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

Pros

• No long-term contracts or early termination fees
• Predictable flat-rate pricing
• No monthly minimums
• Inexpensive hardware
• Free virtual terminal for qualifying businesses

Cons

• Account stability issues
• Does not accept high-risk merchants
• Limited features

SumUp Overview

SumUp is a payment service provider that offers in-person payment processing through its SumUp app and mobile SumUp card reader. The SumUp app is similar to its closest competitors, Square and PayPal Zettle, making SumUp a good option for low-volume and mobile sales. Besides SumUp’s fees being lower than Square’s for small tickets, SumUp’s pocket-sized credit card reader has features the Square mobile reader doesn’t have, giving SumUp a slight leg up on its competition. SumUp’s quality as a mobile processing solution is reflected in the many positive SumUp reviews, at least from international merchants.

At the moment, SumUp offers more payment processing features and merchant services in the UK and Europe than it does in the United States. US merchants don’t yet have access to eCommerce payment processing and can only process a card-not-present transaction by keying it into SumUp’s optional virtual terminal. Nonetheless, it’s still great (and a viable alternative to Square) for mobile and retail-only merchants due to its affordable processing equipment and competitive processing rates.

Products & Services

Mobile credit card processing is SumUp’s core feature. The SumUp app is free to download, available for both Android and iOS, and must be connected to the internet to work. In the UK, you’ll find a few additional features that don’t seem to be available in the US.

SumUp App Features

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.

Virtual Terminal & Mobile Payments

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) would 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 socially-distanced selling option for customers who want to stay distanced during a transaction.

Mobile Invoicing

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.

International Sales

There is one thing that will set SumUp apart from the rest of the mPOS providers, especially for companies that sometimes handle international business: It’s available in 31 countries at the time of writing this. 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. Just note that your fees will vary depending on the country where you are doing business.

SumUp Credit Card Readers

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 three models: the SumUp Plus, SumUp Pro, and the new 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 Pro is a standalone reader that lets you take payments without a smartphone, tablet, or Wi-Fi. The device has a larger screen than the Plus and includes a built-in SIM card with free unlimited mobile data. Though the device is only about as tall and wide as a smartphone, you can actually manage your sales history, taxes, tips, employee accounts, and refunds on the SumUp Pro, as well as take swiped, dipped, and tapped payments. Optionally, you can purchase a charging dock that has a built-in receipt printer.

SumUp’s latest product, 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 touch screen 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 touch screen display.

As of this writing, a SumUp POS system is in development but hasn’t been released yet. It appears to be a software product designed to run on a smartphone or tablet.

SumUp Fees & Rates

Like most payment service providers (PSPs), SumUp uses a simple, flat-rate pricing plan that makes it easy to anticipate what your overall processing costs will be in advance. SumUp’s rates compare favorably with its main competitors, PayPal and Square. Note that SumUp will be more affordable than Square if you process a lot of small-ticket sales. For example, a $5 transaction would cost $0.23 to process with Square, for an effective rate of 4.6%. With SumUp, the same transaction would cost just $0.14. This difference can add up quickly if you process a large volume of transactions in this price range.

Like Square, SumUp has no account setup fees, no monthly account fees, no PCI compliance fees, no monthly minimums, and no early termination fees if you close your account early. There is, however, a $10/incident chargeback fee.

SumUp will deliver your funds (minus its fees) to your bank in one to two business days (two to three business days in the UK). There’s no instant deposit option, but this timeframe is standard for card processing.

SumUp Card Reader Pricing

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

• SumUp Plus: $35/unit (US); £29/unit (UK — sold as SumUp Air)
• SumUp Plus Cradle Bundle: $49/unit (US); £39/unit (UK — sold as SumUp Air and Cradle)
• SumUp Pro: $69/unit (US only)
• SumUp Solo: $99/unit (US); £99/unit (UK)
• SumUp 3G & Printer: £149 (UK only)

Sales & Advertising Transparency

Overall, SumUp is straightforward and transparent in its operations. The pricing is clearly laid out, and contract terms are fair. There are no gimmicky offers on the site and no undeliverable promises. The complaints against SumUp are the standard fare. They’re not unique or even uncommon, which are the sort of problems typically indicative of more significant issues.

