Our rating(4.2/5)
SumUp provides a complete solution for taking payments in person and online.
SumUp’s card readers are popular in the UK, but the platform’s many payment tools elevate it to an all-in-one solution for small businesses on a budget.
  • Pros: Easy-to-use card machines. Low prices and fixed rate. No ongoing costs. Easy sign-up. Online payment features. Business account.

  • Cons: POS app may be too simple. No evening helpline. Customer service issues. Limited integrations.

  • Best for: Individual merchants and small food or retail businesses who want something really simple and cheap with added benefits like a business account, fast transfers and online selling tools.

MobileTransaction’s editors have tested and used SumUp’s products and services for nearly a decade to give our honest insights about them. This review reflects our experiences and opinions, and photographs are own own.

Looking for the reviews of SumUp US, SumUp Ireland or SumUp Australia?

What is SumUp?

SumUp is a self-sufficient payment platform with all the tools you need to accept cards easily without contractual obligations. This includes:

  • Card terminals (choice of models)

  • Payment processing (in-person and remote payment methods)

  • Online business account with accompanying card (free)

  • SumUp App (free) and Point of Sale (from £49/mo)

  • Invoicing software (free or from £7/mo)

  • Online store (free)

  • Self-service kiosk (upfront and monthly costs)

You just sign up (takes 5-10 minutes), purchase a SumUp card reader and pay a fixed rate per transaction. There are no hidden fees or fixed monthly costs for most of the products, but an optional SumUp One subscription is available to lower the rates.

Apart from using a card reader, you can accept payments remotely via payment links, an online store, email invoices and keyed transactions. QR codes can be generated for touch-free payments and restaurant ordering in person.

Transactions are processed through the cloud, allowing real-time access to sales figures from SumUp App or the web-based Dashboard.

The complimentary business account with a Mastercard allows you next-day access to funds, unless you prefer settlement in your bank account.

SumUp rivals Zettle and Square with its low costs, superb value and ease of getting started.

Our experience and opinion

Based on our research and testing over the years, we know that SumUp is generally great for low-volume merchants who just need to start accepting cards, for example in a shop, café, bar, market stall or on the go. We especially recommend it for cash-strapped merchants who need fast access to funds in a dedicated business account.

The pay-as-you-go transaction fee is competitive below a monthly turnover of £5k-£10k. The service has a low barrier of entry with the cheap, one-off cost of the card machine, no monthly fees and no contract lock-in.

“SumUp is one of our go-to recommendations for the easiest, cheapest way to get your business started with payments – for a reason. It just works really well and has a convenient business account for next-day transfers.”

– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, MobileTransaction

We found SumUp’s online payment options super-valuable for trading remotely. The click and collect features and online store are, however, basic, so eventually you may need to look elsewhere to expand these systems.

Additionally, the SumUp app and payment terminals have just the essentials you need without compromising on efficiency and build quality. If you do need more POS features, an upgrade to a paid POS system is possible.

Potential downsides include a slow or poor service, and the terminals have caused issues for some users. We had some teething issues with Solo, for example, but the latest terminal version has addressed some of that.

Bottom line: With its uncomplicated costs, easy sign-up and free extras, SumUp is a solid place to start for a wide variety of businesses.

SumUp ratings
Criteria Verdict
Product
Payments: Good / Excellent
Hardware: Good
Software: Good
Good
Cost and fees Good / Excellent
Value-added services Good
Contract Good / Excellent
Sign-up and transparency Good / Excellent
Customer service Passable / Good
FINAL RATING [4.2/5]

Payments

Good/Excellent (4.6/5)

We’ve always found it easy to create and accept transactions through SumUp App and the card machines, guided by intuitive buttons and prompts. SumUp also accepts a huge amount of card brands (now as many as Zettle who used to accept more), and many online payment options are accessible through the app.

A higher rating would be given if bank account transfers were a bit faster than 2-3 working days, but the next-day transfer option with the business account is very valuable.

