The #1 fear for tobacco retailers
Your POS Company Could
Shut You Down Tomorrow
Square, Clover, and Stripe regularly terminate tobacco merchant accounts without warning. TORO partners with Premium Tobacco Processing — zero tobacco merchant shutdowns since 2013.
Why Generic Processors Shut Down Tobacco Shops
It is not a matter of if — it is a matter of when. Here is why it happens.
You sell tobacco
Square, Clover, Stripe, and most mainstream processors classify tobacco as a high-risk category. They approve your application, let you process for months, then terminate your account with little or no warning.
Chargeback thresholds
Tobacco transactions can trigger higher chargeback rates. Generic processors have low tolerance and will freeze your funds or close your account rather than work with you.
Compliance flags
Tobacco products trigger automated risk reviews at generic processors. Even if you are fully compliant, the algorithms do not care — they see tobacco and flag your account.
Premium Tobacco Processing
TORO partners exclusively with a processor built for tobacco retail. They understand the business, they understand the compliance, and they have never shut down a tobacco merchant.
- Designed specifically for tobacco merchants
- Zero tobacco merchant shutdowns — ever
- No surprise holds or fund freezes
- Understands OTP tax, age verification, and compliance requirements
- Competitive rates (average 2%) with fee pass-through available
- Works directly with TORO POS — terminal ships pre-configured
TORO + PTP vs. Generic Processors
| TORO + PTP | Square / Clover / Stripe | |
|---|---|---|
| Tobacco-specific processor | ||
| Zero merchant shutdowns | ||
| No surprise fund holds | ||
| Fee pass-through option | ||
| Pre-configured terminal | ||
| Understands tobacco compliance | ||
| Low monthly minimums | ||
| Next-day deposits |
Fee Pass-Through = $0 Processing Costs
With fee pass-through enabled, credit card processing fees are passed to the customer at checkout. Your effective processing cost drops to zero. Cash and debit customers are not affected.
Example: Customer buys a $100 box of cigars on credit. With fee pass-through, they pay ~$102. You keep $100. Without it, you keep ~$98.
0
Merchant Shutdowns
85+
Active Stores
10+
Years Processing
~2%
Average Rate
Stop Worrying About Your Processor
See how TORO and Premium Tobacco Processing keep your business running without the risk of account shutdowns, fund holds, or surprise terminations.