by Matt Rej
Oracle MICROS is a dominant player in the hospitality POS space, particularly for restaurants, hotels, casinos, and stadiums.
The software itself gets a lot of attention. But the payment processing side powering everything gets far less.
Understanding what’s happening on the backend is crucial, and the way you set up MICROS has a direct impact on your merchant fees. The ecosystem is a lot more flexible than people realize, but it’s also a lot more complicated than vendors will tell you.
This post maps it all out.
Why MICROS Has More Flexibility Than Most POS Systems
A lot of integrated POS systems lock you into a single processor. That’s the nature of the setup because the processor doubles as the software provider.
For example, Toast doesn’t support any third-party processors. Or if you’re using Clover, processing all goes through Fiserv’s ecosystem.
MICROS is set up differently.
Oracle built a standardized payment middleware layer, called the Oracle Payment Interface (OPI) or new version, Symphony Payment Interface (SPI), that allows dozens of processors to connect to its products using the same integration framework.
In plain English, this means that MICROS is largely processor-agnostic. The processor you end up with is determined by the path you take to buy and implement it. But there can be some limitations within each path.
This is a huge advantage for businesses. Though it can be confusing if you don’t understand your stuff, and you can lose leverage if you just take a provider’s word for something without actually digging deeper.
Path 1: Going Directly Through Oracle
If you go straight to Oracle for integrated payment processing with MICROs, you’re looking at the Oracle Payment Cloud Service. This is their own payment product built directly into the Simphony subscription.
- But Oracle is not a payment processor.
- The service runs on Adyen as the backend processor that actually handles the payments.
- While Adyen is one of the best processors on the market, this setup actually isn’t ideal for merchants.
Oracle markets the service as flat-rate processing with no multi-year contracts and the ability to cancel at any time. The appeal is simplicity. You can go through one vendor for the POS and processing, with support and payment data all through the same reporting dashboard.
But flat-rate processing is incredibly expensive and something you’ll always want to avoid. If you can have a direct relationship with Adyen and get interchange-plus pricing, it’s much better than having Oracle sit in the middle with the flat-rate model.
Alternatively, Fiserv is a well-established option in this space. They’re a certified OPI partner with Oracle and are used in enterprise-level MICROS deployments.
It circumvents Oracle’s in-house payment service and gives you a direct relationship with the processor. And you’ll still benefit from all the perks of integrated payments.
Path 2: Processors With Their Own MICROS Integration
Some processor providers build their own MICROS integration programs and market them directly to current and prospective users.
Shift4 is the cleanest example.
They have a dedicated MICROS page with their own in-house implementation team, and they’ve built out support for a full range of MICROS hardware (Simphony, RES 3700, 9700). Shift4 also promotes a lifetime warranty on MICROS hardware replacements, which is a nice perk.
This tends to be the best path from a fee perspective because you have a direct relationship with the processor. There’s no reseller adding an extra margin layer, and you’re negotiating with one party rather than trying to figure out where costs are coming from across multiple vendors.
If your existing processor has a program like this, it’s probably your best bet. So just ask them directly if they support MICROS or if they can build the integration for you.
Path 3: Using a Third-Party Reseller
This is where most MICROS payment setups actually come from, especially for independent restaurants, boutique hotels, and mid-sized operators.
It stems from decisions made years ago, back when Oracle acquired MICROS in 2014. And while they initially kept existing operations in place, they eventually started consolidating and shutting down regional offices, ultimately shifting work to Oracle-run locations.
This created a gap that was filled by a network of authorized dealers and payment service providers (PSPs). They offered what Oracle wasn’t, like a local presence with dedicated support and someone who would actually pick up the phone when a terminal went down during a Friday dinner rush.
One popular example of this is MICROS Integrated Payments. Despite the name, it isn’t actually a MICROS product. They’re managed by Smart Payment Solutions, which is a standard reseller/PSP. If you go through a setup like this, they can set you up with:
- Shift4
- Fiserv
- Global Payments
- TSYS
- CardConnect
- North (American Bancard)
When asked directly, Shift4 tends to be their default. But the other processors are available for a one-time setup fee.
The benefit of this approach is the added level of service. You’re getting support that Oracle doesn’t offer, and you have access to multiple processing options.
The tradeoff is fee complexity. Resellers have to build their margin somewhere, either in the hardware, processing, or both. That might show up on a rate that’s a few basis points higher than you’d expect, gateway fees, support fees, and other stuff that inflates your effective rate.
Which Path Should You Take? Start With Your Current Processor
If you’re evaluating MICROS and haven’t thought about your payments yet, the first thing you should do is contact your existing payment processor.
Call them or send an email with one question: Do you support Oracle MICROS for an integrated processing setup?
If they say yes, this is going to be the best option. You can keep the relationship you have and get the POS you want. Just don’t let your processor use this as an excuse to hike your rates or charge you a ton of extra fees for this convenience.
If they don’t integrate with MICROS, find out whether you can facilitate this through a third party. While it adds a layer, it’s still going to be cheaper than switching processors entirely.
Just don’t let your processor or PSP make this decision for you. Resellers will default you to their preferred processor because that’s how their business works and that’s where they get the most margin.
They’ll try to convince you to switch because that’s how they make the most money. Don’t fall for it. See if they can support what you need while keeping your processor.
If You’re Already Using MICROS But Your Fees Are Too High, Don’t Switch Just Yet
This is another common scenario that we deal with all the time when consulting with our clients.
They got set up with MICROS years ago on what they thought was a fair deal. But over time, rates steadily climbed, new fees were added, and they’ve had enough. Paying an effective rate that’s 3-4% or more is just too much.
Switching processors isn’t the answer.
You just see how much money you’re paying. But you need to look at other factors like what’s causing the rate to be so high.
- Base rate increases over time
- PCI compliance fees
- Equipment fees
- Monthly support fees
This just barely scratches the surface. And if you got MICROS through a third party, they definitely added more margin to ensure they could profit on your account.
These are the types of costs that inflate your rate without being super obvious.
The good news is it’s easy to fix. You just need to negotiate.
Start by auditing your statements to identify price increases, new fees, and anything that isn’t directly tied to a tangible service or benefit. There’s a high probability you have junk fees on there that can be removed. And depending on your volume, this could save you thousands or even tens of thousands every single month.
If you need help with this, just contact our team here at MCC. We’ll help you save money on MICROS POS payment processing, without switching providers or changing any software.