Understanding your payment options
Meadow integrates with two types of cashless payment, so you can pick the one that fits your business or use both.
Debit / Cashless ATM — Customer swipes or taps a debit card on a terminal. The charge rounds up and the difference comes back as cash. Best for in-store.
Stronghold — Pay by bank — Customer scans a QR code or gets a text link to pay from their bank account. No hardware needed. Works for in-store and delivery.
Both are fully integrated with Meadow POS. Read on for the details.
Why go cashless?
Dispensaries that accept cashless payments see real results:
20-30% larger cart sizes when customers can pay by card
Faster checkout and fewer walkouts
Fewer mistakes — integrated payments send the exact total to the terminal or the customer's phone. No manual entry, no overcharging.
Bigger tips — card tips tend to be larger than cash tips
Compliance — integrated processors are cannabis-compliant. No workarounds, no risk of a shady service shutting down and taking your money with it.
Why go cashless?
Dispensaries that accept cashless payments see real results:
20-30% larger cart sizes when customers can pay by card
Faster checkout and fewer walkouts
Fewer mistakes — integrated payments send the exact total to the terminal or the customer's phone. No manual entry, no overcharging.
Bigger tips — card tips tend to be larger than cash tips
Compliance — integrated processors are cannabis-compliant. No workarounds, no risk of a shady service shutting down and taking your money with it.
Quick comparison
| Debit / Cashless ATM | Stronghold — Pay by bank |
How it works | Customer swipes or taps a debit card on a terminal. Charge rounds up, difference returned as cash. | Customer scans a QR code or gets a text link to pay directly from their bank account. |
Rounding | $5 or $10 (configurable, or disable for exact charges) | None — exact charges |
Hardware needed | Yes — Dejavoo or Nexgo terminal (provided by payment partner) | No hardware needed |
Tipping | Yes | Yes |
Cash back | Yes (configurable) | No |
Best for | In-store | In-store + delivery |
Integrated with Meadow POS | Yes | Yes |
Debit / Cashless ATM
Cashless ATM is the most common card payment method in cannabis retail. The customer's debit card is charged a rounded amount, and the difference is returned as cash back. It works like withdrawing cash from an ATM — except the "cash" goes straight toward the purchase.
How it works at checkout:
Select "Debit" as the payment type on your Meadow POS
Tap "Get Payment"
The customer swipes, taps, or inserts their card on the terminal
Once the transaction is approved, tap "Finalize Payment" on Meadow
Payment syncs to the order automatically
What to know:
Rounding is either $5 or $10, depending on your setup. A $47.50 order might charge $50 or $55, with the difference returned as cash back. You can also disable rounding entirely in Settings > Orders and charge to the exact penny.
If you allow cash back, customers can request it during the transaction. You select the cash back amount at POS so the cashier knows how much to hand over.
A card terminal is required — your payment partner provides one as part of setup (Dejavoo or Nexgo, depending on your partner).
Supports tipping. Customers can select a tip percentage or enter a custom amount on the terminal.
Fully integrated with Meadow POS — the exact total passes between the POS and the terminal. No manual entry, no double-keying.
Get started: Reach out in the Meadow Support Chat and we'll match you with the right payment partner for your setup.
Pay by bank with Stronghold
Stronghold collects payments through the customer's phone. They scan a QR code or get a text link to pay directly from their bank account — no card, no terminal, no rounding.
What to know:
Exact charges — the customer pays the precise order total
No hardware required
Works for both in-store and delivery
Supports tipping — customers can add a tip when finalizing payment, with tips attributed to the budtender or driver who fulfilled the order
After signing up during their first checkout, returning customers can pay with a single tap
Fully integrated with Meadow POS
Get started: Ask Support Chat for the Stronghold signup form.
Setup guide: Setting up the Stronghold integration
How Stronghold works at checkout
In-store / POS:
At checkout, select the Stronghold payment type
Customer scans a QR code or gets a text link
Customer authorizes payment from their bank account
Once authorized, a "Capture Payment" button appears
Capture the payment to complete the transaction
Online / pre-payment:
Customers can pay online using Stronghold through your Meadow embed menu. Completing payment in advance almost ensures they'll pick up their order or be home for delivery.
