SumUp App & Card Reader Review: Is SumUp The Best Mobile POS For Small Business?

The SumUp app features all of the standard mobile POS features, including:

• Item library
• Item variants
• Quick-sale mode
• Tipping
• Cash recording
• Basic analytics
• Multiple tax rates
• Email/SMS receipts
• Receipt printer connectivity
• Remote payments (including payment links and virtual gift cards)
• QR code payments

The remote payment features, even if basic, are nice to have. SumUp lets you send customers a payment link, allowing them to pay you on their phone or computer. You can also share a digital gift card link on your social media, website, or directly with customers. Just keep in mind that you’ll pay the higher card-not-present fee for those types of transactions.

If you’ve looked at any of our other mobile POS reviews, however, you’ll probably notice a lack of certain features not present in the SumUp app, namely:

• Discounts (only available in the UK)
• eCommerce (only available in the UK)
• Inventory counts
• Bulk product import/export
• Subscription/recurring invoicing

We take issue with the lack of discounts. The rest of the features make the wish list only because Square has raised the bar pretty high. However, they aren’t essential to an mPOS and certainly aren’t ubiquitous among its competitors.

Another SumUp feature is its virtual terminal, which allows merchants to process card-not-present transactions without a card reader (over the phone, for example). Unfortunately, you have to apply for approval to use the virtual terminal, and not everybody will be approved. Established SumUp users (or established businesses in general) appear to stand a better shot at getting permission to use the virtual terminal.

The virtual terminal is accessible from your online dashboard or within your SumUp mobile app.

You can also accept mobile SumUp payments using a payment link that you can text, email, or send over social media. You can accept payments from a customer who is not physically present; it’s also a selling option for customers who want to stay socially distant during a transaction.

SumUp merchants can email customers invoices on their smartphones, tablets, or computers. There is no cost to use the SumUp invoicing service — you only pay a processing fee when the customer pays their invoice through the payment link attached to the invoice.

SumUp does not charge a fee for invoices paid via cash or check. You can also check the payment status of invoices from your SumUp app or online dashboard.

One thing that sets SumUp apart from the rest of the mPOS providers, especially for companies that sometimes handle international business, is that it’s available in 31 countries. The list of supported regions includes most of Europe, the US, Brazil, and Chile.

Since you can use SumUp to accept payments internationally, if you’re a US merchant who does trade shows, conventions, farmer’s markets, or other events abroad, SumUp starts to look like an appropriate choice. Note that your fees will vary depending on the country where you are doing business.

SumUp’s card readers work with most Android phones, tablets, iPhones, and iPads. A handy tool within the app can check whether your device is compatible with the card reader. The company currently offers two models: the SumUp Plus (sold as the SumUp Air in the UK) and the SumUp Solo.

The entry-level SumUp Plus credit card reader works similarly to how a lot of other EMV card readers work these days, including Clover Go and PayPal Zettle. It connects to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth and supports magstripe, EMV/chip cards, and contactless NFC payments (including Apple Pay and Google Pay), all in one. Notably, the reader has an integrated magstripe reader, which sets it apart from Square’s Contactless + Chip Reader.

Another thing that makes the SumUp Plus reader superior to Square’s is that it has an OLED display and a PIN pad, allowing businesses to accept debit cards with chip + PIN verification.

The SumUp Solo is a standalone terminal similar to the Square Terminal. It’s a battery-operated device that comes with an included stand for charging or use as a countertop terminal. It includes a color touchscreen and can accept EMV and NFC-based payment methods (but not magstripe). Connectivity is via Wi-Fi or a built-in SIM card with free unlimited mobile data. SumUp Solo features a smart tipping function, and you can access reports and send digital receipts directly from the device’s touchscreen display.

SumUp has recently released a dedicated POS system in the US that features a large touchscreen display and a separate customer-facing display. SumUp’s POS system includes restaurant POS software, sales reporting and analytics, inventory tracking, and menu management features.

While the SumUp POS includes a wide variety of features and options, it’s also quite expensive in comparison to the company’s other, more bare-bones hardware.

SumUp also offers a SumUp Business Bank Account, which integrates with your SumUp credit card processing account. Signup is free and can be completed entirely online. There are no monthly or annual fees, minimum balances, or overdraft fees to worry about. You’ll also receive a free SumUp-branded Mastercard debit card with your account, which is limited to no more than $2,500/purchase. The SumUp Business Bank Account also includes same-day ACH transfers (limited to $1,000/day).

