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SumUp Card Machines Review
SumUp's card machines prove a popular choice for small businesses; we take a look at why...
What is SumUp?
SumUp provides payment solutions for small businesses, enabling them to accept card payments through their mobile devices. Much of what it provides to businesses is tailor-made for them.
One of the biggest advantages of using SumUp for your business’s finances is the lack of up-front and monthly costs. There is no sign-up fee when you set up an account and no monthly charges thereafter, so you keep a lot of the money you make.
SumUp Card Machines
SumUp offers a range of innovative payment solutions that cater to the needs of small businesses like yours. Please note that all the prices you see below were accurate at the time of writing and we endeavour to keep this page as accurate as possible.
Most card machines, like the ones you will read about here, work in conjunction with merchant accounts. If you want to find out more about what they are, read our page on everything you need to know about merchant accounts.
Want to know more about how card payments work?
If you’re confused about all the jargon you’ve just read, don’t worry. While this article focuses on Sumup card machines, we also have in-depth guides that fully explain everything else you need to know about taking payments. Explore below:
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The SumUp Air accepts all major payment types, including chip & PIN and contactless. It’s the company’s entry-level card machine and puts affordability at its heart. It’s small, portable, and easy to use and can be purchased for £39. Your only fee thereafter is a fixed fee on each payment you take.
The machine’s key strength is its portability. Payments can be taken from wherever you find yourself and you can process over 500 transactions in 12 hours. You can also monitor your sales through the SumUp app by staying connected via your smartphone.
You can purchase the Air on its own or, for an extra £10 (excluding VAT) you can buy it with a charging station. This would allow the machine to charge while it’s in use.
The SumUp Solo is a step up from the SumUp Air and offers more features for your business. The Solo comes with the option to issue refunds, take tips, and monitor your transaction history.
It also has a neat design that takes up minimal space on your counter. It accepts both chip & PIN and contactless payments with all major card providers as well as Google and Apple Pay.
The device automatically updates its software, so it’s always ready for use. Unlike the Air, the Solo comes with a charging station as standard, so running out of battery is never a concern.
For those businesses wanting a bit more, you can also get the machine with a built-in printer. The printer is as portable as the device itself and comes with a built-in battery. You can print up to 800 receipts on the go, so you have as many options as you could wish to have.
The POS Lite is a further step towards a higher-end payment system. Unlike the simple solutions you’ve seen above, the POS Lite is a fully established EPOS system. It comes complete with a large monitor and various options for customisation.
Designed for busy environments with multiple staff members, the standard POS Lite is a large tablet screen with SumUp’s EPOS software. It costs £299 (excluding VAT) but you will need a card machine with it if you haven’t got one already.
The price of the tablet and Solo card reader (explored above), excluding VAT, is £349.
In addition to the basic system, you also have the option of add-ons. These allow you to build an EPOS system that works for you. Add-ons include a POS Lite printer and a POS Lite printer & cash drawer, which cost £219 and £320 respectively (excluding VAT).
Its customisability means the system can grow with your business, always meeting your hardware needs. The POS Lite allows you to take payments, create item catalogues and generate reports with its software.
Its main benefit, however, is the fact that it comes with no fixed monthly fees or contracts.
The POS Pro is as advanced as SumUp’s hardware gets. It works as a fully-fledged POS system that’s designed to deal with high numbers of both staff and customers. This is the option your business should be looking at if you require a highly capable payment system.
An extra step up from the POS Lite explored above, the POS Pro focuses on offering an all-in-one solution for your business with a combination of hardware and software. Though it’s at SumUp’s higher end of hardware, simplicity is still at the POS Pro’s heart. It allows you to simplify your orders, generate reports and ensure tax compliance easily.
The system comes with a SumUp Air card reader as standard but, after that, the options are vast. You can personalise your system by choosing features and add-ons that work for you, so the system you get is moulded around your specific business. SumUp also provides installation videos, so you can install the systems quickly and, thanks to its simple usability, your staff can learn how to use the system in minutes. The price of the system depends on what it is that you need the system to do and how many staff members you have so the full cost depends on your personal needs.
Want to know more about how SumUp Compares to its competitors?
You’re obviously aware that there are other merchant account and card machine providers out there. Lucky for you, we’ve already done our research on them so you don’t have to.
If you want to find out more about how SumUp compares to Square, Takepayments, Zettle, or Worldpay, you’re only a click away. Start more exploring today…
SumUp's Smartphone Features
At its cheaper level, SumUp is centred around smartphone technology, so many of its features can be found on its downloadable app. Its app’s intuitive design allows you to create invoices, payment links and QR codes. This makes it an easy and accessible companion to your SumUp card machine. SumUp’s features also include:
- Phone notifications after each transaction.
- Downloadable statements in PDF and CSV format.
- The ability to transfer money quickly
- Access to a customer support team
You can also accept payments in whichever way your customers choose, including with all major debit and credit cards and mobile payments. Its more expensive systems also allow you to print receipts and accept cash payments, ensuring SumUp’s systems can adapt to any business.
How Much Does SumUp Cost?
SumUp also charges other fees for using its services. Its pricing structure is complex, with the price you pay depending on a myriad of factors.
You don’t pay any monthly cost for the vast majority of SumUp’s payment solutions but you do pay transaction fees on each payment you take.
If you don’t have a business account with SumUp, you will pay a 1.69% transaction fee on every payment you take in person. If you do have a SumUp business account, you pay a smaller transaction fee of 1.49% for the same type of payment.
You pay a 2.5% transaction fee on all payments made digitally whether you have a SumUp business account or not.
You can make other savings by subscribing to SumUp One, which costs £19 per month. With a subscription, you pay half-price fees, so you pay 0.79% transaction fees on both in-person and digital payments.
Subscribing to SumUp One may be a good option if you take a lot of payments through your SumUp. According to SumUp, businesses that take £30,000 or more annually can save an average of 40% on fees.
If, however, only a few of your payments go through your SumUp system, the subscription wouldn’t be cost-effective.
SumUp's Business Account
The SumUp Business Account is a full UK current account. It allows your business to keep control of your finances with minimum hassle.
You could link up your bank account with SumUp, which would work largely the same way. But SumUp’s bank account comes with benefits.
There are no transfer fees, no monthly costs and no fee for opening your account. You’re also able to enjoy cheaper transaction rates with every purchase made.
You also get access to extra business tools. This gives you the ability to send payment links or create an online store from within SumUp’s app. The key benefit of having a SumUp bank account, though, is the speed at which you can access your money. You will be able to access your money within one day of a sale being made. This includes holidays and weekends.
This is something you wouldn’t always be able to do if you used a bank account from a different provider.
If, after reading the above, you do want to explore other card machine options, read our article about some of the best card machines for a small business or, if it’s a mobility you’re after, read about the best mobile card readers.
FAQs
What is a SumUp Business Account?
The SumUp Business Account is a full UK current account. It allows your business to keep control of your finances with minimum hassle, much like you would with a current account at a conventional bank. It’s a hassle-free way of linking up your business’s payment systems with a bank account with which you can control your business’s takings.
If you have one, you will be able to access your money within one day of a sale being made, even on holidays and weekends.
Is SumUp Cheap?
You don’t pay any monthly cost for the vast majority of SumUp’s payment solutions (only the POS Pro comes with a monthly fee), but you do pay transaction fees on each payment you take. If you do not have a business account with SumUp, you will pay a 1.69% transaction fee on every payment you take in person.
If, however, you do have a SumUp business account, you pay a smaller transaction fee of 1.49% for the same type of payment. You pay a 2.5% transaction fee on all payments made digitally whether you have a SumUp business account or not.
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