iZettle Review UK (Now Zettle By PayPal)

Pros

• No monthly fee
• Predictable flat-rate pricing
• Inexpensive hardware
• PCI-compliant solution
• Supports PayPal payments
• Good for low-volume merchants

Cons

• Account stability issues
• No offline mode
• No built-in eCommerce

iZettle (Now Zettle by PayPal) Overview

There is considerable buzz surrounding iZettle — recently rebranded as “Zettle by PayPal“– within the mobile processing niche. iZettle is often compared to Square and even referred to as the Square of Europe, making this iPhone, iPad, and Android POS system an intriguing prospect worthy of your consideration if you are an international merchant interested in mobile processing.

iZettle has no monthly minimum fees, no binding contracts or cancellation fees, and a growing number of feature options. While iZettle now serves a dozen countries, including the US, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, and Germany, we will focus on the company’s UK services for this review. Specific iZettle pricing may differ slightly from iZettle fees in the UK, as may the availability of specific POS devices, but for the most part, the services and features remain essentially the same.

Whether you’re a new customer or a long-time iZettle user, let us know about your experience in the comments! (Again, iZettle is now “Zettle,” but for now, we’ll keep using the old “iZettle” name that people are more familiar with.)

Note: To learn more about PayPal Zettle’s mobile POS services for US businesses, read our PayPal Zettle Review (US).

iZettle Products & Services

iZettle offers its users a solid, modern, mobile POS, a high-quality Bluetooth reader, a new all-in-one touchscreen terminal, as well as some nice extras like SMS payment links, in-person PayPal acceptance, and gift cards. You can also opt for add-ons, such as restaurant features, full POS integration, and even business financing.

Perhaps one of the only shortcomings is there is no built-in eCommerce; however, you can integrate your iZettle inventory with an existing online store.

iZettle App

iZettle’s mobile app, Zettle Go, is pretty well-received by users, judging by its Google Play and Apple App Store reviews. Noteworthy Zettle Go features include:

• Inventory Library: You can organize items into folders and include different variants (such as small, medium, large) for each item and upload photos of products to serve as icons. Bulk import and export via Excel to speed things up.
• Discounts: Issue discounts by a percentage or a fixed amount.
• Text Payments: This feature, useful for socially distant payments and remote payments that don’t necessarily involve your website — for example, taking an order over the phone — lets you text customers a link prompting them to pay on their own device.
• In-Person PayPal Payments: Select “PayPal” as the payment method during checkout, and the app will display a QR code that your customer can scan to pay with the PayPal app on their phone.
• In-App Invoicing: Send an invoice for 2.5% of the transaction.
• VAT: Business accounts can set VAT rates for items.
• Analytics: iZettle’s analytics are pretty standard stuff, but it covers all the important data — card and cash sales, plus the items and quantities of each sold, for starters.
• Order Tickets: Print up receipts as well as tickets for the kitchen.
• Multiple Staff Accounts: Each staff member will have their own unique login information, and they do not have access to reports or sensitive account info. This is a nice feature and is available at no extra charge.
• Gratuity: iZettle now has a tipping function, so your customers can add an extra amount right at the reader. Tips are included in sales reports and receipts. If you’ve got an older iZettle card reader, make sure it’s updated with the latest software for the tipping screen.
• Customer Database: When customers enter their email addresses for receipts, iZettle stores them. You can then import that list into an email service, such as Mailchimp.
• Gift Cards: You can sell gift cards to your customers in two ways. You can order plastic gift cards or deliver gift codes through email, with seamless gift card bookkeeping.

Accept in-person PayPal payments by having customers scan a QR code.

One absent feature is eCommerce; iZettle used to have an in-house eComm add-on but now recommends that customers who want eCommerce integrate with Selz. Users of Shopify and other supported shopping cart software can also integrate iZettle into their existing store.

The app also lacks an offline mode; you’ll need a data or Wi-Fi connection to process payments.

iZettle Credit Card Reader

iZettle’s latest card reader is the iZettle Reader 2, which supports chip cards and contactless NFC payments. The £29 Bluetooth reader works on all Apple devices running iOS 10 and higher and most Android devices running Android 5.0 and higher.

There’s no magstripe on the iZettle card reader, which is a bold move considering that Square and similar mobile processing companies still offer a magstripe reader. I think, overall, this is a smart move, as accepting magstripe payments puts merchants at risk when it comes to chargeback protection — if a merchant swipes a magstripe card, the merchant is liable for any fraudulent charges. EMV chip-card readers and contactless payments are fully PCI compliant and are a smarter move.