Quality of hardware and design

Good (3.8/5)

SumUp’s terminals look elegant and the hardware quality is above average for the price. Solo has improved its battery life in its latest iteration, whereas Air has always had a long battery life. The smooth surface of Air can feel a bit slippery and non-ergonomic for some users, but it’s very easy to clean.

To improve accessibility for visually impaired customers, we would’ve liked to see a tactile PIN cover included to compensate for the non-tactile, glass-surface PIN pads on all of SumUp’s terminals. There have also been a number of complaints about terminals that suddenly stop working, requiring a replacement.

Software

Good (4.2/5)

SumUp regularly updates its app and terminal software to address bugs and improve features – a solid sign of the company’s commitment to its product. The app is extremely user-friendly with and intuitive interface, clear fonts and big enough buttons for most fingers. It gives access to the SumUp Business Account, many payment methods and a simple product library, although the app could benefits from more point of sale features.

Price and fees

Good/Excellent (4.6/5)

The card readers are among the cheapest in the UK without monthly fees, and the fixed card rate is lower than Square’s and Zettle’s. The SumUp One subscription or a SumUp POS plan will give you even lower rates along with more software features, but this is only worth the monthly price at a certain turnover level.

Value-added services

Good (4/5)

SumUp is an all-in-one platform, i.e. it manages to include the most useful payment tools all on the same platform, free of charge. So you have a free checkout app, online payment methods, QR codes, tap-on-phone, invoicing, online store builder and business account, with options to upgrade to a specialised POS system.

But the platform lacks integrations for accounting, marketing, ecommerce and other business tools, so it’s not as adaptable as, say, Square that offers many external integrations.

Contract

Good/Excellent (4.6/5)

There’s no contract lock-in with SumUp, so you never have to cancel the account if you take a break from selling. Most of the monthly subscriptions can also be cancelled any time, except for the POS Pro and Kiosk plans that require a year’s commitment.

Sign-up and transparency

Good/Excellent (4.6/5)

Signing up is done on the website through a very easy, quick registration form. No phone call with a sales person is needed for the free features and card readers, but you would need to have a chat with a SumUp representative for the POS Pro and Kiosk products. All fees are shown transparently on the website.

Customer service

Passable/Good (3.5/5)

We like that SumUp offers support during daytime hours every day of the week (which is more than Zettle and Square’s weekday-only support), but we’ve seen many complaints about a poor service, for example bad handling of cases where the card readers suddenly stop working, or responses to issues are lacking.

SumUp payment terminals

SumUp sells the following card readers:

  • SumUp Air: Requires Bluetooth connection with app on mobile device

  • SumUp Solo: Palm-sized, mobile touchscreen terminal, works independently

  • SumUp and Printer: The Solo card reader with attached receipt printer

They are all wireless and portable, ideal on the go or at a till point when stationed in their corresponding charging dock.

Photo: Emmanuel Charpentier (EC), MobileTransaction

SumUp Air and Solo card readers

SumUp Air, Solo and Solo Printer duo.

The cheapest model, SumUp Air, costs only £39 + VAT because it does not work independently. Rather, this wireless reader connects with your mobile device (Android tablet or smartphone, iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad) via Bluetooth, working in tandem with SumUp App to process chip and contactless cards.

The card reader comes with a micro USB cable, which you can plug into a computer or power supply when it needs a charge (a wall plug is bought separately).

Photo: Emily Sorensen (ES), MobileTransaction

SumUp Air box contents

Box contents of our SumUp Air delivery.

You’ll get about 500 transactions out of a full charge. Busy stores may want to opt for a charging station, which not only keeps the Air charged all day, it also looks good and keeps the reader in place on a countertop.

“I’ve never had issues with SumUp Air when I’ve used it in shops and my own tests, but I can imagine it slipping out of my hand one day because of its smooth, rounded exterior.”

– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, MobileTransaction

The card reader is smooth and stylish with a glass surface and plastic base that’s nice to hold in the hand. It’s tamper-proof, meaning any external effort to manipulate its technology will shut it down so it can’t be used any more. That’s great for security, but you need to make sure it’s not near highly magnetic fields, which could inadvertently deem it permanently unusable.

