United Bank Card Inc. is making its Harbortouch point-of-sale system available for free to merchants that continue to use the company to process their payment card transactions, the Hampton, N.J.-based independent sales organization announced Jan. 3.
United previously sold the system for $2,000 to sales agents, who then marked up the price for sale to merchants (
The Harbortouch POS system can track inventory, juggle employee scheduling, provide detailed transaction information and support payment-processing functions, United Bank Card says. The ISO introduced the product in 2008 (
“While price has previously been prohibitive for small to midsize restaurants and retail stores to utilize a system such as this, our new program allows these merchants to take advantage of the same benefits as the national restaurant chains and major retailers,” says a United Bank Card spokesperson, referring to competing POS systems that can cost several thousands of dollars.
Merchants must sign a five-year processing agreement to receive the system at no cost. United Bank Card retains ownership of the system, the spokesperson says. United Bank Card’s standard merchant account agreements are for three years, the company says.
United Bank Card’s sales agents will receive 50% of the transaction revenue generated from the merchant accounts and a $300 up-front commission per installed machine. The typical merchant needs three devices, according to the ISO.
Agents also receive sales leads generated by United Bank Card’s appointment-setters, and they are required to complete Harbortouch University, an online training course about the system.
The newest Harbortouch POS system uses software called Lighthouse that enables merchants to marry their payment data with their back-office software. Merchants can review the data and make changes to the onscreen menu via an Internet connection, United Bank Card says.
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