Methods and systems related to near field communication (NFC) front ends for point of sale terminals are disclosed. One point of sale system includes an applications microprocessor programmed to: (i) instantiate an operating system for the point of sale system and (ii) generate a set of data packets. The system also includes a discrete microcontroller communicatively coupled with the applications microprocessor and programmed to: (i) selectively operate in an unsecure mode and a secure mode; and (ii) filter, when operating in the unsecure mode, the set of data packets received from the applications microprocessor using a filter and a whitelist for the filter. The system also includes a near field communication front end communicatively coupled to the discrete microcontroller and an antenna, for transmitting a near field communication signal based on information from the set of data packets via the antenna.