If you need to print paper receipts, Air works with compatible receipt printers available at an extra cost. SumUp’s listed options are all mobile Bluetooth printers that connect with the app on your mobile device. A cash drawer can be linked to it, but only via a receipt printer.

Photo: ES, MobileTransaction

SumUp Air top end

Chip card slot and power button of Air.

Photo: ES, MobileTransaction

SumUp Air bottom end

Charging socket of Air.

Then we have a card machine that doesn’t require a mobile app: SumUp Solo with (£139 + VAT) or without (£79 + VAT) a receipt printer (a replacement of the discontinued SumUp 3G and Printer). The Solo + Printer duo is the cheapest UK card machine that prints receipts.

Solo has a crisp-clear touchscreen that is visible enough in direct sunlight. On the display, you just enter an amount, transaction description (optional) and proceed to accept a chip or tap payment.

It has a few useful features like smart tipping, refunds and adjustment of screen brightness. Solo is not, however, connected to a product library, cannot accept special payment methods like gift cards, and cannot link to any POS system (or other hardware) like Air is able to.

Photo: EC, MobileTransaction

SumUp Solo box contents

Package contents of SumUp Solo with a desk charging stand (not receipt printer).

Solo has a built-in SIM card with unlimited data, so you don’t need a connected mobile device to process card payments. This could be a handier solution for those who don’t need elaborate POS features, but instead prefer one portable device for card payments or just an extra terminal to use independently from the point of sale.

It has a shorter battery life compared with Air: up to 100 transactions.

“We found that Solo’s touchscreen was more power-hungry when the screen brightness was on maximum, but the terminal’s battery performance has improved since we tested it. It should now be able to last up to 8 hours without the receipt printer.”

– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, MobileTransaction

SumUp Air SumUp Solo SumUp Solo & Printer
SumUp Air SumUp Solo SumUp Solo with Printer
Price £39 + VAT £79 + VAT £139 + VAT
Works without phone/tablet
Connections Uses phone network/WiFi WiFi, GPRS, 3G, 4G (SIM included) WiFi, GPRS, 3G, 4G (SIM included)
Size 84 x 84 x 23 mm 83 x 83 x 17 mm 83 x 83 x 17 mm
Battery life 500 transactions 100 transactions 100 transactions
POS integrations SumUp App, SumUp Point of Sale
Receipt printing Via compatible mobile printers SumUp Solo Printer only SumUp Solo Printer only
SumUp
Air
SumUp
Solo
SumUp Solo
& Printer
SumUp Air SumUp Solo SumUp Solo with Printer
£39 + VAT £79 + VAT £139 + VAT
Works without phone/tablet
Connections
Uses phone network/WiFi WiFi, GPRS, 3G, 4G (SIM included) WiFi, GPRS, 3G, 4G (SIM included)
Size
84 x 84 x 23 mm 83 x 83 x 17 mm 83 x 83 x 17 mm
Battery life
500 transactions 100 transactions 100 transactions
POS integrations
SumUp App, SumUp Point of Sale
Receipt printing
Via compatible mobile printers SumUp Solo Printer only SumUp Solo Printer only

Essentially, the Solo reader is intended as a standalone solution and does not connect with any other POS software or equipment. It only works with its SumUp Printer attachment (doubling as a power bank), not other receipt printers.

The power bank is actually an excellent backup for mobile merchants – other card terminals on the market don’t usually have this.

Photo: EC, MobileTransaction

SumUp Solo with receipt sticking out

The SumUp Solo terminal and printer combo is the cheapest UK card machine with receipt printer.

It’s possible to link several SumUp terminals to your main account, but you cannot link any other brand of card machine to it.

Alternative to the card readers: Tap to Pay on a smartphone

Like most leading payment companies, SumUp has now added a functionality to SumUp App: acceptance of contactless cards/mobile wallets on the merchant’s iPhone or Android phone.

