Clover Flex Review 

About Clover 

The Clover Station was Clover’s initial hardware solution, and the company started distributing it in January of 2014 after it was released in 2013.

Accepting credit card or contactless payments anywhere, with very simple installation and use: this is the promise of Clover, and it is fulfilled.

The company has since gone on to offer various out-of-the-box Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) solutions for various businesses, including retail and food related traders. 

Clover did not stop there and has since launched many other POS products and credit card readers including the Station, Station Solo, Station Duo, Station 2018, Mini, Mini 2, Flex, Mobile and Clover Go.

To help you see the distinctions more clearly, here is a comparison table of 3 of the main Clover POS products:

POS	Clover Flex	Clover Mini	Clover Station
Hardware price (without promo)	$499	$749	$1,349
Style	Handheld	Portable	Stationary
Monthly subsr.	$0, $14.95 or $44.95 software fee	$0 for processing up to $69.95/month for Table Service Restaurant Plan	$39.95/month for the software
Payment processing	Starts at 2.3% plus 10 cents	2.3 per cent & 10 cents for in-person transactions	2.3 per cent & 10 cents for payment processing
Other	$15/month for LTE cellular data plan	Can be used with LTE plan bought via Clover/Verizon/other	If you choose Duo (runs LTE), charge of $15/month for optional LTE plan
Built-in SIM card	Yes	Yes	n/a
Charging base	Included	Included	Included

The Clover Flex reader in detail

Per the name, the Clover Flex is meant to bridge the gap between a stationary POS device and a mobile card reader: It can double as either — or both.

Similar to a conventional card machine, this mini-reader allows businesses to: 

• Read and accept bank card payments
• Accept contactless payments
• Accept NFC payments by digital wallet (Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay) 

Note that it is necessary to have a smartphone with WiFi or 3G/4G connection to use the Clover Flex. 

In terms of ergonomics, you will appreciate its size, whilst not perfect, is manageable, compared to traditional payment terminals which can be rather large and heavy. 

With dimensions of 7.7 inches tall by 3.2 inches wide by 2 inches deep, the Clover Flex reader fits in your hand and customers love it. It is more ergonomic than other handheld POS machines and cards can be inserted into the bottom of the POS, or swiped or tapped using the contactless functionality.

The Clover Flex 5-inch screen is protected by Gorilla Glass, the same screen used by most Android smartphones. This means that it is enough to touch the surface of the card reader to enter its pin code and the screen is still very readable, regardless of the level of brightness.

Cards accepted by Clover Flex

Card type	Accepted?
Debit cards	Yes
Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover etc)	Yes
Digital wallets (Apple Pay/Google Pay, Samsung Pay)	Yes
Gift cards	Yes
Paypal & Venmo QR codes	Yes

Clover makes it possible to accept almost all cards, including international cards and this is one of its many advantages. 

Mastercard and Visa typically allow tap limits of up to $250, introduced post pandemic ensuring fewer consumers need to touch payment machines. This can vary depending on the card provider. 

The practice, which saves time for each transaction, has seen its use soar since the pandemic. For your customers who require it, Clover Flex also allows you to accept mobile payments (Google Pay and Apple Pay). Clover Flex also includes a virtual terminal for typed in sales. 

Clover Flex: Pricing and Commissions

Clover Flex’s pricing is clear and transparent:

• The price per unit is $499 ($166 x 3).
• Monthly software subscription options are $0.00, $14.95, or $44.95 (per the plan chosen)
• LTE mobile data plans start at $15/month.

Clover Flex includes several fees in its payment processing costs:

• 2.6% plus $0.10 each in-person credit card purchase (through Clover Payments)
• To conduct a transaction, add 3.5% plus $0.10 per typed in sales via Clover Payments
• Transaction costs that may vary (via Fiserv ISO or Fiserv)
• Costs might change on a monthly or yearly basis (via Fiserv ISO or Fiserv)

Clover Flex allows small businesses, freelancers and retailers to escape the old pricing of payment readers with its simple model: Card machine purchase with software and transaction fees.

Fees are only paid for successful transactions and there are no price differences for accepted credit cards, including American Express.

Finally, note that the following services are offered with the purchase of the Clover Flex reader & free monthly plan:

• Flex handheld POS with built-in receipt printer
• Payments plan with 24/7 live support
• Accept swipe, dip, tap, and contactless payments

With optional add-ons to the monthly plans at $44.95 per month, customers can also avail of:

• Inventory management with variants and costs
• Customer database & private feedback
• Manage promotions, offer rewards programs, and sell gift cards

Who is Clover Flex for?