Here are the stats on the iZettle card reader:

• Low-energy Bluetooth connectivity supports an eight-hour battery life
• Takes card payments 25% faster than other mobile card readers (according to iZettle) and processes contactless payments in just five seconds
• PIN pad to accept PIN card and debit card transactions
• Accepts all major credit cards and digital wallets, including Apple Pay, Samsung, Google Pay, PayPal QR payments, and payment links, with five-second processing speeds
• Deposits withdrawals to your bank account in one to two business days
• 12-month warranty on all card readers
• Optional charging dock for countertop use
• Three color options include white, black, and ocean (“Ocean” is a limited edition option made of recycled plastic)

Compared to similar mobile processing readers, the iZettle card reader offers great value, is competitively priced, and because of the updates, offers merchants better protection from fraud overall.

Zettle Terminal

PayPal’s new standalone POS solution, the Zettle Terminal, is now available in the UK. This £149 touchscreen terminal runs the Zettle Go app and does not need to be paired with any other device. It comes with a preloaded SIM card for immediate connectivity — the device runs on either WiFi or 4G, but requires a WiFi connection during the initial setup.

Here are the Zettle Terminal’s specifications:

• Battery life with “average” use is about 12 hours, while battery life with “intensive” use is about 4-6 hours
• PIN pad functionality to accept PIN card and debit card transactions
• Accepts all major credit cards and digital wallets, including Apple Pay, Samsung, Google Pay, PayPal QR payments, and payment links, with five-second processing speeds
• Deposits withdrawals to your bank account in one to two business days
• 12-month warranty on all card readers
• Optional Printer & Dock for countertop charging & receipt printing

I should note that sometime in 2022, a version of the Zettle Terminal that includes a barcode scanner will be released. This version is not yet available.

Other Zettle Services

• Restaurant POS: Zettle Food and Drink was a separate restaurant POS offering developed with the hospitality industry in mind. However, it is no longer available for purchase (though existing Food and Drink users can continue to use it). Instead, iZettle now highlights the foodservice-friendly features of the standard app on its website and suggests that users looking for further restaurant functionality integrate with a partner POS system.
• Software Integrations: iZettle integrates popular business software, such as QuickBooks, Xero, Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, Prestashop, and others. iZettle can also integrate with POS systems, allowing you to use iZettle processing with your preferred POS, such as Vend, Lightspeed, Revel, Kounta, or Loyverse.

iZettle Fees & Rates

The Zettle Go app carries no monthly fees. As for transaction fees, here’s what iZettle charges:

• Card-Present Transactions: 1.75%
• Invoiced Transactions: 2.5%
• Payment Link Transactions: 2.5%
• Keyed-In Transactions: 3.4% + 20p
• QR Code PayPal Payments: 1.75%

The iZettle Reader retails for £29, excluding VAT (additional devices are £59 each), while the Zettle Terminal sells for £149 (excluding VAT). iZettle also sells POS hardware kits that include peripheral, such as iPad stands, card reader docks, cash drawers, receipt printers, and barcode scanners. These kits range from £189 to £692 (excluding VAT).

For the average user on the free plan, taking in-person card payments, 1.75% is a terrific rate. If your business takes over £10,000 in card payments every month, you may qualify for custom iZettle pricing that’s even lower.

Sales & Advertising Transparency

iZettle does a fantastic job of clearly describing its system’s capabilities and making known all of the important contract stipulations, of which there are very few that would be deal-breakers for anyone. iZettle has worked out of a lot of kinks in its system, from the old method of processing Visa cards to the clunky old card reader. You know what your limits are and what your rates are. There are no hidden surprises.

In addition to transparency, I think it’s essential that mobile processing companies and other services that cater to small businesses understand how to reach their target demographic. That’s precisely why I always look at a company’s blogs and social media. These are educational tools for small business owners as well as channels of communication.

iZettle is doing pretty well on the blog front. From tips on growing niche business ideas to starting, running, and growing a business, the company offers a wide variety of tips and posts highlighting specific businesses. The company also has a Facebook page, Twitter feed, Instagram profile, and LinkedIn profile. There’s also a support-focused Twitter account.

Get Started with iZettle for the UK

Contract Length & Early Termination Fee

As you might expect from a pay-as-you-go processor, there’s no early termination fee from iZettle and no monthly fees. Good deal!

Beyond that, iZettle’s contract terms are pretty standard fare for a mobile processor. There’s nothing worrisome in the agreement and nothing sneaky to be aware of. I like the transparency here.

