TORO POS vs Fastrax for Tobacco Shops
Comparing two tobacco-focused POS systems
The Good News
Both TORO and Fastrax are built specifically for tobacco retail, so you’re choosing between two legitimate tobacco-focused systems – not forcing a general retail POS to work for your cigar shop. The question is: which features matter most to you and which offers better value?
Cost Comparison (3 Years)
Estimated total cost for a tobacco shop doing $50,000/month in credit card sales:
| Cost Category | Fastrax (3 Years) | TORO (3 Years) |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront Cost | Contact for quote | $5,000 |
| Monthly Software (36 mo) | Contact for quote | $4,284 $119/mo × 36 |
| Processing Fees (36 mo) | Varies by processor | $36,000 2.0% × $50k × 36 Or $0 with fee passthrough* |
| Hardware | Contact for quote | $1,200 Touchscreen terminal |
| *Fee passthrough = customers pay credit card fees, you pay $0 in processing costs | ||
⚠️ Transparent Pricing Matters
TORO publishes pricing upfront: $5,000 + $119/month. Contact Fastrax for their pricing and compare total 3-year costs including processing fees.
Card-Not-Present Rate Comparison
Phone Orders: Ask Fastrax for Their CNP Rate
Fastrax CNP Rate
Ask Them
Not published – request their rate
Industry avg: ~3.6%
TORO CNP Rate
2.0%
Same rate as in-store
Estimated Annual Savings on $10k/month Phone Orders:
~$1,920/year
If Fastrax charges industry avg 3.6%, TORO saves you $1,920/year
Ask Fastrax for their exact CNP rate to calculate your actual savings
Note on Processing Rates:
Fastrax does not publish their processing rates publicly. We used industry average estimates (~3.6% for CNP).
Ask them directly for actual rates – lack of transparency in pricing is a red flag. See our industry average rate methodology.
No Price Increase Since 2013
TORO launched in 2013 at $5,000 + $119/month.
That’s still our price today. Zero increases in 13 years.
When was Fastrax’s last price increase? Ask them.
Feature Comparison
Multi-Pack Inventory
Fastrax
✅ Tobacco-specific. Fastrax is built for tobacco, so likely includes multi-pack management. Verify with them how it handles breaking up boxes and selling at different pack levels.
Built for tobacco retail
TORO
✅ Native support. One product, sell at any level (stick/pack/box/carton). Inventory automatically adjusts. Buy a box of 25, sell 3 singles – shows 22 remaining.
Proven multi-pack accuracy
Payment Processing
Fastrax
❓ Processor options vary. Ask Fastrax: Which processors do they integrate with? Are they tobacco-friendly? What are the actual rates? Can you pass fees to customers?
Verify processing details
TORO
✅ Premium Tobacco Processing. PCA-recommended, tobacco-specific processor. 1.8-2.2% avg 2%. No shutdown risk. Fee passthrough available = you pay $0 in processing.
Transparent, tobacco-safe
Support
Fastrax
❓ Ask about support. What are support hours? Phone or email? Response times? Do they understand tobacco-specific issues? Try the “Support Test” – call and ask about cigars without barcodes.
Verify support quality
TORO
✅ Tobacco expert support. Unlimited phone/email/remote from actual tobacco retailers. We know how to handle cigars in cello. Free training. Business hours support.
Real tobacco knowledge
Age Verification
Fastrax
✅ Likely included. As a tobacco-specific POS, Fastrax should have age verification. Ask: Is it mandatory or optional? Can staff bypass it? Configurable age limits?
Verify compliance features
TORO
✅ Mandatory enforcement. Cannot complete tobacco transaction without ID verification. Configurable age (18/19/21+). Non-bypassable. Protects your license.
License protection built-in
6 Questions to Ask Fastrax
Before choosing Fastrax, ask them these questions directly:
- What is your exact in-store processing rate? (Get the specific rate for YOUR volume)
- What is your card-not-present rate? (Phone/mail order rate – this matters!)
- What is your online e-commerce rate? (If you do any online sales)
- Do you make money from processing margins? (Are they marking up processing?)
- When was your last price increase? (Ask for pricing history)
- Why aren’t your rates published? (Lack of transparency is a concern)
If they won’t answer these questions clearly, that’s a red flag.
What Real Tobacco Retailers Say
“TORO’s transparent pricing made the decision easy. No hidden fees, no surprises.”
– Greg Zimmerman, VP PCA
Tobacco Company, Harrisburg PA
“The 2% CNP rate saves us thousands on phone orders. Other systems charge 3.5%+.”
– John Anderson, President PCA
W. Curtis Draper, Washington DC
“Multi-pack inventory works perfectly. No manual adjustments when breaking up boxes.”
– Stephen Rast
Tobacco Cabana, TX
“Support from actual tobacco retailers makes all the difference. They understand our business.”
– Eli Swett
SMoKE Cigar Lounge, PA
The TORO Advantage
- Transparent pricing: $5,000 + $119/month – no surprises
- Premium Tobacco Processing: PCA-recommended, no shutdown risk
- Fee passthrough: Option to pay $0 in processing fees
- Built by retailers: Not a tech company profiting from fees
- Support Test proven: Call us about cigars in cello – we know the answer
- 80+ tobacco shops: Proven track record
The Bottom Line
Compare total costs, not just monthly fees.
Both systems are built for tobacco, which is good. Get a detailed quote from Fastrax including all fees over 3 years and compare to TORO’s transparent pricing. Pay special attention to processing rates and whether you can pass fees to customers. That $36,000 in processing fees over 3 years (or $0 with passthrough) makes a huge difference.
See TORO’s Transparent Pricing
No games, no hidden fees. See exactly what TORO costs and how fee passthrough can eliminate your processing costs entirely.