The Clover Flex can work with a variety of business types, from restaurants to retail and is a  good solution for many small businesses that are starting up, or have limited credit card transaction volumes or who work on the move.

Clover Flex can be particularly useful for:

• Retail stores
• Quick service dining
• Cafes, restaurants, boutiques, convenience stores, shops, clothing stores and merchants
• Home & field services
• Personal services
• Professional services
• Hairdressers and beauty salons
• Couriers, drivers and taxis

Most of Clover Flex’s target audience are smaller businesses, as noted above. Some activities are not accepted however by Clover. These mainly include industries that are restricted including gambling or unlicensed professions. 

Clover Flex order process

Registration for the service can be completed online on the official Clover website. Customers can enter their postcode and find the phone number for a local Clover representative in their area or schedule an online meeting directly on the Clover website. 

Customers can connect with this Clover consultant to arrange an in-person sales and installation experience or to order the product. 

Sending the terminal is free and can take up to 5 days after validation of the opening of the account.

We recommend that you plan to purchase your Clover Flex payment reader at least 7 working days before you need it.

Clover Flex setup

Customers will receive your pre-configured Clover Flex, typically arriving pre-charged with 50% battery. There is no need for a technician, so you can carry out the setup by yourself in approximately 10-15 minutes. 

To get started:

• Activate the card reader
• Choose your primary language
• Make the necessary adjustments to your data link options (3G, Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
• Downloaded all necessary patches and updates to the program
• You will be prompted by Clover to input the activation code that was supplied to your email address at the time that your device was delivered
• After you have input your activation code, Clover will begin downloading your applications.
• Prepare the printer for producing receipts
• Make a decision on the software plan that you want, and if necessary, pick the Wireless Manager
• In the end, you will need to finish your settings, which includes establishing a password to unlock the device if it is necessary, as well as setting up the capability to receive tips and gather signatures on printed receipts or via the screen of the Clover Flex.

If you completely charge the device, it should have a run time of up to eight hours for the typical small and medium business.

How to receive funds from your Clover Flex transactions

The only other need is a merchant account associated with your company. You must have a commercial banking account with a POS card processor that uses the First Data processing system in order to accept payments.

This does not need a direct account with First Data, but it is an option. It simply means that you require an account with a processing firm that is compatible with First Data, among which there are numerous alternatives.

Clover Rapid Deposit

Additionally, Clover offers a Clover Rapid Deposit option that requires payment. This is a service that helps companies to bypass the lag time that is often associated with the standard settlement financing procedure.

It also gives quicker access to the monies that are created by sales transactions. There is a 1% cost associated with using the service.

This might be helpful for firms who are short on cash and need to pay a bill, replenish their inventory, or make a contribution toward their payroll.

Established companies are permitted to request the transfer of up to $10k in sales deposits each request, and there is no limit to the no. of requests that may be made in a single day.

You can set up your Clover device or your Clover dash in just a few moments using any of these options.

How to take payment from customers with the Clover Flex

Simply enter the amount, and the customer will do the rest as on a conventional card reader: insert their card, type their pin code and validate.

A green tick confirms the success of the transaction and it is also possible to print the credit card receipt with compatible printers.

To charge the terminal, use the included cable and plug it into a computer or electrical outlet. Plug it into a computer or electrical outlet. It can be put to charge on or off or whilst in use which is convenient. Once charged, you’ll be able to enjoy up to 500 transactions on a single charge. 

Finally, you will be notified if the payment reader software is updated. Updates are quite simple to perform and an update check is even performed by default when your device is connected to the application. 

Clover Flex features

The Clover Flex is connected with the Clover Station as well as the Clover Mini, and it is also capable of running the whole Clover POS.

In the event that you want a full-fledged register or tabletop POS system, you are able to get one of these and utilize the Flex machines as a supplementary option.

Because of this, orders that were started on one device may be finished on another, which is a very crucial feature to have when working with mobile hardware and portable personnel.

Contactless payment

Like any good mobile payment reader, Clover Flex allows you to accept:

• Contactless payments
• Payments by digital wallet (Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay)

This feature is highly appreciated by small traders because it saves a lot of time and avoids lines.