Customer Service & Technical Support

iZettle offers free customer support (including phone and email support) for Zettle Go from 9 AM to 5 PM GMT on weekdays, while users on the paid Zettle Food and Drink plan (unavailable for new signups) can access support seven days a week. This is pretty good, but as we all know, payment issues occur on nights and weekends too. It would be nice if all Zettle merchants could access 24/7 support.

The site has a solid knowledgebase, though, which means that for most problems, you can probably find the answer for yourself instead of wasting your time with customer support. I always like to see this option since I know from experience that self-service support is often the most efficient solution for general questions. It’s not the most comprehensive guide I’ve seen, but at the same time, it’s far better than others out there. There’s also a chat widget, which may be able to help you resolve simple issues faster.

iZettle Card Reader & App Reviews

iZettle is well-received online, especially compared to other POS apps. Looking at iZettle reviews online, the main app (Zettle Go) has an average of 4.7/5 stars (out of 9.8K reviews) on the Apple App Store and 4/5 stars (out of 39,000+ reviews) in the Google Play Store. Clearly, merchants like the app overall. iZettle is also good about responding to negative reviews to resolve issues.

Negative iZettle Reviews & Complaints

iZettle doesn’t have a large number of complaints floating around, and that’s a very good sign. However, I did find a few out there. These were the most common complaints in iZettle reviews:

• Connectivity Issues: This is a fairly common complaint against ANY mPOS service that favors iOS over Android and by far the most common thread in recent complaints. The Android ecosystem is so fractured that it’s difficult to support every device, and glitches can happen. Related to this, some Android users have complained about their card readers failing after app updates.
• Sudden Account Terminations/Suspensions: Almost all services that provide fast, easy access to payment processing have complaints of early account instability. That’s because companies such as iZettle tend to approve accounts without substantive underwriting, leading them to abruptly cancel services if they later feel that an account is a higher risk than they’d like. It may also cause iZettle to suspend your account pending further verification and investigation. I have not seen many complaints about this against iZettle, but some are popping up. I suggest checking out section 2.2 of the iZettle terms for a list of prohibited business types, as falling into one of those banned categories will get you shut down pretty quickly.

Get Started with iZettle for the UK

Positive iZettle Reviews & Testimonials

Here are some common compliments customers have for iZettle across various review sites:

• Easy To Use App: Most positive reviews praise the app’s ease of use. Particularly for quick-serve and small, mobile retail businesses, the app does everything business owners want it to do without being unnecessarily complicated.
• Quality Card Reader: Despite some iZettle reviews that describe connection problems with Android phones, a greater number of users praise how quickly and reliably the iZettle card reader connects. They also like that the reader has a good battery life and supports contactless payments. One iZettle card reader review stated that the battery life is sufficient to last her the entire weekend when she uses it for mobile payments at fairs and events. (As the Zettle Terminal was just recently released, I haven’t seen much feedback re: how it performs)
• Fair Pricing: Most merchants seem to enjoy iZettle’s flat-rate pricing, which is lower than most other mobile processing services provide and better than what many traditional merchant account providers can offer low-volume businesses. And, of course, everyone on the Zettle Go plan likes that there is no monthly fee or cancellation fee — which means you can get the app and card reader just for occasional mobile use.
• Helpful Customer Service: Though there are some negative reviews of iZettle customer support, many iZettle merchants, including those on the free Zettle Go plan, praise the quality of the company’s customer service and their ability to resolve problems.

Final Verdict On Zettle by PayPal

Though my experience in UK mobile payment options is limited, I can still confidently recommend Zettle by PayPal in this review. Zettle offers high-quality service, honest marketing, and a capable mobile app.

There are a couple of shortcomings with iZettle’s service worth mentioning. Unlike Square, Zettle doesn’t allow offline processing or set you up with a free eCommerce website. However, Zettle’s payment flow works a little better for chip-and-pin payments than Square’s. With some other recent optional add-ons, the gap between Square and Zettle Go is narrowing. Zettle certainly has everything you absolutely need to run a business and accept credit cards. I’m perfectly comfortable recommending that you check out the service, and Zettle by PayPal keeps a solid 5 stars.

Agree? Disagree? If you have thoughts on iZettle or iZettle, let us know in the comments!

Curious about your other mobile POS options? Read Need A Portable POS System? These 7 Mobile POS Apps Work On The Go.

The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆

iZettle (Now Zettle by PayPal)	Visit Site

After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see iZettle (Now Zettle by PayPal) for yourself.

The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆

iZettle (Now Zettle by PayPal)	Visit Site

After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see iZettle (Now Zettle by PayPal) for yourself.