How to Increase Laundromat Revenue with Card Payments

2026-09-22 laundrybizcenter

Article by The Laundry Boss: The average laundromat loses 20-30% of revenue from customers who don’t carry cash. Here’s how to fix it.

Cash is no longer king. Across the country, fewer customers walk into a laundromat with quarters in their pockets, and the operators who haven’t adapted are quietly leaving money on the table. Industry data consistently shows that cash-only laundromats lose between 20% and 30% of potential revenue from customers who simply don’t carry physical money anymore.

Why cash-only hurts your bottom line

When a customer can’t pay the way they want to pay, they don’t run to the ATM down the street. They go to the laundromat that accepts their card. Every machine sitting idle because someone couldn’t break a twenty is lost revenue you will never recover.

Younger customers overwhelmingly prefer tap-to-pay and mobile wallets.
Cash handling adds labor cost, theft risk, and time spent counting and depositing.
Higher-value cycles and add-on vends are easier when payment friction disappears.

What modern card payments unlock

Adding card, tap, and mobile payments does more than capture the customer you would have lost. It changes buying behavior. When paying is effortless, customers choose larger machines, run extra cycles, and buy detergent and other add-ons without hesitation.

With The Laundry Boss, every machine becomes a connected point of sale. Customers tap or pay from their phone, you get real-time visibility into every transaction, and reconciliation that used to take hours happens automatically.

Getting started with The Laundry Boss

You don’t need to replace your machines to accept modern payments. The Laundry Boss’ integrated hardware and software system is user-friendly and intuitive, offering a streamlined checkout process, automated inventory management, and real-time reporting to help businesses make informed decisions. With The Laundry Boss’ POS Software, businesses can enjoy advanced features like employee management, order tracking, and customizable pricing options.