Best Mobile Card Machines

Written by

Aris Vourvoulias

Last updated

14 March 2024

10 Best Mobile Card Machines in 2021

Finding the most suitable and relevant mobile card machine for the needs of your organisation is often a time-consuming and challenging decision. In general, mobile card machines are an integral part of your POS system, and enable you to accept credit and debit card payments anywhere and any time, providing flexibility on monitoring and managing the transactions of your businesss.

To provide a clear overview of the best solutions for your card payment needs, we created the list of the 10 best mobile card machines in 2021:

• iZettle Card Reader 2
• Square Reader
• SumUp Air
• WorldPay Zinc Chip and Pin Reader
• PayPal Here
• Shopify POS
• Barclaycard Anywhere
• PayAnywhere 3-in-1
• Elavon MobileMerchant
• SmartTrade App

Whether you are a big organisation, or looking for a card payment machine for a small business, our list can provide a solution.

How We Reviewed the Best Mobile Card Machines

To help you make the best decision for your business, we analysed the mobile card machines within five key categories:

• Supported Card Types: To cater to as many customers as possible, your mobile card reader should support as many card types as possible. This doesn’t only mean accepting different kinds of credit and debit cards like VISA, MasterCard, American Express etc., but also approving a variety of payment standards, such as contactless payments, chip and pin solutions, Apple Pay, Google Pay etc. Nowadays, most cards have a contactless payment feature, and your mobile card machine should ideally have this functionality too.
• Device Cost: The device cost is an essential aspect that needs to be taken into consideration. You can either opt for buying a terminal outright, or for an ePOS rental solution.
• Transaction Fee: A small transaction fee ranging from 1% to 2.75% is deducted per completed activity, based on the number of monthly transactions and income generated. The percentage is based on the number of monthly transactions and income generated. Therefore, the overall cost of having and operating a mobile card machine varies depending on seasonality and customer demand. In our analysis we have highlighted machines with flat rate fees and variable fees.
• Transaction Process: Transaction process refers to the amount of time required for the mobile card payment company to complete the transaction, until the processed money is transferred into your bank account.
• Mobile App Support: Due to the various technological advancements, it’s important for your mobile card reader to provide support for a relevant mobile application, capable of showcasing important details for your business and your customers. Such elements include an overview of your daily income, various customer details and available products.

Furthermore, most of the described mobile card readers, provide additional hardware and software solutions to further enhance the capabilities and potentials of the system.

If you prefer purchasing or renting a terminal, all of the machines listed are compatible with both an iOS (iPhone & iPad), as well as Android systems, with Bluetooth and/or Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

To compare specifications and features of the top 10 mobile card machines, keep reading!

Top 10 List of Mobile Card Machines

iZettle Card Reader 2

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	£59 + VAT	Variable	1-2 business days

iZettle Reader provides a great solution for small businesses and entrepreneurs. By accepting the widest variety of card types amongst its competitors, providing a user-friendly and intuitive mobile application, accepting payments up to 25% faster and having a battery life that lasts up to 30% longer than other mobile credit card readers, it’s no surprise that it rates amongst the most popular and highest-ranking contactless card readers currently available in the UK market.

Additional features sold separately:

• Tablet stands
• Cash drawers
• Receipt printers
• Barcode scanners

Square Reader

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	£39 + VAT	Flat rate of 1.75%	1 business day

Square Card Reader, alongside its powerful POS app, allows your business to accept all major types of cards, acting as both a chip and pin machine as well as contactless card reader. Furthermore, the flat transaction amounts to 1.75% and the process is completed within one business day. Providing easy invoicing and powerful analytic tools, Square card reader is a great tool for any type of business.

Additional features sold separately:

• Dock
• Instant deposit
• iPad POS stand
• Employee management programme

SumUp Air

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	£29 + VAT	Flat rate of 1.69%	2-3 business days

SumUp Air sets the standard for contactless card protection for your business and your customers, with advanced security and card verification services. Having the lowest transaction fee rate amongst its competitors and a battery life capable of lasting more than 500 transactions, makes it an attractive solution for your organisation.