SumUp’s card readers may be ordered directly from its website, with pricing as follows:

• SumUp Plus: $39/unit (US); £39/unit (UK — sold as SumUp Air)
• SumUp Plus Cradle Bundle: $49/unit (US); £49/unit (UK — sold as SumUp Air and charging station)
• SumUp Solo: $129/unit (US); £79/unit (UK)
• SumUp Solo & Printer:  $199/unit (US); £139/unit (UK)

For US merchants, pricing for the SumUp POS system is as follows:

• $799 for POS hardware bundle (includes SumUp Register, customer-facing second display, 3-in-1 USB hub, and two Ethernet cables)
• $399 installation fee (one-time)
• $199/month for SumUp Point of Sale Essentials Plan
• $289 for SumUp Point of Sale Pro Plan
• Printers, cash drawers, barcode scanners, and thermal printer paper rolls are available separately

For UK merchants, pricing is as follows:

• SumUp Point of Sale Lite Plan: This bare-bones plan includes support for basic credit card processing, and little else. While there’s no monthly fee, you’ll have to pay a one-time cost of £429 for the SumUp 13″ tablet, stand, and SumUp Solo Card Reader. Transactions cost a flat 1.69% each, with custom pricing available to merchants processing over £100,000 annually.
• SumUp Point of Sale Pro Plan: This plan costs £49/month and works on any iPad and SumUp card reader (which you’ll have to purchase separately). Additional features include multiple order processing, multiple location management, accounting integrations, and much more.
• SumUp Point of Sale Enterprise Plan: This plan costs £69/month, and includes all features of the Pro Plan, Additionally, this plan supports the use of a kitchen display screen and includes an advanced stock management feature.

We strongly recommend consulting the SumUp website for a complete list of all features supported by each plan before choosing one for your business.

SumUp app reviews are mostly positive, though there are more international reviews than US reviews (and more Android than Apple users, it would seem). SumUp has an entry on the BBB website with a B- rating, though it isn’t accredited. The company has received 19 complaints over the past three years, with nine of them coming in within the last twelve months.

On the Google Play store, SumUp has an average rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 68.4K reviews. On the Apple App Store, SumUp has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 7.6K reviews. It’s clear the app is more popular among Android users.

Here are some of the biggest complaints customers have about SumUp, including from US-based SumUp merchants:

• Account Terminations: By far, the most common complaints come from high-risk merchants who signed up for an account only to have it shut down as soon as they started processing transactions. There’s plenty of blame to go around here. On the one hand, merchants can avoid this situation by reviewing a provider’s list of restricted businesses (or, better yet, contacting the company directly) before signing up for an account and investing in processing hardware. At the same time, SumUp needs to do a better job of warning prospective users ahead of time regarding its policies in this area, especially since many of its customers are first-time business owners who may not be familiar with the concept of high-risk industries.
• Account Holds & Freezes: Like any other payment service provider, SumUp has a higher risk of account stability issues than you would experience with a fully underwritten merchant account. Trying to process an unusually large transaction is a common trigger for a sudden account hold or freeze.
• Hardware Glitches: While relatively uncommon, there are a few complaints about problems with either the SumUp app or one of the card readers not working correctly. Luckily, SumUp’s customer service representatives have a good track record of resolving these issues.

There is one curious trend of complaints about the credit card reader on Amazon: People who have bought the reader expect it to work with Square or PayPal. Generally speaking, mobile card readers will only work with one particular processing app, and you shouldn’t expect compatibility with SumUp’s competitors.

Merchants who praise SumUp’s service generally cite the following points:

• Easy To Use: The SumUp app is very intuitive. While the features are basic, that does play into the simplicity of things. Apart from creating an inventory library (if you want to), the only other settings you need to play with are the tax rates and maybe tipping. That adds to the simplicity.
• Low Fees: SumUp’s pricing is straightforward and competitive, both in the US and the UK, and that always goes over well. For very small-ticket merchants, SumUp’s 2.75% rate is marginally more competitive than Square’s 2.6% + $0.10 because that $0.10 transaction fee adds up for purchases under about $10.
• Good Customer Support: To balance out the complaints, plenty of merchants say that support answers their questions accurately and quickly.