iZettle Review UK (Now Zettle By PayPal)
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- Date Established
- 2010
- Location
- Stockholm, Sweden
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 quite a lot of buzz about 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 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, but the products, services, and features remain essentially the same.
Whether you’re a new customer or a long-time user of iZettle, leave us a comment and let us know about your experience! (Again, iZettle is now “Zettle,” but for now, we’ll keep using the old “iZettle” name that people are more familiar with.)
Note: iZettle does not serve businesses located in the US or Canada. PayPal’s mobile POS for US businesses is PayPal Here.
Table of Contents
iZettle Products & Services
iZettle offers its users a solid, modern mobile POS and high-quality Bluetooth reader as well as some nice extras, such as 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
While I wasn’t able to hands-on test iZettle’s mobile app, Zettle Go, because it is not available in the US, the general response from users has been positive based on Google Play and Apple’s 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 bit of a bold move considering that Square and similar mobile processing companies still offer a magstripe reader. I think, overall, this is a smart move. Magstripe readers may be familiar and cheap to give away to merchants, but they are riskier when it comes to chargeback protection. This means that 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, and Google Pay, 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.
Other Zettle Services
Zettle Food & Drink app for restaurants
- Restaurant POS: iZettle Food and Drink (formerly iZettle Pro) is a separate restaurant POS offering developed with the hospitality industry in mind. This app is as well-received as the standard iZettle Go app, and while it is not free, it’s affordable at £29 per month. iZettle Food and Drink includes restaurant features, such as table management, open tabs, split bills, employee management, customer loyalty, and advanced inventory management. This version also features an offline mode and live customer support seven days of the week.
- Business Financing: Need a bit of extra cash to grow your business? Zettle Cash Advance will provide you with the funds you need. The amount you’re eligible for depends on your processing history. By default, you pay it back with a percentage of your daily sales (though you can make a lump sum payment as well).
- 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
iZettle charges the following monthly fees:
- Zettle Go: Free
- Zettle Food & Drink: £29 per month
iZettle fees for transactions are as follows:
- 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% through May 31, 2021, and 1.75% thereafter
The iZettle Reader retails for £29, excluding VAT (additional devices are £59 each). The reader’s cost has decreased since our last review in March 2020, making iZettle even more competitively priced, and it beats the price of the Square reader as well. 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 £599 (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, I think). 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. In short, there’s very little to object to and 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. It all coalesces into a nice area for business owners. It’s certainly better than what many mobile processors come up with, so I have to give iZettle credit where credit is due.
The company also has a Facebook page, Twitter feed, Instagram profile, and LinkedIn profile. None of these profiles is particularly active, but the company does post interesting content. There’s also a support-focused Twitter account. What surprises me the most is that the support Twitter feed isn’t nearly as active as I’ve seen with other mPOS providers. Usually, there are several tweets daily — and given that iZettle serves over a dozen countries, I’d expect a lot of activity. But there isn’t. I don’t see many inflammatory comments or complaints about having trouble with an account, which is good, but I also don’t see a lot of engagement.
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 for Zettle Go from 9 AM to 5 PM GMT on weekdays (users on the paid Zettle Pro/Food and Drink plan can access support seven days a week). This includes phone support and personalized email support. This is pretty good, but as we all know, payment issues occur on nights and weekends too.
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. It addresses all the core issues you’d expect and then some. 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 (iZettle Go) has an average of 4.7/5 stars (out of 9.1K reviews) on the Apple App Store and 4/5 stars (out of 38,000+ 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: This is to be expected. 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 recommend 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 to 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.
- 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 iZettle
Though my experience in UK mobile payment options may be limited, I can still confidently recommend iZettle UK in this review. iZettle 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, iZettle doesn’t allow offline processing or set you up with a free eCommerce website. However, iZettle’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 iZettle is narrowing. iZettle 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 iZettle keeps a solid 5 stars. Do you have thoughts on iZettle? Let us know in the comments!
Want to look at some other mobile POS options? Read Need A Portable POS System? These 7 Mobile POS Apps Work On The Go.
Shannon Vissers
Shannon is a writer and editor based in San Diego, CA. Shannon attended San Diego State University, graduating in 2005 with a BA in English. She is the former editor-in-chief of SteelOrbis, an online trade publication. Shannon has also published articles for LIVESTRONG.COM, eHow, Life'd, and other websites. She has been with Merchant Maverick since 2015, writing about POS software, small business loans, and financing for women entrepreneurs.
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The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
iZettle (Now Zettle by PayPal)  |
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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) |
|---|
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.
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Organization Name: Eric Collier and Son
Please don’t use them , their security is pathetic. Apparently somebody hacked my account with no security questions as to why they wanted to change the name of my company the bank account details and even the Bank was changed. No questions asked no text, phone call , e-mail to confirm with me that I actually wanted this change to take place. Somebody then waltzed off with £24,000 of our money and according to izettle (with the little feedback we have had) it’s tough luck and all down to us. As I’ve assured them that if our money is not returned then I will be taking legal advice in order to retrieve it.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: Doorway Systems
July 2018. iZettle Card Reader “Go” system is “Free” except for the Reader cost and the small percentage fee per transaction. “Go” works well for us for small transactions, ie less than 50 UK Pounds each. It is tempting to just use “Cash amount” but then it is only possible to identify payments from the time and date of transaction. Setting up “Products” makes reconciliation much easier.A very worrying security glitch is the inability to remove any signed in an Apple iOS device that is no longer in your possession, ie lost or staff member left etc. Surprisingly changing the master account password and/or ID email address via the website does NOT log off ANY connected iOS device. The logged-in status is retained through iZettle app update, iOS update and power cycle. Until this is fixed be warned, do NOT login any iOS device using the master account details. Instead setup individual staff memeber accounts that have limited visibility. I reported to iZettle Help desk last week, no reply yet, so I may have to close the account!
