Trying to decide between FTx POS and Cigars POS? Here's what you need to know about their features, pricing, onboarding, and support.
*If you encounter inaccuracies or require updates, please contact us.
A tobacco-specific POS is purpose-built for tobacco retailers. Age verification, compliance features, and inventory tracking for cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, and vape products are baked in from the start.
Cloud-based POS systems let you manage your store from anywhere — check inventory, adjust prices, review sales, and monitor employees from your phone or laptop, whether you're at home or between locations.
Age verification protects your business from fines and license suspensions by ensuring you only sell to customers legally permitted to purchase. A good system scans IDs, automatically calculates age, and creates a record for inspectors.
Revenue tracking breaks down sales by category so you can see what's driving your business, separating tobacco from accessories, lighters, or snacks for tax reporting and margin analysis.
Tobacco products are taxed at federal, state, and sometimes local levels, with rates varying by product type. Your POS should generate reports that help you calculate what you owe and file accurately.
Tobacco scan data reporting sends your sales data to manufacturers like Altria, unlocking rebates and incentive payments. It's essentially free money if your POS supports it.
Good inventory management tells you what's in stock, what's selling fast, and when to reorder. For tobacco shops, this includes carton-to-pack tracking (case breaking) to ensure counts remain accurate when you open a carton and sell individual packs.
Vape products have different attributes than traditional tobacco — nicotine strengths, flavors, coil types, and device compatibility. You want a system that cleanly handles both product types in a single inventory.
Knowing what to reorder can be a difficult manual process. AI-powered auto ranking "grades" your products based on sales data.
Loyalty programs reward repeat customers and give you a reason to collect contact info for marketing. For tobacco shops, your program must comply with advertising regulations.
Dual pricing (cash discounting) displays two prices: higher for credit cards, lower for cash. This offsets processing fees while staying compliant. High-volume shops can save thousands per year.
Biometric security uses fingerprint scanning to control register access. Every transaction ties back to a specific employee, creating accountability and preventing credential sharing.
When your POS goes down during a Saturday night rush, you need help immediately — not a voicemail returned Monday morning. This matters for tobacco shops with heavy evening and weekend traffic.
A tobacco-specific POS is purpose-built for tobacco retailers. Age verification, compliance features, and inventory tracking for cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, and vape products are baked in from the start.
Cloud-based POS systems let you manage your store from anywhere — check inventory, adjust prices, review sales, and monitor employees from your phone or laptop, whether you're at home or between locations.
Age verification protects your business from fines and license suspensions by ensuring you only sell to customers legally permitted to purchase. A good system scans IDs, automatically calculates age, and creates a record for inspectors.
Revenue tracking breaks down sales by category so you can see what's driving your business, separating tobacco from accessories, lighters, or snacks for tax reporting and margin analysis.
Tobacco products are taxed at federal, state, and sometimes local levels, with rates varying by product type. Your POS should generate reports that help you calculate what you owe and file accurately.
Tobacco scan data reporting sends your sales data to manufacturers like Altria, unlocking rebates and incentive payments. It's essentially free money if your POS supports it.
Good inventory management tells you what's in stock, what's selling fast, and when to reorder. For tobacco shops, this includes carton-to-pack tracking (case breaking) to ensure counts remain accurate when you open a carton and sell individual packs.
Vape products have different attributes than traditional tobacco — nicotine strengths, flavors, coil types, and device compatibility. You want a system that cleanly handles both product types in a single inventory.
Knowing what to reorder can be a difficult manual process. AI-powered auto ranking "grades" your products based on sales data.
Loyalty programs reward repeat customers and give you a reason to collect contact info for marketing. For tobacco shops, your program must comply with advertising regulations.
Dual pricing (cash discounting) displays two prices: higher for credit cards, lower for cash. This offsets processing fees while staying compliant. High-volume shops can save thousands per year.
Biometric security uses fingerprint scanning to control register access. Every transaction ties back to a specific employee, creating accountability and preventing credential sharing.
When your POS goes down during a Saturday night rush, you need help immediately — not a voicemail returned Monday morning. This matters for tobacco shops with heavy evening and weekend traffic.
Switching POS systems is a pain. The right support makes all the difference.
FTx POS offers 24/7 support via chat, phone, email, and knowledge base. Their team handles migrations, and most switches take one to two weeks.
Hardware comes with a 3-year warranty, next-business-day replacement, and on-site technician support.
Cigars POS' team has been helping tobacco shops succeed for years, and we've created an onboarding and support system that works for you.
First, we'll assign you a dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM). This CSM is your go-to during the onboarding process and beyond, providing live walkthroughs to help you set up your hardware, learn the software, import inventory, and train your team.
From there, our team of in-house technicians is available to help around the clock. 24/7 support is included in all plans — no add-on fees.
