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Quick verdict
SumUp is the default pick for sole traders, market stalls and mobile sellers who just want to take a card without a contract or monthly fee. Simple, cheap to start, and hard to get wrong. You'll outgrow it if you need full restaurant or deep retail features.
Best for
- Market stalls
- Tradespeople
- Mobile sellers
- Low-volume businesses
Not ideal for
- Busy restaurants needing table plans
- Complex multi-site retail
Pricing
- Standard transaction rate is 1.69%, with a Payments Plus plan offering rates from 0.99% for domestic cards.
- No monthly fee and no contract on pay-as-you-go — you only pay when you sell.
- Readers start at £19 + VAT (Air); the standalone Solo with SIM is around £79 + VAT.
- Monthly fee
- £0
- Transaction
- from 0.99% (Payments Plus) / 1.69% standard
- Reader from
- £19 + VAT
- Payouts
- 1–2 working days (next-day option)
Hardware
The SumUp Air is the cheapest way in but needs your phone. The Solo is the better buy for most — it works on its own with mobile data and a little touchscreen, ideal for markets and on-site work.
- SumUp AirEntry card reader, pairs with phone app£19 + VAT
- SumUp SoloStandalone reader, no phone needed, SIM connectivity£79 + VAT
Features & contract
Contract: No contract (pay-as-you-go). Support: Support is decent for a low-cost provider — help centre, email and chat. Don't expect a dedicated account manager at this price point.
Real-world use cases
- Market stall: Excellent — Solo reader, no monthly fee, works on mobile data.
- Plumber / electrician: Excellent — cheap reader, invoices, pay-by-link and Tap to Pay.
- Busy restaurant: Limited — no proper table/coursing features; look at Square or a hospitality POS.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Cheap, low-commitment hardware
- No monthly fee on pay-as-you-go
- Genuinely simple to set up and use
- Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android, invoices and a free online store
Watch out for
- Standard rate isn't the cheapest at higher volumes
- Light on full-POS features (tables, deep inventory)
- Standard payouts slower than instant-access rivals
SumUp vs alternatives
SquareThe strongest free POS software option. Tidy app, decent ecosystem, no monthly fee to start. Great for small retail, cafés and service businesses that want software without signing their life away.
PayPal ZettlePayPal-friendly card payments with a simple reader and no monthly software fee for basic use. Good for small retailers and mobile sellers already in the PayPal world.
myPOSBest when you want instant access to funds through a built-in business account. Handy for international/European payments. The fee structure is more complex, so watch card-type differences.
Final verdict
The “just let me take payments” option. Cheap to start, portable, dead simple. Brilliant for low-volume and mobile sellers; you may outgrow it for a full restaurant setup.
FAQs
Is SumUp good for small businesses?
Yes — it's one of the most popular options for UK sole traders and micro-businesses thanks to cheap hardware, no monthly fee and no contract.
What are SumUp's fees?
1.69% per transaction on the standard plan, or from 0.99% on Payments Plus for domestic cards. No monthly fee on pay-as-you-go. Always check current terms.
Does SumUp do Tap to Pay?
Yes — SumUp supports Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, so you can accept contactless on your phone with no separate reader.