As long as the merchant has a compatible, NFC-enabled smartphone, they can ask their customers to ‘Tap to Pay’ for a transaction directly on the phone instead of a dedicated card reader. The feature has to be enabled first, and it’s only an option for users with a card reader.

Accepted payments and payouts

The card readers accept chip (PIN or sign) and contactless NFC payments from any credit or debit card with the Visa, V Pay, Mastercard, Maestro, JCB, UnionPay, Discover, Diners Club or American Express logo. The mobile wallets Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay are accepted too.

UnionPay is an exception for the Solo terminal – this is still not accepted on it.

Consumers may also pay with the e-wallet SumUp Pay containing a virtual Mastercard that collects loyalty points only to be redeemed at stores using SumUp.

Accepted cards

VisaVisa ElectronV PayMastercardMaestroAmerican ExpressUnion PayDiners ClubDiscoverJCBContactlessApple PayGoogle PaySamsung Pay

The minimum possible payment amount is £1. Customers can tap a contactless card or phone for amounts up to £100 without entering a PIN, but the card terminal will require authentication for amounts above. There’s no transaction limit on Apple Pay and Google Pay payments.

What about remote payments? Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club and Discover are accepted online, but not UnionPay or JCB.

As default, SumUp initiates payments – minus the transaction fee – to your bank account or SumUp Business Account daily. It takes 2–3 working days to clear in the bank account, whereas the SumUp account receives funds the following day. You can also choose to be paid weekly or monthly on a schedule.

You can get next-day payouts to your bank account on the SumUp One subscription.

SumUp App lets you register cash payments, but not cheques.


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Fees: low, fixed rate and no monthly charge

No ongoing or monthly fees apply to SumUp by default – you only pay a flat rate of 1.69% per card reader transaction, which is lower than Zettle’s and Square’s fixed rate. The payment terminals are purchased upfront and owned by you, but can be returned for a full refund within 30 days if you change your mind.

Given the lack of contractual commitment, termination fees or monthly minimum sales volume, you’re not charged anything if you don’t make sales for any length of time. This is great for fluctuating sales, seasonal businesses or anyone making £5,000 or less per month in card payments.

SumUp general charges
SumUp card machines SumUp Air: £39 + VAT
SumUp Solo: £79 + VAT
SumUp Solo & Printer: £139 + VAT
Free shipping and 30-day money-back guarantee included
Account creation  Free
Contract No lock-in, no exit fee
Monthly cost  Free
Card reader transactions 1.69% (any card)
Refunds Free before payout, transaction fee after
Chargeback fee £10
Minimum monthly sales volume  No minimum, no fees
Invoice, online & link payments 2.5% per transaction
QR code payments No transaction fee
Virtual terminal & keyed payments 2.95% + 25p per transaction
SumUp general charges
SumUp card machines SumUp Air: £39 + VAT
SumUp Solo: £79 + VAT
SumUp Solo & Printer: £139 + VAT
Free shipping and 30-day money-back guarantee included
Account creation  Free
Contract No lock-in, no exit fee
Monthly cost  Free
Card reader transactions 1.69% (any card)
Refunds Free before payout, transaction fee after
Chargeback fee £10
Minimum monthly sales volume  No minimum, no fees
Invoice, online & link payments 2.5% per transaction
QR code payments No transaction fee
Virtual terminal & keyed payments 2.95% + 25p per transaction

Additional payment methods are email invoicing, online store payments, and transactions via payment link (SMS, email or social app) or QR code. These are available to everyone in the SumUp account from the start.

Keyed and virtual terminal payments are 2.95% + 25p per transaction, while online transactions, payment links and email invoices cost 2.5% without a monthly subscription. QR code payments are currently free to accept, i.e. no transaction fee is charged.

Chargebacks always have a processing cost of £10, applicable when a customer disputes a card transaction with their bank.

