loyalty programme that you design yourself. No third-party app, no integration, no punch cards.
Design your tiers. You choose the tier names and how many tiers to have. A cafe might use “Coffee Newcomer,” “Coffee Lover,” and “Coffee Addict.” A lunch spot might go with “First Timer,” “Regular,” and “VIP.” They are your names, your brand.
Set progression rules. Decide how customers move up. You can track visits, total spend, purchases of a specific item, or a combination. A customer who visits 10 times might hit “Regular” automatically. A customer who spends $200 in a month might jump straight to “VIP.”
Choose rewards. Each tier can carry automatic benefits: a percentage discount on every order, a fixed dollar amount off, a free item when they reach the tier, or a free item every N purchases (like a digital punch card, but one that cannot be lost). You can also add custom perks — text-based benefits like “priority seating” or “early access to new menu items” that show on the customer’s profile.
It runs automatically. Once you set it up, there is nothing to manage day-to-day. Every payment updates the customer’s progress. Tier promotions happen automatically. Rewards are applied at checkout without the customer having to remember anything or carry anything. You never have to stamp a card or ask “do you have your loyalty card?” again.
What a transaction looks like
Here is what happens when a tapara customer reaches your counter:
- The customer taps their phone on the NFC pad.
- Your merchant app shows their name, loyalty tier, visit count, and their usual order.
- You build the order — add items and prices in the app.
- You send the payment request. The customer sees the total on their phone and approves it.
- The payment processes. The customer’s loyalty progress updates instantly — if they just hit a new tier, they see it on their screen.
Beyond the counter
This is the part most counter-based businesses have not been able to do easily. If you sell at the Saturday market, you have probably dealt with the hassle of portable EFTPOS terminals — extra leases, flaky mobile connections, or just defaulting to cash-only and losing sales.
With tapara, your setup at a market or festival is identical to your permanent counter: your phone and the NFC pad. Customers tap in, pay via their bank, and earn loyalty points. You see the same analytics and the same customer data whether you are behind your shop counter or under a gazebo at a local market. Your brand travels with you.
What it costs
tapara is free to add. There is no subscription, no terminal lease, and no fixed monthly fee. When customers pay via Open Banking through tapara, the fee is based on a share of the card processing fees you save — you keep 70% of the savings, so you always pay less than you would on cards alone. Your first three months are completely free.
For a full breakdown of how merchant fees work in New Zealand and where tapara fits in, see What are merchant service fees? For bank-by-bank rates and a detailed cost comparison, see Merchant fees in New Zealand: what every business actually pays.
Get started
Start with the essentials — an EFTPOS terminal, a cash float, and a way to track sales. Once that is running, add tapara to supercharge your counter with loyalty, cheaper payments, and the freedom to sell anywhere. Visit the businesses page or get in touch to get started.