If the customer has authorized payment, capture it when you fulfill the order
If the customer authorizes but doesn't complete payment (e.g., they close their browser), the order stays open. You can wait for them to finish, or cancel the order and delete the payment.
To edit an order after the customer has already paid, refund the payment first, make your changes, then request payment again
To cancel an order with a completed payment, use the refund button, then delete the payment
Splitting payments across methods
You can split a single order across multiple payment methods:
At checkout, click New Payment
Deselect "Pay remaining balance"
Enter the amount for the first payment method
Add a second payment for the remaining balance
Example: A customer pays $20 in cash and covers the rest with a Stronghold bank transfer.
Tip: When splitting across multiple payment methods, only the rounding strategy of the final (remaining balance) payment is applied to the order total. If there are multiple payment fees, each fee is added to the total.
Setting up payment types in Meadow
For each payment method you accept:
Go to Settings > Payment Types
Click New
Enter a name, payment method, and any associated fees
Add a fee description if applicable — whatever you enter shows up on the order receipt
Important: For the debit terminal integration to work, the payment type must be named exactly "Debit" in your settings. After creating it, close and reopen the Meadow app at POS to see it.
Tip: If your debit terminal already adds a payment fee automatically, don't add the same fee again in Meadow's payment type settings — that would double-charge the customer.
The payment types you create are visible on your online menu and at POS. Payment fees are applied after all taxes, discounts, and adjustments.
Common questions
Which payment option should I choose?
It depends on your operation. Debit / cashless ATM is best for in-store — customers swipe a card and they're done. Stronghold is best if you want exact charges, no hardware, or need to accept payments for delivery and online orders. Many dispensaries use both: debit in-store and Stronghold for delivery. Having a backup payment method is always helpful.
Can I use more than one payment option?
Yes, you can use more than one payment option at the same time. Many dispensaries use debit for in-store purchases and Stronghold for delivery and online orders.
What does "rounding" mean?
Cashless ATM processors charge the customer a rounded amount (for example, $47.50 becomes $50) and the difference is returned as cash back. Stronghold charges the exact amount — no rounding. You can configure your rounding strategy (round down, normal rounding, or disable) in Settings > Orders.
Why was the customer charged more than the order total?
This is normal for debit / cashless ATM payments. The terminal rounds the charge up to the nearest $5 or $10, and the difference is returned to the customer as cash back. The customer isn't overpaying — they're getting change back, just like an ATM withdrawal. If a customer asks, your budtender can explain: "Your total was $47.50, so we charged $50 to your card and you'll see $2.50 back as cash."
What if a payment fails or the customer's card is declined?
If a debit payment fails, try running the card again. If it continues to fail, offer an alternative — cash or Stronghold (if you have it set up). For Stronghold, if the customer doesn't complete the payment on their phone, the order stays open until you cancel or delete the payment. Reach out to Support if you're seeing repeated failures.
How do I handle refunds?
Use the refund button on the order, then delete the payment. The process varies slightly by payment type. Reach out to Support if you need a hand.
My checkout screen says "prepayment" and it's confusing customers. Can I change it?
Yes, you can change your checkout screen wording. We recommend using "Pay by bank" language instead of "prepayment." Contact Support and we'll help you update it.
Can my customer get a receipt from the terminal?
Yes. Debit terminals can provide receipts via paper, email, or text. The customer chooses their preference when they complete the transaction. Meadow POS also prints its own receipt as usual.
Where do I set up payments in Meadow?
Payment types: Settings > Payment Types
Integrations: Settings > Integrations
Rounding: Settings > Orders
Need help choosing? Reach out in the Meadow Support Chat — we'll match you with the right option.
Need help choosing?
Reach out in the Meadow Support Chat — we'll help you figure out which payment option is the best fit for your dispensary.