Refunds are free if processed before the money is settled in your bank account. After that, you can only process refunds with enough outstanding payouts (money not yet settled in your account), and SumUp will charge you the transaction fee originally paid.

With an optional subscription, SumUp One, you get the following reduced rates:

SumUp One fees
Monthly cost £19 per month (no VAT applies)
Contract None; cancellable any time
Discount on SumUp Solo purchase 50% off
Card reader transactions (UK cards) 0.79% per transaction
Invoice, online & link payments (UK cards) 0.79% per transaction
International card payments 1.99% per transaction
SumUp One fees
Monthly cost £19 per month (no VAT applies)
Contract None; cancellable any time
Discount on SumUp Solo purchase 50% off
Card reader transactions (UK cards) 0.79% per transaction
Invoice, online & link payments (UK cards) 0.79% per transaction
International card payments 1.99% per transaction

The One plan is cancellable any time, so you can try it for a month or two to see if it saves money with the lower domestic rate of 0.79% for in-person and online transactions. If a card issued abroad is used for a transaction, it costs 1.99%. With a lot of tourists and international customers, the plan might therefore not be worth it.

If you’re planning on buying a Solo card machine anyway, you will pay less the first month on SumUp One (because of the Solo discount) than without it.

And consider how many invoices you need to send per month – more than 4 invoices requires the paid Invoices Pro plan (£7-£8 + VAT per month), but this is included in One.

We also know you can get lower transaction rates with a SumUp Point of Sale subscription. This requires speaking to the sales team for a quote.

Business Account and Mastercard

Don’t have a bank account? Or need faster access to funds in a dedicated online account? The free SumUp Business Account and Card offer an alternative way to get paid the next day (including weekends) instead of clearing in your bank account.

SumUp Card (or SumUp Business Mastercard) is a prepaid debit card linked to your business transactions. It can be used in physical shops, online or for withdrawing cash up to three times a month free and without monthly fees.

Image: MobileTransaction

blue SumUp card

The account is managed in SumUp App or the browser dashboard, where you can:

  • Transfer and receive money to other UK bank accounts

  • Set up Direct Debits and standing orders

  • Monitor payouts and transactions

  • Block your card or change the PIN

The account and card features are quite basic so far. You can, for instance, not use it for cross-border transfers or more than one account holder.

Business funding for merchants now available

If fast transfers aren’t enough, eligible merchants can request a SumUp Cash Advance. This is a business loan you repay within 12 months through a percentage of your card transaction takings.

Not all payment companies offer this. Zettle used to, but it has been withdrawn. Square does not do it either in the UK even though it does in other countries.

SumUp App: POS features (and more)

When SumUp first launched in the UK, the purpose of its app was to link with the card reader to accept payments in person. It has since matured into something much more than that, covering most payment and business management features.

Here, we focus on its point of sale features for face-to-face merchants. The app also lets you manage the SumUp Business Account, and access the Virtual Terminal, invoicing, online store functions and customer orders.

Product library: Unless you prefer to enter a transaction amount with optional description, you can add products with an image, category, tax rate, variants and prices. Items are shown in a checkout menu so you can easily tap to add them to the bill.

Image: MobileTransaction

SumUp App product checkout

The product menu is user-friendly on iPad.

You can create different category labels, e.g. “Hot Drinks” and “Food”, shown as separate tabs on the screen to switch between. However, SumUp does not track stock levels or allow you to add more than one level of variants per product.

Image: MobileTransaction

SumUp App product edit

Add products with item details.

Payment options: Accept cards (via SumUp Air), cash and tips. Only recently, SumUp also added discounts (percentage or fixed amount), if you want to reduce the price of items.

If ‘Payment Links’ is switched on, you also see options to send a payment link or text message, or generate a QR code that the customer can scan to proceed on their phone – a great way to take payments face to face without a card reader. Keyed card entry is displayed for users with a virtual terminal activated.

The app does not accept vouchers, cheques or other special payment types. You cannot accept partial payments, splitting between cash and card.

Image: MobileTransaction

SumUp App payment methods

Payment method screen.