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: Hadsham Enterprises
DO NOT BUY Izettle – we have a 4 week event and in good time purchased the Izettle reader and set up our account. We managed to use the Izettle reader a few times which was great and payment were received into our business account. A few days later we received an email saying:”Unfortunately, the iZettle account connected to this email has been highlighted in one of our internal controls and we won’t be able to process any future transactions for it. Please note that we strictly follow rules and regulations set up by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Sw. Finansinspektionen), our acquiring banks and the card networks. For confidentiality reasons, we can’t go into any further details about this.”Phoned Izettle support – they confirmed account was closed and couldn’t tell me anything more. The agent suggested replying to the email but admitted he didn’t fancy my chances of getting a response.THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING – we now approach our busiest weekend (Easter weekend) with no way of taking card payments. The most frustrating thing is that there is no explanation and we now have a card reader we paid for that’s useless. Imagine if you received an email from your bank saying that they had closed your account with no explanation, you then call them and they simply say there’s nothing they can do and can’t tell you why.DON’T BUY IZETTLE –
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: Celebrity Framed Photos
Do not buy one! I found izzettle good to start with then my account was blocked with no explanation than security were looking at my account. Then my account was closed down. I spent a great deal of time trying to email them rang them up 5 days running answered all their questiions. They would not give me any reason to why my account was closed. The customer service is terrible. They did not return my calls. The could not tell me why my account was closed.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: iZettle
Hello Kim,
My name is Ali and I work at iZettle. I apologise that you have felt mistreated in this situation, and I can assure you that we do value ALL of our customers. Please send me an email and a subject line and I will make sure you get an answer.
Many thanks
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: gaiapulses.com
Izettle refused to refund my money back when my account was hacked and they changed my bank account details to someone else’s and I lost all my money. They provide NO insurance for frauds. I wish i knew that earlier.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
I purchased iZettle for my newly started business (home improvements) to give my clients more and easier payment options. Took a deposit for a job for £1000 and 3 days after I get an email saying that my account is flagged and the funds are frozen and will not be deposited into my bank account. You can imagine the anger and the frustration, considering that we needed the deposit for various materials and tools to do the job. We started to work whilst we have replied to iZettle security with all the information they required about our business. The answer came: “Unfortunately, the iZettle account connected to this email has been highlighted in one of our internal controls and we won’t be able to process any future transactions for it. Please note that we strictly follow rules and regulations set up by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Sw. Finansinspektionen), our acquiring banks and the card networks.” Really? I am trading in the UK. Nobody is giving me any information about what is going on and they won’t even release my money. iZettle created such a pain and nuisance for us considering we just started to trade. I would NEVER RECOMMEND iZettle to anybody who really wants to keep their mind sane and their money in their pocket.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Just like Peter above, I took a large amount on card for a company vehicle we were selling so we may renew the fleet and they have held our funds and will not release them to me, they have even stated refunding the card used, I don’t fucking think so iZettle, I am STRONGLY considering sueing them for my current losses and damages due to the upset, wasted time and losses we have received. You better sort this out NOW iZettle or I will make you sorry you ever crossed me.!!
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
I left a message for a call back to discuss moving my business over to izettle as intuitpay is ceasing in January. I then receive back an email no call to say Thank you for contacting us at iZettle.If you have any other questions or difficulties please feel free to contact us at 442034816000 so we can further assist you.Have a wonderful day! Best regards, A standard templated letter.Not a good start if customer services cant read and understand a simple request
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
iZettle stinks!
Is this company pury a scam, I expect maybe they are?
I used their card reader to deposit £4699.00 with them. Fine I thought, I gave my cash in the bank within 3 days less their exorbitant fee.
NO CHANCE!
Apparently my account was flagged for security reasons so until I answer a series of ridiculous questions they won’t release my cash. It’s ridiculous. They send one email asking stupid Questions, then another over 48 hours, taking up valuable time because this cash is also my business only working capitol which I need in my bank immediately otherwise I cannot trade and will lose work as a result (costing me £1000 profit)
Well surely I can call support?
Nope! Support can only deal with tech issues and can only email their “security” department who do not call you back when promised, another scammy scenario. Upshot is that I cannot talk to anyone regarding this issue. To compound matters they are now asking me to provide an original invoice.
I do not issue invoices to domestic clients. Never have done as it’s never asked for. I only issue contracts stating the amounts and…. I cannot send them a copy because my laptop is currently being repaired.
I still have no idea when my money will be released to me.
iZettle are a nightmare, steer well clear!
Peter Johnston
Dynamic Home Improvements
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
iZettle now offer contactless card reader, who to chose iZettle or Payleven *confused*
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi,The rates are great the main draw back for us a a busy coffee shop is that they do not accept contactless payment and have no current plans to do so. Payleven have the same rates and are trailing contactless –
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.