Taking cards at your new Raleigh business, sorted out before opening day

Whether you are opening a restaurant, a shop, a salon, or a service business in Raleigh, here is what to plan for with payments and point of sale, what to have ready, and what to ask before you sign anything.

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What to get right

Match the setup to how your business actually runs

A Raleigh restaurant needs tip adjustment, split checks, and a way to keep tables turning without a line at the register. A retail shop needs inventory tracking, barcode scanning, and a clean process for returns and exchanges. A salon or spa needs appointment booking, deposits or card-on-file for no-shows, and tips split by stylist. Service businesses that work on site need mobile payments, invoicing, and the ability to take a card over the phone or by link. Write down how a typical sale happens in your business before you look at any equipment, and choose hardware and software that fits that flow.

Have your paperwork ready before you apply

A merchant account application goes faster when you have the basics in hand: your legal business entity (sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation), registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State if required for your structure; your EIN from the IRS, or your SSN if you are a sole proprietor without one; a business bank account for deposits; a government-issued photo ID for each owner; and a description of what you sell and how you expect to take payments. Local business licenses, zoning, and permits depend on your type of business and location, so check with the City of Raleigh and Wake County offices for what applies to you.

Understand how you will be charged

Pricing is where many new owners get surprised later. Ask for interchange-plus pricing, where you pay the card networks' actual cost plus a fixed margin, so you can see exactly what goes to the networks and what goes to your processor. If you would rather not carry processing cost at all, a cash discount program is another option to consider, as long as you set it up and post it the way the program requires.

Connect payments to the rest of your business

If you plan to sell online, take orders through a website, or use accounting, ERP, or customer management software, make sure your payment setup connects to it from the start. With a TouchSuite merchant account, our ERP, CRM, and e-commerce integrations are included at no monthly fee, which saves you from re-entering sales by hand or switching systems later.

How it works

  1. Talk through your business. Start with a conversation about what you sell, how customers pay, and what your day looks like, whether that is a dinner rush, weekend foot traffic, or a full appointment book. If you have processed cards before, send us your most recent processing statement and we will show you, line by line, what you are paying and beat it, or tell you honestly that we cannot.
  2. Choose equipment and software. Together we pick the terminals, POS hardware, and software features that fit your business type, such as tableside payments, inventory, booking, or mobile card readers. Qualifying merchants receive free terminals and POS hardware, no upfront cost.
  3. Submit your application. You provide your entity details, EIN, bank account information, and owner ID, and the application goes in for review. Having everything ready at this step is the simplest way to avoid delays, so it helps to start a few weeks before you plan to open rather than the week of.
  4. Get set up and start taking payments. Once approved, your equipment is configured and your account is connected. Most merchants are processing within 24 to 48 hours of approval. Run a few test transactions, including a refund and a tip if those apply to you, before your first real customer walks in.

Questions to ask a processor

How am I being priced, and can I see the breakdown?

Ask any processor to explain exactly how each transaction is charged and what shows up on your monthly statement. With interchange-plus pricing, you pay the card networks' actual cost plus a fixed margin, so the breakdown is visible rather than bundled into one number.

Am I locked into a contract?

Ask about contract length and what happens if you want to leave. Some agreements are hard to exit. TouchSuite accounts are month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime with no fees.

Will this work with my booking, inventory, accounting, or online store?

Ask which systems the processor connects to and whether there is an extra monthly charge for each one. With a TouchSuite merchant account, our ERP, CRM, and e-commerce integrations are included at no monthly fee.

How long before I can take cards?

It depends mostly on how complete your application is. Have your entity details, EIN, bank account, and ID ready. Most TouchSuite merchants are processing within 24 to 48 hours of approval, so apply ahead of your opening date to leave room for setup and testing.

Can I avoid paying processing costs entirely?

Some businesses use a cash discount program to eliminate processing cost. Ask how the program works, how it is shown to customers, and whether it suits your type of business. It is available through TouchSuite if you want it.

What do I need from the city or county before I open?

That depends on your business type and location. Restaurants, salons, and some service businesses often have additional permits or licensing requirements. Check directly with the City of Raleigh, Wake County, and any North Carolina licensing board that covers your trade, since a processor cannot tell you what your local requirements are.

Get your Raleigh business ready to take payments

Tell us what you are opening and how your customers will pay, and we will help you plan the equipment, paperwork, and timing. If you already process cards, send your most recent statement and we will give you an honest line-by-line look.

An email or a phone number is enough.

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TouchSuite · 800-793-3250 · Month-to-month, cancel anytime, no fees.