Image: MobileTransaction

SumUp App cash payment

Cash transaction.

Image: MobileTransaction

SumUp App payment link options

Payment link options.

You can, however, accept SumUp Gift Cards. Customers can purchase these online from a fixed link you share via social media, text, email or messaging app. The customer then receives the virtual gift card over email.

Receipts: Taxes can be shown on the receipt, as enabled in your settings. After each transaction, you can send a receipt via email or text or print it. Alternatively, you can share it to an app on your – or a nearby – device via the cloud or Bluetooth.

Image: MobileTransaction

SumUp employee permissions

Staff accounts can have refunds and transaction overviews restricted.

Refunds: Refund a complete or partial transaction amount via the original payment method. If the customer paid by card, the refund is processed to that card. A refund can only process if there is enough balance, i.e. outstanding payouts currently underway to your bank account, to fund it.

Reports and analytics: View a list of transactions and payouts, and filter these according to a time period.

Staff accounts: Create multiple staff logins with basic restrictions, including whether they can view all transactions, process refunds or use the virtual terminal (if activated).

In the browser dashboard, you can sort transactions according to users to monitor sales activities.

POS integrations

Merchants can upgrade to a more extensive, but still easy, POS system called SumUp Point of Sale (previously Goodtill).

This is a modular POS system allowing you to add the features relevant to your industry, such as restaurant, customer loyalty and online ordering features. The basic POS software costs £49 per month, with additional modules added to the price.

A few external POS systems are also compatible with SumUp Air, such as Loyverse. Consequently, you shouldn’t be afraid to start with the really simple SumUp App if all you want is to receive payments now, but later anticipate growth.

Those looking for an order-and-pay solution can get a SumUp Kiosk. This is a big self-order, touchscreen station you can place in store, where customers can add food or products to their bill, then pay on the attached SumUp Air reader. You get a custom quote for this starting at £49 + VAT per month.

Online payments: plenty of simple options

SumUp has come a long way in terms of remote payments since before the Covid pandemic – and these tools are included free in your account.

For a start, Payment Links allows you to create a transaction in the SumUp App, then choose one of the following:

  • Send a payment link via text or app

  • Copy a payment link to insert into any other message on your mobile device

  • Show a QR code for a touch-free payment face to face

Food and drink businesses will benefit from SumUp’s multi-use QR codes for individual items to print and display at tables, the counter or in the window. This allows customers to scan the code with their phone and place an order without staff interaction.

Click-and-collect and delivery orders can be placed online through the very basic SumUp Online Store. It lets you create a simple web page (through the app, no less!) with products, collection and delivery options. Order notifications are sent so you can prepare shipments or collections promptly. It’s not a perfect system, but it does the minimum needed to manage orders from your phone.

Image: MobileTransaction

SumUp Online Store example

An online store through SumUp is extremely basic, but free, and lets you sell online easily.

The website is, however, extremely basic. There are not many editing options and practically no style choices, so it’s nothing like ecommerce platforms such as Squarespace and Shopify. Instead, you can edit basics like terms and conditions and collection hours, and you get a free page to share on social media to keep sales afloat while you’re not trading in person.

Image: MobileTransaction

SumUp click and collect order status

Selecting an order status.

Image: MobileTransaction

SumUp invoicing menu in Dashboard

SumUp Invoices menu in Dashboard.

Alternatively, you can send and manage email invoices from the app or the Dashboard for more features. This includes sending quotes, credit notes and itemised invoices with customer details, and you can generate delivery notes. The recipient can pay through a SumUp payment link (fee applies) or make a free bank transfer.

The Free Invoices plan lets you send 4 invoices per month, with payouts going to your SumUp Business Account. Unlimited invoices, bank account settlement, 14 languages and a reduced fee on online transactions (1.25%) are included on the Invoices Pro plan (£7 + VAT/month on annual plan, £8 + VAT/month paid monthly).

