Best Free Credit Card Readers In 2023

The venerable Square Magstripe Reader is, improbably, still available for free when you sign up for a Square account. It’s available with either a headphone jack or a Lightning port to connect to your smart device and doesn’t need charging. While it doesn’t accept EMV cards, it’s still useful for accepting the occasional magstripe-only card or as a backup to your EMV-compatible card reader.

You should, however, be aware that you’ll be on the hook for any fraudulent transactions if you process an EMV-enabled card using the magstripe.

Square is an excellent choice for credit card processing if you’re running a small, low-volume business. There are no monthly fees or long-term contracts, and you can sign up for an account online without going through the extensive underwriting process required to get a full-service merchant account. In-person transactions cost a flat 2.6% + $0.10 each, making it easy to predict your processing costs.

Be aware that Square isn’t available to most high-risk businesses and can actually be more expensive than a traditional merchant account if you have a high monthly processing volume.

If you’re going to use Square as your primary method for accepting credit and debit cards, we highly recommend that you upgrade to the Square Reader for contactless and chip, which adds EMV and NFC-based (contactless) capability and Bluetooth connectivity. It costs only $59 each and includes a Square magstripe reader to use as a backup.

Square Free Credit Reader

• No setup or application fees
• $0/month for Square Free account ($29+/month for Square Plus accounts)
• 2.6% + $0.10/card-present transaction
• No chargeback fees
• Square Reader for magstripe – $0 ($10 each for additional readers)
• Square Reader for contactless & chip — $59 each

Square has evolved from a basic, mobile-only processing solution to a full-featured payments ecosystem and now includes the following major features:

• Aggregated account for credit and debit card processing
• Mobile card reader (magstripe-only) included with an account
• EMV and NFC-capable card readers are available
• Square Register POS system available
• ACH processing included with every account
• Analytics and reporting available through Square Dashboard

National Processing is one of the few providers in the processing industry that specifically caters to the needs of small business owners. Products and services include robust support for low-cost mobile processing systems, as well as more traditional credit card terminals. The company offers both the Clover Go and SwipeSimple B250 mobile card readers, both of which are available at no cost — if you agree to a long-term contract.

Although National Processing offers a “free” card reader or terminal if you sign up for a merchant account, we recommend passing on this offer and purchasing your equipment outright. By doing so, you’ll avoid the need for a long-term contract (with a $295 early termination fee) and enjoy true month-to-month billing with no long-term commitment. The company’s “free” equipment offer makes more sense if you need a traditional countertop terminal or POS system, which costs hundreds of dollars or more.

In any event, National Processing is much more lenient about enforcing its early termination penalty than most providers. Unless you’re leaving the company and signing up with a competitor, you probably won’t have to pay the ETF as long as you return your equipment promptly.

• $9.95/month account fee (interchange-plus plans)
• $59.00-$199.00/month subscription fee (membership plans)
• $7.95/month PCI compliance fee
• $0.00/month for the cash discounting program (optional)
• $15.00/month and 0-1.5% + $0.48/transaction for ACH and echeck processing (optional)
• Interchange + 0.18% + $0.10/transaction (interchange-plus plans)
• Interchange + $0.09/transaction (subscription plan)
• Interchange + $0.05/transaction (subscription-plus plan)

National Processing is one of the few Fiserv resellers that offer great service and pricing to small businesses. Key features include the following:

• “Free” credit card terminal available
• Offers ACH and echeck processing as an add-on
• Offers mobile processing with a Clover Go card reader
• Offers a choice between either interchange-plus or membership pricing plans
• No long-term contract if processing hardware is purchased outright

The Clover Go reader is best for merchants looking to accept it all — contactless, chip cards, and magstripe (as a last resort). This Bluetooth reader has a great battery life with an optional countertop dock, and with a merchant account through National Processing, the Clover Go could cost you nothing.

The price of the Clover Go reader depends on where you buy it — several processors use Clover as their line of hardware options. However, we have negotiated a deal with National Processing for our readers to get a free Clover Go device. If you want this chip card reader for free, you can get it from National Processing upon opening an account using our links on this page. Get your free reader here. Otherwise, it is $49 when you buy from Clover directly.

If you sign up directly with Clover, you’ll pay just $14.95/month and have a simple, flat-rate pricing plan (usually 2.6% + $0.10/in-person transaction). Billing is month-to-month, and there are no long-term contracts or early termination fees.

The Clover Go’s rechargeable battery is good for approximately 160 swipe or chip card transactions. A micro-USB charger is included with each device.

• 2.3%-2.6% + $0.10/in-person transaction (through Clover Payments)
• 3.5% + $0.10/keyed-in transaction (through Clover Payments)
• Variable processing fees (through Fiserv or Fiserv ISO)
• Variable monthly and annual fees (through Fiserv or Fiserv ISO)
• $0.00-$94.85/month software subscription fee (depending on the plan chosen)

For a more detailed breakdown of Clover’s various features and pricing options, please see our complete Clover pricing guide.

