Using SumUp and our card readers for your small business

Are you looking for a cost-effective, simple way to start or level up your business? At SumUp, the tools we create are used by all kinds of merchants, but are especially tailored to the needs of small businesses. We make card payment for business simple with our easy-to-use, highly affordable card readers, which also allow customers to pay with their phones.

When it comes to pricing, we prize transparency above all else. We promise absolutely no hidden fees – all you ever pay after purchasing a SumUp device is a small percentage of each transaction. There are also no binding contracts, so you’re free to use your card machine as often or little as you like without worrying about monthly charges. And through the free SumUp App, we offer numerous ways to accept payments online. 

To get started using SumUp, all you have to do is make a profile on our website. Just click ‘get started’ and select your preferred card reader. Then you’ll be asked to create a SumUp email and password, and fill in your information when prompted. When you’re done, confirm and we’ll ship your card reader to you for free. Here’s a quick card machine comparison to help you find the best option for your business. 

SumUp Air

The SumUp Air is our most affordable card reader, and also our most popular. Its compact form factor and intuitive design has made it a hit with merchants and customers around the world, and it is the easiest way to start accepting card payments.

The SumUp Air was designed to make cashless payment acceptance simple, and it connects via Bluetooth to your smartphone. You can then tap into a wealth of functionality via the SumUp App. You can use the app to view your transaction history, issue refunds or offer your customers receipts. 

The App can be downloaded on every smartphone and in addition to allowing you to see your business history, lets you create multiple profiles within the app so that your employees can accept payments  when you’re away. 

For any questions you might have about the SumUp Air, check out this guide we put together.

SumUp Solo

Our newest card reader is also our most sophisticated; compact, long-lasting, and packed with functions. With the SumUp Solo, you’re able to do things like see your sales history, enable tipping, adjust tax, and issue refunds and receipts straight from the touchscreen interface. 

It even comes with a free SIM card and unlimited 3G data, so even when there’s no Wi-Fi, you can get paid; and it’s constantly being updated based on merchant feedback. These updates are free and automatic. 

If Solo caught your eye and you want to know more about it, check out our guide to getting started with the Solo card reader.

SumUp 3G and Printer

The SumUp 3G Bundle is ideal for merchants who want to offer physical receipts to their customers or want to accept payments without relying on their phones, since it comes with a built-in unlimited 3G SIM card and Wi-Fi capabilities as well as a highly portable printer. The printer doubles as a charging station and display dock for your 3G, and is easily charged via an included USB cable. 

Even setting aside its printing capabilities, the 3G offers a whole host of great features. Like Solo, it comes with a free SIM card and unlimited 3G data, so it can be used anywhere there’s a network connection and doesn’t rely on a smartphone to work. The button interface also allows you to scroll through the display menu, where you can see your transaction history and choose which transactions to provide receipts for, should you decide to disable auto-printing. 

That isn’t all the 3G and Printer can do; check out our guide to getting started with the bundle to learn more.

Any of these card readers will help you level up your business, but they aren’t the whole story. SumUp offers a host of powerful business tools; learn more about our full range of merchant services for small businesses.

SumUp App

Using the SumUp App, you can do more than see and manage your transactions. You can also generate payment links and QR codes to send to your customers so they can pay you from anywhere at any time.

When you generate a QR code, you can send it to your customer or print it out and place it anywhere you choose; and when the customer scans it, they are redirected to a secure site to pay. We only charge a small fixed percentage per transaction. 

Payment links are similar, except that they cannot be physically printed out. You generate a payment link by entering an amount in the app, tapping ‘Charge’, and then selecting ‘Create payment link’. You can send that link to customers via SMS, email, or any social messaging platform; they will again be redirected to a secure site to pay and we will only charge a small fixed percentage per transaction. 

The SumUp App also gives you access to our full range of merchant services for small businesses, including invoices, issuing receipts, and seeing your transaction history.

If you have questions about any SumUp products or services, visit our support centre to find the answer or get in touch with us.

Go cashless today

Max Elias