Open tabs. Close clean.
Tab-friendly authorization, tip adjustment, and hardware that survives a Saturday night.
Open tabs, walk-outs, and late-night chaos
Bars live on pre-authorizations, running tabs, and tip adjustments — and most generic processors handle those poorly. Expired auths turn into walk-outs. Mis-adjusted tips turn into chargebacks. And Saturday night's card volume doesn't always land in the bank account on Monday morning. We configure the MID for bar economics from day one: longer auth windows, clean tip adjustment, reliable batch close, and funding that actually matches weekend volume.
The right program for this category
Cash Discount / Dual Pricing (0% processing)
Our first-choice program for this category.
Interchange-Plus if you'd rather absorb the fee
Honest pass-through alternative — no surprise markups.
Tab-based volume benefits enormously from cash discount. If you'd rather keep surcharge language off the check, interchange-plus gives you transparent pass-through pricing without the retail markup.
Hardware, POS, and gateway matched to the category
Payment terminals
Valor VL110 wireless handheld for runners and bottle service, Dejavoo Z11 countertop at the main bar station, Valor VP800 for high-traffic stations.
Point-of-sale systems
Union POS was built by bar industry veterans — open tabs, pre-auth, tip adjustment, and guest-led ordering are handled better than any generic restaurant POS. KwickPOS is the alternative for bars with a substantial food program. Clover as a flexible fallback.
Gateway
NMI for event ticketing, private-event deposits, and gift card sales.
Add-ons and integrations
Guest-led ordering via Union Pocket, age-verification scanner add-ons, extended pre-auth windows for tabs, rewards and loyalty.
Category-specific safeguards
- Correct MCC 5813 placement to avoid flagging
- Extended pre-auth windows for tab operations
- Chargeback representment for disputed tips
- PCI support included
Common questions
Can we hold a card without charging it?
Yes. Pre-auth limits and windows are configured so you can hold a card for an open tab and settle the final amount (including tip) at close.
What about ID verification?
Most of our bar-focused terminals support ID scanning as an add-on. Your specialist will walk through the current hardware options.
Will high card-present volume trigger a reserve?
Bars get flagged often because generic underwriters misclassify them. Proper MCC placement and a clean statement review on our side prevents that.
Ready for a real quote?
Send your last statement. A specialist returns the math and the program that fits your business — usually the same day.