Like most other mPOS providers, SumUp relies on word of mouth and online advertising. You will not encounter a sales team in the field offering demos. I really like this approach because independent resellers and sales reps tend to promise the world to merchants — but they rarely deliver.

Take note that if you are a high-risk merchant, SumUp will not do business with you. (Examples of businesses considered “high risk” by payment processors include pawn shops, adult entertainment, and debt service businesses.) Instead, you’ll need to find a high-risk merchant account. While this is true with other payment service providers as well, it has generated a lot of unfounded complaints from merchants who signed up and then had their accounts terminated once they started processing — and after they’d already purchased a SumUp card reader. We feel the company could do a much better job at clarifying this restriction before merchants sign up.

Contract Length & Cancellation

SumUp uses a pay-as-you-go model, with no long-term contracts and no early termination penalties for canceling your account. However, if your account is inactive for two years, SumUp will terminate it and follow the standard procedure in your state for the disposal of any funds in the account, if there are any (there probably won’t be).

The terms of use are pretty standard for a mobile processor. Like Square and PayPal, SumUp’s Terms of Use include the right to implement a rolling reserve fund on your account and to hold funds if it notices something suspicious. Although SumUp’s terms are very loose and don’t contain any truly unpleasant surprises, we strongly encourage you to read the Terms & Conditions section very closely before you sign up for an account. There are a lot of provisions that you’ll want to be familiar with before you start taking credit card payments.

Customer Service & Technical Support

SumUp offers email/ticket-based support. You can access it through the SumUp app and the website. SumUp’s US-based Support Center site has answers to lots of commonly asked questions and extensive documentation for the SumUp app and its card readers. You’ll also find SumUp’s exhaustive list of restricted businesses, although it’s very unlikely that you’ll stumble across it before signing up for an account.

You can also reach SumUp via telephone on weekdays from 9 AM-7 PM EST. SumUp reviews concerning the quality of phone support are not 100% glowing but are largely positive.

SumUp App & Credit Card Reviews

Negative SumUp Reviews & Complaints

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 14 complaints over the past three years, with eight of them coming in within the last twelve months.

On the Google Play store, SumUp has an average rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 50.3K reviews. On the Apple App Store, SumUp has an average rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 434 reviews. It’s clear that 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 really 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.

Positive SumUp Reviews & Testimonials

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.

Final Verdict

Despite some minor shortcomings, SumUp is still a good choice for many small businesses. It’s easy to order your card reader and sign up for an account online, and setting up your reader when it arrives is likewise very straightforward. It’s far from the fanciest system out there, but if you have a small business that is just getting started or you only process infrequently, this is a good fit. (And if it isn’t to your liking, remember that you won’t be bound by any contract). While US merchants can’t access all of the features UK merchants can, it’s a solid mobile processing system. For UK businesses, it’s an exciting omnichannel solution.

Like any other payment service provider (or third-party payment processor), SumUp’s aggregated accounts run a higher risk of holds, freezes, or terminations. However, this risk is still very low for a low-risk business that only takes card-present transactions. As your business grows, transitioning to a traditional merchant account will minimize this risk and cost less overall.

We’re happy to award SumUp 4 out of 5 stars. It’s an imperfect solution, but it’s got a lot going for it. For more on how SumUp stacks up against Square, read our Square vs. SumUp comparison to see more details on these two providers. If you’d like to see even more choices for your business, check out our article on the top Square Alternatives.

The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆

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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 SumUp for yourself.

The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆

SumUp	Visit Site

After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see SumUp for yourself.

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