What if you need to process a card payment on behalf of a customer? Eligible users can activate a Virtual Terminal, accessible in both the app and web dashboard. It allows you to enter a transaction and card details, then finalise the payment while talking to the customer over the phone.

SumUp is one of the only payment companies that allow you to use a virtual terminal from a mobile app. Other providers typically only have a web version to use on a computer.

Accounting

For reporting options, it’s best to log into the SumUp Dashboard in a web browser. Apart from its basic sales overview within a selected time period, you can export your sales history from a particular day, week or month to a CSV file for accounting.

Payout reports are sent via email when settlements are completed and are downloadable as a PDF file.

You cannot integrate SumUp with external accounting software, so it is not the best system for automated bookkeeping.

Photo: ES, MobileTransaction

SumUp Air in beauty salon

SumUp is a convenient choice for beauty salons and small businesses in general.

Who is SumUp best for?

SumUp suits sole traders, entrepreneurs and small businesses requiring an extremely user-friendly card machine and versatile features for remote selling too.

Market stalls, artists and makers, independent shops, taxi drivers, tradesmen, beauty salons, barbers and hairdressers like the straightforwardness of the platform. Many cafés and restaurants also use SumUp, sometimes with a more advanced POS system.

SumUp is designed to suit businesses that don’t need more than a few card readers – anything more, and you probably want a more complex POS system that tracks stock levels, staff movements and more.

You can use many SumUp readers in the same account, but the lack of location management can make it hard to monitor who did what.

Outside traders working a lot in the sun can go for either SumUp Air or Solo reader which has a bright, adjustable screen viewable in the sun. The display on the old SumUp 3G (now replaced with Solo) was hard to read in strong sunlight.

Photo: ES, MobileTransaction

SumUp Solo in the sun

SumUp Solo’s screen is visible in strong sunlight.

Those travelling abroad for business – to trade shows, for example – can use SumUp on their travels if prior arrangements have been made with the customer service team. This arrangement is available for almost all of Europe.

Customer service and user reviews

SumUp’s online support section will answer the majority of questions. To contact customer support, you can phone them on weekdays between 8am and 7pm and weekends between 7am and 5pm. To put that into context, the closest competitors, Zettle and Square, only offer weekday support, not Saturdays or Sundays.

Alternatively, you can always email SumUp, but getting a reply can take days, sometimes weeks. We’ve experienced response times of over a month for non-urgent queries, but you can deal with pressing issues on the phone or through a contact form in your account during working hours.

Users tend to rate SumUp highly compared to several other mobile card readers, but it is not a perfect service.

For example, people have complained about lack of support when they needed it. There have also been card reader issues, e.g. some users have said their old card reader has stopped working for no reason, forcing them to buy a new terminal after the warranty is up.

Photo: ES, MobileTransaction

SumUp Air restaurant counter

The SumUp Air in its charging dock looks great at a till point – here seen in a restaurant.

Sign-up and eligibility

SumUp accepts registered sole traders and businesses with a bank account owned by the organisation, business or self-employed person. Not-for-profit organisations and private individuals may be accepted too, provided they meet certain criteria. SumUp can advise further on this if you get in touch.

As with all payment companies, there are certain high-risk business types SumUp will not support, e.g. multi-level marketing, any kind of adult entertainment, door-to-door sales and unlicensed counselling.

It’s very easy to get started: you sign up on SumUp’s website, submitting basic information about yourself and your business. Like any other payment provider, SumUp performs a check against the business details provided.

As long as you are not classed as a “restricted business”, and your bank account name matches your business name, they should accept it all pretty swiftly.

After sign-up, you can order a card terminal on the website, arriving within three working days. In the meantime, you can download SumUp App on an iOS or Android device and use the available features there.

It is also possible to buy a SumUp card reader from stores like Ryman, Toolstation, Amazon and WHSmith, but then you are likely to pay shipping charges too.

The virtual terminal can also be activated for qualifying merchants. You need to contact customer support for this and answer some questions about your business and payment usage. After reviewing your account, SumUp may add the virtual terminal to your dashboard and app.