by Matt Rej
While Sam’s Club is well known for offering great prices to its members, payment processing services definitely don’t fall into this category.
On the surface, Sam’s Club Point of Sale by Clover looks like an opportunity to save money on a new POS system. But in reality, there’s no deal here when you break down the numbers.
You’re basically committing to a multi-year contract with a third-party provider that results in thousands of dollars in long-term fees in exchange for a modest rebate and a $100 Sam’s Club gift card.
It’s not worth it for most businesses.
Key Takeaways
- Sam’s Club POS is powered by Clover with Fiserv as the processor.
- You’re signing a merchant agreement directly with Fiserv (not Sam’s Club).
- The hardware rebate is marginally better than Clover’s direct offer (about $50).
- Payment processing rates are not discounted.
- Contacts include multi-year terms (36-48 months), and thousands of dollars in other charges that most merchants overlook.
Sam’s Club is Not a Payment Processor
Despite “Sam’s Club” being in the name, the wholesaler has nothing to do with your payment processing setup or POS system.
Sam’s Club Point of Sale by Clover is just a branding strategy. It’s a way to get the attention of members who automatically associate the words Sam’s Club with a deal.
And if you look closely at the footnotes of the sales materials, you can see that the name Sam’s Club Merchant Credit Card Processing is just a DBA of First Data Merchant Services (which is owned by Fiserv).
Sam’s Club obviously gave Fiserv permission to use its name when they registered this DBA name.
But apart from the name and offering this deal “exclusively” to its members, Sam’s Club has nothing to do with credit card processing for your business.
Sam’s isn’t even an ISO or reseller of Fiserv/Clover. All they’re doing is providing a referral signup link (similar to what Costco does with Elavon).
Your Merchant Agreement is Directly With Fiserv
Going through Sam’s Club to get a discounted Clover POS system requires you to sign a contract with Fiserv.
Fiserv is the acquiring bank on the backend that powers Clover transactions, and they’re the only payment processor that’s compatible with Clover hardware.
Most merchants don’t realize this because lots of providers on the market offer Clover systems. But all of those providers are just Fiserv resellers.
This means that you need to go through the complete merchant account underwriting process to get a completely new merchant ID.
If your business is already set up to accept credit card payments elsewhere from another provider, this deal is useless for you because Clover POS won’t work unless Fiserv is a processor.
And if you are using Fiserv, you’re not eligible for the offer. Sam’s Club POS by Clover is only for new merchant accounts.
The Clover Hardware Discount is Only Marginally Better Than What Clover Offers Directly
Let’s take a closer look at the current offer from Sam’s Club on Clover terminals to see if it’s actually a deal.
Eligible signups between February 1, 2026 and January 31, 2027 get:
- $500 rebate on Clover hardware
- $100 Sam’s Club gift card
But if you go directly to Clover to purchase a new POS system, they’ll give a $450 statement credit.
The hardware rebate is only $50 more through Sam’s Club. Plus the $100 gift card, it’s a $150 difference in total incentives.
That’s nothing in the grand scheme of things when you’re talking about something as important as credit card processing for your business.
Clover will easily recoup that $150 in subscription fees and other charges to your account, likely in the first month.
There’s No Discount on Processing Rates
Sam’s Club Point of Sale by Clover promotes the following payment processing rates:
- 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction for in-person sales (tap, swipe, insert)
- 3.5% + $0.10 per transaction for CNP (online or manually keyed)
Neither of these is a deal.
In fact, the pricing advertised directly on Clover’s website is as low as 2.3% + $0.10 per transaction.
While it’s not advertised, I know for a fact that Clover and Fiserv offer interchange-plus pricing, which is what you’ll want to secure the best deal.
There’s No Discount on Subscription Fees, Either
In addition to the price you pay per transaction, Clover also charges a subscription fee for the use of its POS software.
There are three tiers advertised through Sam’s Club POS by Clover:
- Starter: $0 per month (but doesn’t include hardware)
- Essentials: $29.95 per month
- Growth: $89.95 per month
Again, this isn’t a deal. These are the same prices as the software plans offered directly from Clover’s.
And what’s worse is that the Sam’s prices don’t actually tell the full story. For example, the $89.95 growth plan requires a one-time payment of $849 or $1799 (depending on the hardware you want). Otherwise, that monthly fee jumps to $135 or $179.
And these options all require a minimum contract of 36 months.
The Growth plan will cost you anywhere from $4,860 to $6,400+ over that period, no matter which way you slice it.
All before you even process a single transaction. For what? So you can get a $500 rebate and a $100 Sam’s Club gift card.
The Fine Print You Shouldn’t Overlook
If you look at the fine print of the marketing materials from Sam’s Club Point of Sale by Clover, you’ll quickly see that there are other stipulations that all result in extra fees charged to your business, including:
- $100k minimum in processing volume per year
- 36 to 48-month contract requirement
- Software subscription commitment
- Service fees and activation fees
- Early termination fees
- Monthly minimum fees (separately from the $100k annual requirement)
That’s a ton of hoops to jump through for a $100 Sam’s Club gift card.
And the craziest part about this is that we’re just talking about the marketing fine print. Your merchant agreement will spell this out in much greater detail, with additional requirements for your specific business.
By committing you to $100k in annual processing, Clover is guaranteeing they’ll receive over $7,800 in processing fees over your 36-month contract (2.6% of $300k). And that’s before the per-item fees on each transaction.
If the early termination fees are anything like the others we’ve seen from Fiserv, then they’re iron-clad and likely include liquidated damages. This means you’ll likely end up committing yourself to 80% of the number the second you sign the contract.
Who This Offer Might Actually Make Sense For
While Sam’s Club POS by Clover isn’t the best move for most businesses, it could make sense if your business is:
- Brand new and doesn’t already have a processor.
- Already planning to use Clover.
- Comfortable with all of Fiserv’s terms.
- Going to meet the $100k annual volume requirements.
In this case, might as well get yourself the extra $50 rebate plus $100 gift card.
Just don’t do it solely for that deal alone.
If You Want a Clover POS System, Cut Out the Middleman
The point I’m trying to make here is that you’re not getting any favors by going through Sam’s Club to get a new Clover POS terminal.
If you like Clover and want Fiserv as your payment processor, that’s fine.
Just go directly through Clover and you can likely negotiate that $150 difference as a credit with your sales rep. They’ll be happy to get your business either way, because all of the terms mentioned above will likely still apply.
If you decide to go this route, just make sure you get on an IC+ contract instead of the flat-rate terms offered by Clover.
But Switching Processors Usually Isn’t Worth It
That said, there’s no reason to consider a Clover POS if your business is already set up to accept credit cards through another provider.
Don’t get me wrong. Clover is a solid POS, and for the right business, it can be a good fit. It’s among the better point-of-sale solutions on the market today.
But the software subscriptions are pricey and really inflate your overall effective rate. Switching processors is also more expensive than most merchants realize, and it’s not as simple as you might think.
And switching providers just to qualify for such a small rebate would rarely make financial sense.