Payment processing

The functionality of Clover Flex mobile payments may be accessed via one of three apps: Register, Orders, or Sale.

• Using Register, you can locate all of your stock and will be able to add goods to your shopping cart. Because Clover Flex is equipped with a built-in camera as well as a barcode scanner, you can quickly add things that you scan into inventory.
• In Orders, for you to successfully carry out the transactions, orders will bring up any open tickets.
• Sale is the default quick-sale option, in which you merely enter a sum and then swipe, dip, or touch the card to complete the transaction.

You can also access a wide variety of settings linked to transactions directly on the Flex, beginning with the most fundamental options such as tax and tip.

The settings for the tips are easy to understand, but the settings for the taxes may take a little more consideration, depending on the location of your company.

The majority of options pertaining to payments can be found in the Clover Setup app. This includes the ability to customize the payment types that are accepted and to choose whether or not a transaction will cause the cash drawer to open.

Tools

Additional Point-of-Sale features offered by Clover include a database of customers, complete in-app reporting, and personnel management capabilities, amongst a great number of others.

If you click the “More Tools” option on the Flex, you’ll have access to a reward scheme add-on, as well as timekeeping and payroll, as well as other tools.

Employee access

With the custom roles tool, organizations are able to create customized logins for each member of their staff and limit specific Clover device features employees may access.

This can depend upon the responsibilities they play within the company and is included within the package at no additional cost.

Reporting functions

The reporting tools are quite comprehensive, and users may pick the hourly range, the complete period (today, yesterday, the previous week, or the last 30 days, or a customized range), and filter results by all devices or only your Clover handheld.

Customer database

You are able to connect transactions to customers by using the customer database, and you can also store a database containing a client’s name, their contact details, and even their birthdate.

This makes a solid basis for the additional customer relationship management and customer loyalty initiatives that Clover provides.

Refund management

To refund a past transaction, users can follow these steps:

• Open the Refund app on the Clover Flex
• Tap ‘Look Up Past Payment’ 
• Search for and tap the transaction that you would like to refund.
• Tap Refund
• Tap Refund to confirm the refund
• Select where to apply the refund
• Update the invoice in Invoice to delete or edit the payment

Receipt management

Printing the customer’s receipt is straightforward as the Clover Flex has a built-in thermal receipt printer and therefore doesn’t require an external receipt printer.

The product also has an electronic signature, which makes it easier to keep track of receipts and helps prevent future chargebacks.

Help with bookkeeping

There is no need to put aside responsibilities like accounting and bookkeeping any longer.

Your existing accounting software may be immediately integrated with Clover, which enables automatic processing of tax payments.

Security

Clover devices are required to use First Data’s TransArmor security suite, also referred to as Clover Security, a full end-to-end encryption service. The software includes malware detection and antivirus, and updates weekly.

In addition, all Clover devices are compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI) and shipped with tamper detection and access authorization.

Support and Customer Service

For most common operations or basic troubleshooting, Clover offers complete customer support. Very complete and detailed, which will help you solve most of your problems.

It is still reassuring to also have 24/7 phone support included. You can reach a customer service advisor on (844) 864-5449, just for the Clover system. 

If asked for your merchant number, you’ll see that at the upper-right hand corner of your clover homescreen.

Clover Flex: Customer Reviews

Clover does have a page on Trustpilot, but it’s not specific to Clover Flex. Clover Flex reviews are generally positive, with customers appreciating its design and ease of use.

There are various negative user reviews of Clover Flex to be found online with common complaints including customers given inaccurate information on compatibility with Clover Flex or bugs and terminal restarts. 

Positive reviews noted the fast processing speed and the easiness from both staff and clients.

Clover Flex: Overall verdict

Overall, the Clover Flex is a solid choice for SMB’s in terms of its flexibility and easiness. The device may work best as an extension of the Clover system rather than as a solo device, but it can operate on its own also, depending on your business requirements. 

Be sure to join up with a reliable processor before purchasing any Clover product, since this is the single most important thing to consider.

If you go via Clover directly, you will be able to take advantage of the most affordable hardware price and a month-to-month arrangement that has rates that are lucid and straightforward.

However, there are also trustworthy resellers for Clover, such as National Processing, Payment Depot and Dharma Merchant Services. 

While the fee may be hefty for a small business just starting out, you can choose a payment plan to spread out the cost and a free monthly plan with basic features, a viable option for many SMB’s.