Additional features sold separately:

• Tablet app support
• Receipt printers & scanners
• Cloud access to analytics and administrative tools

WorldPay Zinc Chip and Pin Reader

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	£14.99 + VAT	Variable	Immediately

WorldPay Zinc provides a secure chip and pin portable card reader solution from UK’s leading card payments company. Although it’s capable of handling both in-person as well as over the phone payments, it can’t operate as a contactless card reader.

Additional features sold separately:

• Stands
• Cover cases
• Instant SMS & e-mail receipts

PayPal Here

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	£54 + VAT	Variable	Immediately

Paypal Here is the ultimate mobile card machine solution for any business that already uses PayPal to accept online or direct payments. Although Paypal’s transaction fee depends on the monthly income of your business, the transaction process is immediate. However, the limited in-store selling and mobile app features currently available might make the acquisition of a full POS system necessary for your business.

Additional features sold separately:

• Mobile printers
• Protection covers
• Card reader stand

Shopify POS

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	£79 + VAT	2.70%	Immediately

Shopify POS provides an integrated Shopify terminal, product management and easy-to-use service. Shopify provides a plethora of additional retail packages with different prices and features, in order to keep track of your cash flow and summarise your daily register totals.

Additional features:

• Partial payment
• Gift card support
• Multi-employee support

Barclaycard Anywhere

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	£60 + VAT	Flat rate of 2.6%	Immediately

Barclaycard’s Anywhere mobile card machine is ideal for accepting all major credit and debit cards payments, with a fixed transaction fee of 2.6%. Barclaycard’s model is available with a ‘pay as you go’ contract, meaning that there is no fixed term for its conclusion.class=”no-shadow float-md-right”

Additional features:

• Proactive security
• Advanced card verification services
• Supporting O2, EE and Vodafone networks

PayAnywhere 3-in-1

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	Free	Variable	Immediately

PayAnywhere 3-in-1 Bluetooth makes it possible to accept in-store, online, and on-the-go payments. Its advanced mobile application and activity data make it easier to manage and keep track of your customers, employees and inventory. The acquisition of the device is free of charge, accustomed with a variable transaction fee per competed activity.

Additional features:

• StoreFront POS
• 24/7 live customer support
• Employee management service

Elavon MobileMerchant

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	£79 + VAT	Flat	1 business day

MobileMerchant is a different product compared to the other devices present in this list. The app and the card reader will transform your smartphone or tablet into a POS terminal. The transaction fees are at 2.75% for all debit and credit cards with chip and contactless, and 3.75% for keyed-in cards.

Additional features:

• 24/7 phone support
• Customises VAT rates, offers discounts, and adds tips
• Securely captures and encrypts cardholder data

SmartTrade App

Supported Card Types	Device Cost	Transaction Fee	Transaction Process	Mobile App Support
	3 different month subscriptions	Variable	Immediately

SmartTrade App has a different approach compared to the previously described mobile card machines, as you can accept card payments on your smartphone, by using the built-in camera app, instead of acquiring a card reader. As so, an additional monthly fee is required, ranging from £9.99 – £89.99, based on the desired amount of supported users.

Additional features:

• 30 days free trial
• Ability to pass transaction fees to customers
• Integration of 3rd-party accounting software

Find the Best Mobile Card Machine With Market Inspector

Finding the best mobile card machine for your business or comparing the various prices of ePOS systems can be a time consuming and complicated procedure. Different interests based on your organisation’s and your customers’ needs imply different card payment solutions, but the right machine will result in improved customer service and happy customers.

For example, to process recurring payments in a legal and secure way, you need a merchant account (check here for merchant account providers operating in the UK) who can provide a number of additional features for your company.