Clover Payments offers basic credit card processing services and support for a few alternate payment methods. Here are the highlights:

• Offers flat-rate pricing (custom pricing available for high-volume businesses)
• Month-to-month billing with no long-term contracts
• Full line of Clover hardware
• Access to Clover App Marketplace
• eCheck processing
• Scan to Pay QR code payments (Clover Dining plan only)
• Virtual terminal included

Although it’s best known as an eCommerce platform, Shopify also supports retail merchants with a variety of terminals and mobile card readers. At just $49, the company’s proprietary Shopify Tap & Chip Card Reader is the ideal product for a small business looking to get a fully-featured mobile card reader for the lowest possible price (short of free, that is).

As the name implies, the Tap & Chip Card Reader accepts both EMV and contactless payment methods and connects to your smart device via Bluetooth. However, it doesn’t accept magstripe payments. It’s also one of the very few mobile card readers that comes with a charging dock included at no extra cost.

As for credit card processing, Shopify uses a very simple, flat-rate pricing plan. In-person transactions will cost you 2.7% each, while manually keyed-in sales will process at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. There’s also a monthly fee to use the Shopify platform itself, with the Shopify Basic plan being the most affordable at $39/month. There are no long-term contracts or early termination fees of any kind.

• $39+/month account fee (depending on plan chosen)
• 2.7%/card-present transaction
• 2.9% + $0.30/online transaction
• Shopify Tap & Chip Card Reader: $49

You’ll need the Shopify POS app in addition to the Tap & Chip Card Reader to accept in-person payments. This app offers the following features:

• Create & send invoices
• Product library
• Customer list
• Analytics and reports
• Discounts at POS
• Order fulfillment
• Tip collection

UK-based SumUp is a relatively new entrant to the US payments processing scene, but it has a lot to offer small retail businesses.

If you just want to accept credit cards on your smartphone or tablet, the SumUp Plus mobile card reader will set you back just $39 ($49 when bundled with a charging dock). The SumUp Plus supports magstripe, EMV, and contactless NFC payments (including Apple Pay and Google Pay), and uses Bluetooth to connect to your smart device of choice.

Like Square and PayPal, SumUp is a payment service provider (PSP), so the chances of having your account suddenly frozen or terminated are higher than they are with a fully underwritten merchant account. Pricing is fully disclosed and uses a flat-rate pricing model. All retail transactions cost 2.75% each, and billing is pay-as-you-go, with no recurring monthly fees or long-term contracts.

Overall, SumUp is an excellent choice for a small, retail-only business that wants to be able to accept credit and debit cards for the least amount of money. One word of caution: SumUp doesn’t offer a payment gateway or support for eCommerce, so it’s not suitable for businesses with an online sales channel.

• No setup or application fees
• No monthly fees
• 2.75%/card-present transaction
• 3.25% + $0.15/virtual terminal or payment link transaction
• SumUp Plus mobile reader: $39

Although it’s intended as a low-cost minimalist solution for accepting credit cards, SumUp nonetheless includes a well-rounded set of features. Highlights include the following:

• Item library
• Virtual terminal
• Quick-sale mode
• Tipping
• Cash recording
• Basic analytics
• Invoicing
• Email/SMS receipts
• QR code payments
• Remote payments (payment links, virtual gift cards, etc.)

The PayPal Zettle Reader 2 is PayPal’s primary choice for a mobile card reader to use in conjunction with your PayPal credit card processing account. It’s modern, easy to use, and as close to “free” as you can hope for with such a sleek, multifunctional device.

The Zettle 2 Reader uses the PayPal Zettle app (available for iOS and Android) to accept payments and manage your account. It operates using a built-in rechargeable battery that can last for up to eight hours (or 100 transactions) on a charge. You can recharge the reader using an included USB cable or an optional charging dock. With Bluetooth connectivity, you won’t have to worry about having the right connector on your phone or tablet.

The PayPal Zettle app has most of the basic features you’ll need day-to-day, including support for manually keyed-in transactions, logging cash payments, Venmo transactions, and QR code payments. It supports EMV and NFC-based payment methods (including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay) but doesn’t accept magstripe payments.

All in-person credit and debit card transactions process at a flat rate of 2.29% + $0.09 per transaction. While the Zettle 2 Reader isn’t free, it’s a very affordable $29 for your first unit. Additional readers are $79 each, and the optional charging dock is $49. There are no monthly fees, and all billing is on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no long-term contracts or early termination penalties.

• No monthly fees
• No long-term contracts or early termination fees
• 2.29% + $0.09/card-present and QR code transactions
• 3.49% + $0.09/keyed-in transaction
• Zettle 2 Reader: $29 (first unit), $79 (additional units)
• Zettle 2 Dock: $49

The PayPal Zettle app is both simple and functional. Features include:

• PayPal and Venmo QR codes
• Cash payments
• Item library
• Reports
• Discounts
• Custom gift cards
• Support for register setups
• Refunds and partial refunds